Preschool Teachers’ Practices of ICT-Supported Early Language and Mathematics

Abstract

Young children interact with a wide range of digital technologies in their everyday lives and become competent users of computers, tablets, etc. The purpose of this study was to investigate preschool teachers' practices regarding ICT-supported early language and mathematics learning. The participants were eight teachers and data were collected via semi-structured interviews, in Greece. The most commonly reported purposes for ICT usage in preschool classes were searching for information, as a supplementary-supportive tool and for displaying educational video/pictures. The learning activities carried out in early language learning via ICT included displaying of pictures/ drawings, writing a word/name/date, practicing letters, connecting words to their sound/image and phonological awareness (for familiarization with the written word, oral language, enhancement of vocabulary etc). The learning activities carried out in early mathematics with the support of ICT included serialization-sorting of objects, learning of time and space concepts, familiarization with numbers, classification, matching, as well as activities with shapes, colors, and memory cards. Teachers' practices have implications for teacher professional development.

Teaching mathematics with mobile devices and the Realistic Mathematical Education (RME) approach in kindergarten

“…Research results point out the potential of ICT as a teaching tool and as a cognitive tool (Tavernier & Hu, 2020). Such results formulate an ordinary agreement on the educational policy and school practices that promote the rational integration of ICT in early childhood education (Nikolopoulou, 2020).…”

A Case Study for the Use of Technology Supported Graphical Organizers in Preschool Children’s Problem Solving

“…Studies on integrating ICT in preschool education show that informatics contributes to children's learning and development (Hsin, Li & Tsai, 2014). Positive effects of the use of ICT on children in teaching of basic science and mathematics concepts in preschool were observed in studies (Nikolopoulou, 2020). The opinions of preschool teachers also support the use of ICT as support material in classroom (Nikolopoulou, 2020;Nikolopoulou & Giamalas, 2015).…”

“…Positive effects of the use of ICT on children in teaching of basic science and mathematics concepts in preschool were observed in studies (Nikolopoulou, 2020). The opinions of preschool teachers also support the use of ICT as support material in classroom (Nikolopoulou, 2020;Nikolopoulou & Giamalas, 2015). There are also studies on thinking skills such as problem solving (Fessakis, Gouli & Mavroudi, 2013), creative-thinking (Liu, Lin, Liou, Feng & Hou, 2013) and geometric-thinking (Keren & Fridin, 2014) with the support or the use of ICT.…”

Teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood Education with ICT: The Views of Two Contrasting Teachers’ Groups

“…It is then that preschool teachers get to know their students better because they spend many hours a day with them and at the same time, they are not pressured to complete the curriculum (Papadakis, 2015). However, although preschool teachers state their willingness to use ICT in teaching and learning in various subjects (Sanchez et al, 2012), them using of ICT for teaching mathematics is quite limited too (Clements, 2002;Nikolopoulou, 2020). Similarly, research examining preschool teachers' views on the use of ICT in teaching and learning, especially in mathematics, is quite limited (Clements, 2002;Fox et al, 2016).…”