Technology in the Early Years Rachel Ager Independent Consultant

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage The revised, framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage was published at the end of March 2012, for implementation from September Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society. Literacy Mathematics Understanding of the world Expressive Arts and Design

Understanding the world: Technology A Unique Child: observing what a child is learning Birth – 20 Months The beginnings of understanding technology lie in babies exploring and making sense of objects and how they behave. 16 – 26 Months Anticipates repeated sounds, sights and actions, e.g. when an adult demonstrates an action toy several times. Shows interest in toys with buttons, flaps and simple mechanisms and beginning to learn to operate them. 22 – 36 Months Seeks to acquire basic skills in turning on and operating some ICT equipment. Operates mechanical toys, e.g. turns the knob on a wind-up toy or pulls back on a friction car. 30 – 50 Months Knows how to operate simple equipment, e.g. turns on CD player and uses remote control. Shows an interest in technological toys with knobs or pulleys, or real objects such as cameras or mobile phones. Shows skill in making toys work by pressing parts or lifting flaps to achieve effects such as sound, movements or new images. Knows that information can be retrieved from computers 40 – 60+ Months Completes a simple program on a computer. Uses ICT hardware to interact with age-appropriate computer software. Children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes.

Positive Relationships: what adults could do Enabling Environment: what adults could provide See Characteristics of Effective Learning - Playing and Exploring and Creating and Thinking Critically See Characteristics of Effective Learning - Playing and Exploring and Creating and Thinking Critically Comment on the ways in which young children investigate how to push, pull, lift or press parts of toys and domestic equipment. Talk about the effect of children’s actions, as they investigate what things can do. Have available robust resources with knobs, flaps, keys or shutters. Incorporate technology resources that children recognise into their play, such as a camera. Support children in exploring the control technology of toys, e.g. toy electronic keyboard. Talk about ICT apparatus, what it does, what they can do with it and how to use it safely. Provide safe equipment to play with, such as torches, transistor radios or karaoke machines. Let children use machines like the photocopier to copy their own pictures. Support and extend the skills children develop as they become familiar with simple equipment, such as twisting or turning a knob. Draw young children’s attention to pieces of ICT apparatus they see or that they use with adult supervision. When out in the locality, ask children to help to press the button at the pelican crossing, or speak into an intercom to tell somebody you have come back. Encourage children to speculate on the reasons why things happen or how things work. Support children to coordinate actions to use technology, for example, call a telephone number. Teach and encourage children to click on different icons to cause things to happen in a computer program. Provide a range of materials and objects to play with that work in different ways for different purposes, for example, egg whisk, torch, other household implements, pulleys, construction kits and tape recorder. Provide a range of programmable toys, as well a equipment involving ICT, such as computers.

Children’s development in Understanding the World - Technology 1.No expected ‘outcome’ (exploration) - children need time to explore and discover how the resources work without the constraints of a given purpose 2. A directed outcome - children need to use the resources within a range of contexts and for a range of purposes 3. A self-determined outcome - children need opportunities to select resources and use them purposefully

Birth – 20 Months The beginnings of understanding technology lie in babies exploring and making sense of objects and how they behave. 16 – 26 Months Anticipates repeated sounds, sights and actions, e.g. when an adult demonstrates an action toy several times. Shows interest in toys with buttons, flaps and simple mechanisms and beginning to learn to operate them. 22 – 36 Months Seeks to acquire basic skills in turning on and operating some ICT equipment. Operates mechanical toys, e.g. turns the knob on a wind-up toy or pulls back on a friction car. 30 – 50 Months Knows how to operate simple equipment, e.g. turns on CD player and uses remote control. Shows an interest in technological toys with knobs or pulleys, or real objects such as cameras or mobile phones. Shows skill in making toys work by pressing parts or lifting flaps to achieve effects such as sound, movements or new images. Knows that information can be retrieved from computers 40 – 60+ Months Completes a simple program on a computer. Uses ICT hardware to interact with age-appropriate computer software. Children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes. Understanding the world: Technology A Unique Child: observing what a child is learning 1.No expected ‘outcome’ (exploration) - children need time to explore and discover how the resources work without the constraints of a given purpose 2. A directed outcome - children need to use the resources within a range of contexts and for a range of purposes 3. A self-determined outcome - children need opportunities to select resources and use them purposefully

Children’s development in Understanding the World - Technology 1.No expected ‘outcome’ (exploration) - children need time to explore and discover how the resources work without the constraints of a given purpose 2. A directed outcome - children need to use the resources within a range of contexts and for a range of purposes 3. A self-determined outcome - children need opportunities to select resources and use them purposefully

Reading and writingTechnology mark making’ as a natural prelude to writing playful ‘application’ of technology as a natural prelude to directed uses read a range of different kinds of text to children facilitate exploration of a range of technologies draw children’s attention to the text in the world around them draw children’s attention to the technology in the world around them provide positive role models by showing children the value they place in their own use of print provide positive role models by demonstrating and talking about their own uses of technology Exploration Emergent Literacy

Literate role models Learning the functions of print Memory Support: Show and tell the child why you are writing yourself a note. Problem Solving: Let the child watch you and assist you as much as possible in following directions, eg to follow a simple recipe. Entering a Fantasy World: Tell your children about why you are reading novels, the comic strip, and other fiction and share some short, simple passages with them. Maintaining Relationships: Share written communication you receive through the mail and from school with your children. Encourage "writing" (draw, scribble, use picture/letter stamps) cards and letters to others. Acquiring Knowledge: Help your child to look up numbers in a phone book or to find the time and station for a television program in a television guide. As your children get older, talk to them and show them how you use dictionaries and encyclopedias to learn about things in your daily lives. Financial Negotiations: Hold your child on your lap sometimes when you are cutting out coupons and show them the numbers and tell them how the coupon will help you get that much money off on an item. Young children can also watch and listen to explanations of paying bills.

How can we act as literate role models? What functions of technology can we model? Literate role models Learning the functions of technology

Emergent Literacy Children will: Develop an emergent awareness of the nature and value of technology for themselves Develop positive dispositions towards the kind of technological applications that they will experience in the future Develop the motivation to engage in the subject in the future Go on to understand and be empowered by technology in their later lives.

Long-term planning Ensures that you cover all the prime and specific areas of Learning and Development and the Principles in the EYFS Framework. Helps to identify the links between the different areas of Learning and Development and the Principles. Ensures a balance of opportunities for supporting children to benefit from a wide range of freely-chosen play opportunities and well-planned interesting adult-led activities. Long-term planning informs or helps you focus on your medium- term planning When to introduce different technologies throughout the year When technologies will become part of the continuous provision

Considerations - when to introduce new technologies? How intuitive is its use? Age and prior experience of children Competence of children Time available Space available How will adults be deployed? Don’t underestimate the children!

Facilitating exploration which technologies will be introduced when new technologies will be introduced how the technologies will be introduced 1.No expected ‘outcome’ (exploration) - children need time to explore and discover how the resources work without the constraints of a given purpose 2Create a Story Plan: Remembering to be literate role models!

Area of Learning and Development: Mathematics Outcome: Produced a book of 1 – 10 Photographs showing 1 – 10 objects taken whilst on a ‘number walk’ around school Prior learning required: Can count an irregular arrangement of up to five/ten objects Area of Learning and Development: Understanding the world - The world Outcome: Record of plant growth Photographs of plant taken over a number of weeks Prior learning required: Can talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects Planning purposeful and meaningful outcomes Digital Camera 2. A directed outcome - children need to use the resources within a range of contexts and for a range of purposes

Area of Learning and Development: Understanding the world - The world Outcome: To talk about their observations of fruit and create a record of what they observed. Prior learning required: Comments and asks questions about aspects of the natural world. Can talk about some of the things they have observed. Area of Learning and Development: Understanding the world - The world Outcome: To talk about their observations of leaves. Prior learning required: Comments and asks questions about aspects of the natural world. Can talk about some of the things they have observed. Digital Magnifier

2013 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook Technology: Children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes. Explanatory note: Through discussion, play and practical application the child demonstrates that he/she knows about technology and its use in his/her life and local environment. The child chooses the technological opportunities around him/herself as a tool to enhance and extend his/her learning. Supporting purposeful ‘choosing and using’ 3. A self-determined outcome - children need opportunities to select resources and use them purposefully

“Children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes.” “a range of technology” - what technologies children should be able to recognise? “places such as homes and schools” - what other places should we consider? “they select and use” - what implications does this have? “particular purposes” - what should we be expecting the children to do? “he/she knows about technology and its use in his/her life and local environment” “a tool to enhance and extend his/her learning” “chooses the technological opportunities around him/herself” How do we know that children have achieved the ELG? “Through discussion, play and practical application”

Decide and organise: which technologies are part of your continuous provision when they will be part of the continuous provision which technologies will be available on an occasional basis when and how will these be made available what other resources need to be available Supporting purposeful choosing and using

Possible context: Other resources needed: Prior learning required: Possible context: Create environment for remote controlled bugs outside Other resources needed: Construction blocks – large and small, small world resources, flooring Prior learning required: (Use of remote controlled toys) Remote controlled toys

1 2 3 Using a remote controlled toy within a given context Exploring the toy Choosing to use purposefully

Software 123 Using a piece of software for a given purpose Exploring a piece of software Choosing to use a piece of software for a purpose

Progression in ICT capability the EYFS 1.Exploration 2. Using the technology within a given context for a purpose 3. Choosing to use technology for a self- determined purpose What knowledge, skills and understanding would you observe before planning for the next step? Hungry Caterpillar Primary Strategy

Playing and exploring - engagement Finding out and exploring is concerned with the child’s open-ended hands-on experiences with result from innate curiosity and provide raw sensory material from which the child builds concepts, tests ideas and finds out. Using what they know in their play describes how children use play to bring together their current understandings, combining, refining and exploring ideas in imaginative ways. Representing experiences though imaginative play supports the development of narrative thought, the ability to see from other perspectives, and symbolic thinking. Being willing to have a go refers to the child finding and interest, initiating activities, seeking challenge, having a ‘can do’ orientation, being willing to take a risk in new experiences, and developing the view of failures as opportunities to learn Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook

Active learning - motivation Being involved and concentrating describes the intensity of attention that arises from children concentrating on following a line of interest in their activities. Keeping on trying refers to the importance of persistence even in the face of challenge or difficulties and element of purposeful control which supports resilience. Enjoying achieving what they have set out to achieve refers to the reward of meeting one’s own goals, building on the intrinsic motivation which supports long- term success, rather than relying on the approval of others Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook

Creating and thinking critically - thinking Having their own ideas covers the critical area of creativity – generating new ideas and approaches in all areas of endeavour. Being inventive allows children ot find new problems as they seek challenge, and to explore ways of solving these. Using what they already know to learn new things refers to the way in which children develop and link concepts, find meaning in sequence, cause and effect and in the intentions of others through both narrative and scientific modes of thought. Choosing ways to do things and finding new ways involves approaching goal- directed activity in organised ways making choices and decisions about how to approach tasks, planning and monitoring what to do and being able to change strategies Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook Ecton Brook

Technology in the EYFS Thank you Rachel Ager Independent Consultant