Teach Middle East Magazine Jan - Mar 2020 Issue 2 Volume 7 | Page 22

Sharing Good Practice USING TECHNOLOGY TO VARY AND ACCELERATE LEARNING IN KINDERGARTEN BY: GIANNA ULYATT and these skills will be extended into their writing on paper. Children are relaxed, well-motivated and develop confidence because anything children are not happy with can be quickly eliminated and their work can be improved upon. Provide programs or games that promote early writing, spelling, Mathematics, early Geography and History. Good, clear images and the use of headphones, help visual and auditory learners well. I n recent years the use of technology has become an essential feature of everyday life. Young children are growing up in a world where technology is the norm. Adults working with young children must be prepared to allocate time to teach children how to use the equipment and the necessary vocabulary linked to it. Most adults are surprised at how quickly children accept new ideas and learn many complicated processes. Research has shown that technology improves many skills in young children, including concentration, fine motor skills, collaboration, cognitive development, access to research, exploration and independence. The equipment most children have access to is the tablet and the laptop. Adults must consequently plan how children can use technology to extend, vary and accelerate their learning. Very young children learn best when they feel they are playing and experimenting in an unstressed way. The number of games available for tablets and laptops is extensive, but these need strong adult scrutiny before loading them up. Prepare children in the use of new programs and the possible pitfalls so they can 22 Term 2 Jan - Mar 2020 use the equipment with increasing confidence and independence. Initially, it is crucial to teach children basic, essential computer terminology and how these functions work. Make a list with illustrations, if possible, so children understand what adults are talking about. For example, space bar, arrow keys, desktop, keyboard, delete etc are all new words to young children. Teach children the meaning of symbols that are important to them and how to turn on and close down computers when they are finished working. This further develops independence. Always block undesirable websites from computers because sometimes, as children continue to investigate and experiment with the machines, they can come across inappropriate images without realizing what they are doing. By providing programs with a stylus for drawing or a brush for painting, fine finger control, eye/hand coordination and fine motor skills may well improve Allocate simple research opportunities, such as, ‘I wonder which are the most important buildings in our city and why?’ or ‘I wonder how animals and plants survive in the desert?’ or ‘Did people always travel in cars?’ By suggesting simple projects that cross-curriculum areas, children begin to make links, new learning is more meaningful and memory recall is developed. Allowing children to work in pairs ensures they develop strategies for collaboration and become supportive of one another. Allocate a few minutes for one or two children to share their new findings with others and to explain how they discovered these. Children then become mini teachers in the use of specific programs or in methods of research. Checklist 1. Provide a variety of technological equipment for use in the classroom. 2. Teach children how to use the equipment and the necessary vocabulary. 3. Ensure that technology is a regular, daily feature of classroom activity. 4. Suggest problems or ideas that need resolving so children can engage in worthwhile, technology-based research activity. 5. Allow children time to show how they used new games or how they found out new information via the computer. Gianna has extensive experience as a teacher, principal and inspector. She is a consultant with expertise in KG and has spoken at conferences in Hong Kong, Spain and the U.K. She sometimes works in the UAE. To connect with her, email [email protected] Class Time