Supporting peer learning with technology

Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022)

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity

Children feel safe, secure, and supported (e.g., Children establish and maintain respectful, trusting relationships with other children and educators).

Children develop knowledgeable confident self-identities, and a positive sense of self-worth (e.g., Children share with others how they have learned to use digital technologies).

Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy, and respect (e.g., Children appreciate the need to take turns and wait so that others can have their turn; Children co-use and collaborate with others when using digital technologies; Educators facilitate sharing of equipment and turn-taking, being mindful of children’s differing capacities to wait).

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens (e.g., Children cooperate with others and negotiate roles and relationships in play episodes and group experiences; Educators model language that children can use to express ideas, negotiate roles, and collaborate to achieve goals).

Children respond to diversity with respect (e.g., Children practise inclusive ways of being with others and achieving coexistence; Educators encourage children to listen to others and to respect diverse perspectives).

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

Children become strong in their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing (e.g., Children increasingly cooperate and work collaboratively with others; Educators promote children’s sense of belonging, connectedness, and wellbeing).

Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety (e.g., Children are happy, healthy, safe, and connected to others).

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity (e.g., Educators encourage children to engage in both individual and collaborative explorative learning processes; Educators create responsive learning environments that promote shared sustained thinking).

Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching, and investigating (e.g., Children explore their environment through asking questions, experimenting, investigating, and using digital technologies; Children use a range of strategies and digital tools to organise and represent mathematical and scientific thinking; Children use a range of media to express their ideas through the arts, e.g., clay, drawing, paint, digital technologies; Educators model the use of digital technologies and media to assist children to investigate and document their findings).

Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies, and natural and processed materials (e.g., Children use digital technologies and media to investigate and problem solve; Children experiment with different technologies; Children experience the benefits and pleasures or shared learning explorations, investigations, and imaginary play scenarios; Educators provide opportunities and support for children to engage in meaningful relationships that provide positive learning opportunities; Educators think carefully about how children are grouped for play, considering possibilities for peer scaffolding).

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators

Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts (e.g., Children engage in pretend play that draws on the use of digital technologies).

Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas, and represent their thinking (e.g., Children engage with technologies and media for fun and social connection; Children adopt collaborative approaches in their learning about and with digital technologies; Children use digital technologies and media for creative expression, designing, drawing, composing; Children incorporate real or imaginary technologies as features of their play; Educators encourage collaborative learning about and through technologies between children, and children and educators).

National Quality Standard (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2019)

Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice (e.g., Each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities, and interests are the foundation of the program; Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions; Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and extend children’s learning through open-ended questions, interactions, and feedback; Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events and their world).

Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety (e.g., Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep, rest, and relaxation; At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard).

Quality Area 3: Physical Environment (e.g., Resources, materials, and equipment allow for multiple uses, are sufficient in number, and enable every child to engage in play-based learning).

Quality Area 5: Relationships with children (e.g., Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident, and included. Children are supported to collaborate, learn from, and help each other).

National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018)

Principle 4: Equity is upheld, and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

Principle 5: People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

Principle 8: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

If these ideas are new to you, explore these related resources:

Enjoying digital content with children

This video presentation explores how educators, parents, and carers can support young children’s play and learning by viewing digital content together.

Using screen time and digital technology for learning: Children and pre-teens

This Raising Children Network article for parents and carers describes how the use of screen time and digital technologies can benefit young children’s learning, development, and play.

For more ideas, explore these related resources:

Supporting your preschooler with online games

This video animation highlights the importance of parents and carers taking an active role in supporting preschool aged children with developing safe online habits.

Get moving with Humpty’s Big Adventure

This article invites parents, carers, and educators to provide a range of skill-building opportunities for children through obstacle course play.

If you would like to read some research, explore these related resources:

Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Edwards, S. (2021). Multimodal play: A threshold concept for early childhood curriculum? British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(6), 2118–2129. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13127

Nolan, A. & Moore, D. (2024). Broadening the notion of peer-to-peer interactions when young children engage with digital technology. Early Childhood Education Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01662-4