Weipeng Yang

This book examines innovative recent developments in curricula and pedagogical discourses around early childhood professionals’ digital competence development via professional development avenues. By expanding the notion of digital technologies integration, teaching perspectives, and educators’ practices in early childhood education, the authors not only conceptualise a professional development model, but also apply the model to bring together research across cultural contexts. Presenting findings from four cases, it offers research-informed tangible examples of teacher-centric professional development – one that inspires early childhood professionals, teacher educators, and pre-service teachers to use a variety of multimodal technologies within their repertoire of play-based practices (e.g., STEM-focused play for and with young children, teaching computational thinking). Case studies in this book are evidence of how practitioners can come together to build communities of practice to support their digital competence development as critical pedagogues and integrate a variety of evolving technology-based play (e.g., AI platforms), while engaging in paradigmatic debates. Readers will better appreciate the growth in pragmatic applications of technologies, together with theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. This will be a valuable resource for any academic or practitioner, whether beginning or expert, in understanding how digital competence development occurs through cultural learnings, is inclusive, not discipline-based, is holistic. In reframing early childhood professionals’ digital competence development as a naturalistic process, it will inspire educators to integrate a range of digital and multimodal technologies in their everyday practices.

This book offers new insights and critical perspectives on the integration of computational thinking, engineering design process, and AI literacy into early childhood education. The authors draw on research from around the world in early childhood education and computer science education (CSE) to explore the possibilities, benefits and challenges of incorporating emerging technologies into the formal and informal learning settings for young children aged 3-8 years. They offer strategies and research insights for designing and implementing curricula, selecting appropriate tools, and engaging families, drawing upon a wide range of research and pedagogical approaches. With a strong emphasis on equity and inclusion the authors suggest developmentally appropriate CSE activities to develop skills like literacy, maths and problem-solving, while adhering to appropriate screen time guidelines. It is written for researchers, policy-makers and educators interested in advancing the field of early childhood education and empowering young children in the rapidly evolving digital society.

Although Chinese societies have generally become striking as the classic over-achievers in international measures of academic performance, there has been no specialised publication exploring early childhood curriculum in Chinese contexts. Through this book, readers will learn more about how the Chinese context and culture collide with educators’ beliefs about the right activities for children and educators in early childhood settings. This book will be the first one of its kind to focus on early childhood curriculum in Chinese societies – from social context and culture to reforms and practices, and finally to the lessons that researchers, policymakers and practitioners could learn, as well as future directions. Is play valued? Are young children schooled earlier in Chinese societies? How do Chinese children learn in kindergartens? What is valued by Chinese educators when they implement early childhood curricula? How do Chinese teachers deliver early childhood curricula for their young children? Why were Chinese early childhood curricula implemented in these ways? Answers to these questions and more will be provided in this pioneering book.

Although Chinese societies have generally become striking as the classic over-achievers in international measures of academic performance, there has been no specialised publication exploring early childhood curriculum in Chinese contexts. Through this book, readers will learn more about how the Chinese context and culture collide with educators’ beliefs about the right activities for children and educators in early childhood settings. This book will be the first one of its kind to focus on early childhood curriculum in Chinese societies – from social context and culture to reforms and practices, and finally to the lessons that researchers, policymakers and practitioners could learn, as well as future directions. Is play valued? Are young children schooled earlier in Chinese societies? How do Chinese children learn in kindergartens? What is valued by Chinese educators when they implement early childhood curricula? How do Chinese teachers deliver early childhood curricula for their young children? Why were Chinese early childhood curricula implemented in these ways? Answers to these questions and more will be provided in this pioneering book.