In this resource you will gain insight into how computational thinking can be supported in early childhood education and care (ECEC) without the use of digital technology.
In this resource you will gain insight into how algorithmic thinking can be supported in kindergarten through activities involving digital technology (plugged) and activities without digital technology (unplugged). The resource focuses particularly on how ECEC teachers can facilitate active, exploratory and play-based learning situations where children participate through the body, materials and language.
In the video, Francesca Granone at the University of Stavanger presents examples of how children’s algorithmic thinking can be expressed both through coding toys and through everyday activities without the use of digital technology. The content has been developed in close collaboration between researchers and co-researchers through the method of inclusive research (Granone et al., 2023; Granone & Knudsen, 2024).
This resource is one of several resources developed by the research project DiCoTe. It also builds on data collected in the research projects VERDI and INKODE.
Aim: To raise eduators' knowledge of how algorithmic thinking can be supported with and without digital technology in ECEC, with particular emphasis on children’s play and everyday situations. Useful for: Early childhood in-service teachers, early childhood preservice teachers, and university teachers in early childhood teacher education. Recommended time use: About 45 minutes, follwed by trying the activities with children. Tips for using this resource: 1. Watch the video, preferably individually beforehand. 2. Discuss the reflection questions in groups. 3. Try the activities with children. 4. Discuss and evaluate the activity with your colleagues afterwards.
- Algorithmic thinking
Video
Questions for reflection
- How is algorithmic thinking expressed in everyday activities in your ECEC setting? Give examples.
- How would you work with both plugged and unplugged activities together with the children in your group?
- What experiences do you have with using unplugged activities to include more children? Do you experience that children are more or less active and/or engaged in these activities?
- How can you use questions and dialogue to support children’s problem-solving in everyday situations? Give examples.
Activities
Explore sequencing without technology: Let the children explain and demonstrate the order in which outdoor clothes are put on. Use pictures or concrete objects to create a “recipe” together.
Build a path on the floor: Create a route using tape or blocks where children must explain how to move from the start to the goal. Talk about direction, distance and sequence.
From unplugged to plugged: Let the children first explore a route using their bodies and then program a robot to follow the same route.
The educator's role is central in these activities
- Support the children through questions such as: “What needs to happen first?”, “What do we do if it doesn’t work?” and “Can we try another way?”
- How would you, as a teacher, describe the mathematical and algorithmic thinking that the children demonstrate?
Granone, F., Johansen, M., Reikerås, E. K. L. & Kvalø, T. M. (2023). “Nothing about us without us”: The first example of inclusive research in Early Childhood Education in Norway. Consultori Familiari Oggi, 31(1), 69-82.
Granone, F. & Knudsen, G. (2024). Supporting children’s spatial understanding through technology: The importance of dialogical exchange analysed through inclusive research. In J. Davis, Adams, S., Challen C., & Bourke, T. (Eds.), Designing inclusive assessment in the school: A guide to disciplinary and interdisciplinary practice. Routledge.
Granone, F., Reikerås, E. K. L., Pollarolo, E. & Kamola, M. (2023). Critical thinking, problem-solving and computational thinking: Related but distinct? An analysis of similarities and differences based on an example of a play situation in an early childhood education setting (s. 405-423). In Paloma, F. G. (Ed.). Teacher training and practice. IntechOpen.
The VERDI project and the research project INKODE is funded by Stiftelsen Dam with support from the Norwegian Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NFU).
Faglig ansvarlig
Department of Early Childhood Education
