Take a Giant Step: A Blueprint for Teaching Young Children in a Digital Age

"Given the growing ubiquity of digital media in most children's lives, thoughtful integration of technology in learning environments can benefit children as young as ages 3 to 8. Enhanced, modernized early learning will improve their long-term prospects for school success."

In January 2010, the United States (US)-based Joan Ganz Cooney Center, in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute, convened a Digital Age Teacher Preparation Council at Sesame Workshop. The Council's 18 members from academia, industry, and policy assessed current practices in early education and elementary school teaching. These personnel have designed a professional development "blueprint" to advance the use of effective digital media in teaching and learning, with an emphasis on instruction for underserved students. This report represents the Council's multi-sector action plan to enhance teacher education and an approach to the learning and healthy development of children in preschool and the primary grades. Drawing on new research and examples of what the authors describe as proven and promising practices from the US and abroad, the report advances 5 key goals for the nation to meet by 2020, as well as discrete, step-wise actions to promote innovation in the preparation of teachers of young children, including:

1. Modernise programme designs and professional development models - "The Council's review identified areas of progress in the design of modern practices for the integration of educational technology in leading teacher education institutions. Unfortunately, the pace of change has been painfully slow....The expanded use of preschool and primary grade units that encourage connected and consistent learning from ages 3 to 8 can drive coordinated efforts from teachers, parents, and the community. To do so, schools and supporting institutions must gain access to the necessary technology tools and also be freed of the tight constraints of time and tradition to permit more powerful student learning led by capable teachers and other adults. This paradigm shift will require (a) restructuring time and staffing so that teachers can work with one another and with groups of students in new ways supported by digital media, (b) rethinking schedules to promote more intentional learning time over the course of the day, and (c) reducing barriers to parental involvement so that families and schools can work together."
2. Train early educators to integrate digital and screen media into their teaching practices in developmentally appropriate ways - The Council endorses the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), whose guidelines indicate: "Technology and media should not replace beneficial educational activities, creative play, or interactions with peers and adults in early childhood settings. Educators must use professional judgment in evaluating and using technology, just as they would any other learning tool or experience, and must emphasize active engagement rather than passive uses of technology and media." The Council also concludes that a step-wise approach to introducing new professional development capacity to early education programmes of diverse professional need should take place via cost-effective distance learning methods.
3. Expand public media use as a cost-effective asset for teachers - The Council recommends that policy, media, and philanthropic leaders should create public-private partnerships to support new forms of design and a new distribution system to enable digital innovation in the classroom. The report cites US initiatives as well as those from other countries, including from the United Kingdom (Teachers' TV) and China (the nation's own educators' channel). The Khan Academy model and 2tor.com are also mentioned as exemplifying the potential value of entrepreneurial initiative in this area.
4. Advance coherent and equitable policies to promote technology integration across standards, curriculum, and teacher professional development in order to promote better teaching and learning for low-income children - Strategies suggested include: (a) partnering with states and the private sector to ensure that a technology infrastructure exists in every school and community; (b) reconfiguring national priority programmes such as the Enhancing Education through Technology (EET) programme and creating a crosscutting emphasis on evidence-based technology use; (c) providing states (and consortia of states) with funding and accountability incentives to align standards, assessments, and curriculum frameworks - e.g., "allow online curriculum repositories to be organized around early learning instructional resources and interactive data collection systems, so that states and schools can organize professional development around these materials, and teachers can customize individual, group, and online instruction for their needs"; (d) convening summits on the future of teaching and learning for young children.
5. Create research and development (R&D) partnerships for a digital age - example: "Development of faster and cheaper multimedia channels of distribution is needed in order for professional development designs to propagate....Other needed infrastructure should include greater support for cyber learning research that connects design partners such as public media, university labs, libraries, and technology firms with local practitioners."