Experience, represent, apply (ERA): A heuristic for digital engagement in the early years

Abstract

This paper presents an heuristic that underpinned the development of a range of early years applications (apps) as part of the Early Learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Australia (ELSA) project (2016–19). The heuristic was developed to address a range of challenges that accompany the use of digital technologies in the year before formal schooling. These include the role of digital technologies in play‐based learning environments, screen time and the importance of agency when young children are using digital technologies. In an increasingly digital world, the issue of screen time looms large as a particularly contested aspect of technology use by young children. The ELSA project responded to this challenge by developing a pedagogical framework that embedded digital technologies into context‐rich, play‐based STEM learning. The Experience, Represent, Apply (ERA) heuristic discussed in this paper is a component of the project's overall pedagogical framework and provides early years educators with the opportunity, and the know‐how, to integrate digital technologies into STEM activities through intentional teaching and play‐based engagement. It was evident from educator feedback at the four days of workshops we delivered, and in other comments throughout the year long trial, that the educators were able to embrace the cyclic nature of the ERA heuristic and ensure that the time spent on the tablet (Represent) was connected to contextualised learning opportunities (Experience and Apply). Importantly, the tablets provided affordances for the children to utilise User Generated Content (UGC) to support active engagement when using the tablets.

Engagement and Immersion in Digital Play: Supporting Young Children’s Digital Wellbeing

“…It can be surmised from the literature review that rather than restricting or removing technology, it is important for adults to engage children in conversations about their online play. Lowrie and Larkin [ 1 ] note that this should be a continuous process with discussions taking place during screen time as well as before and after. Mavoa and colleagues [ 41 ] report that families rarely talked with their children about technology engagement but still held onto fears of “addiction”.…”

“… Results were limited to publications after 2011, and publications before this time were excluded. This was in recognition of the fact that iPads were released in 2009 and the increasingly widespread availability of touchscreen technology after this time led to a significant change in the way that young children engaged with the digital world [ 1 ]. Initial searches aimed to identify studies that focused on digital wellbeing and children under the age of five (referred to in this paper as young children).…”

“…Even prior to the impact of COVID-19, screen time use by young children had grown due to the increased accessibility of Internet-enabled touchscreen devices. Lowrie and Larkin [ 1 ] note that the ease with which young children can use touchscreen devices has resulted in more engagement and also a wider range of digital play. Commonly, children begin engaging with apps and touchscreen devices as infants [ 2 ] and the Australian e-Safety Commissioner [ 3 ] recently reported that 94% of Australian children are accessing the Internet by four years of age.…”

Bounded learning progressions: a framework to capture young children’s development of mathematical activity in play-based contexts

“…However, this is typically task-driven as opposed to a pedagogical and theoretical framework emphasis on responding to the child's learning needs. This component involves a deep shift in understanding and application of how learning is supported and conceptual development promoted; therefore, the BLP encompasses a heuristic of experience, represent and apply (ERA) (Lowrie & Larkin, 2020).…”

“…Fig. 2 The experience-representapply heuristic Lowrie and Larkin (2020) explain that the heuristic provides opportunities for children to experience a concept first. By way of example, developing understandings could initially encourage children to stand in order from tallest to shortest.…”