Technology Content and Concepts in Preschool Teaching – A Practice-based Collaboration

Abstract

The purpose with the project is to develop a model for sustainable collaboration between preschool teachers and researchers with a focus on language for teaching technology in preschool. The aim is also to study how teaching can be planned and implemented such that children's opportunities to learn technology interact with the use of technical concepts. The importance of communicating a scientific language and technical words in varied situations has been shown to be important for developing the quality of technology teaching practice as well as the children’s language skills. Language research in preschool contexts is well established, however there are few studies where language and technology are combined. This study is emanating from preschool teachers' own questions about technology and language use in preschool. The project includes 12 preschool teachers, four teacher educators and researchers at a University as well as one researcher employed by a municipality. We present results from the first phase of the project which aims to explore technology content and related concepts that teachers express as relevant in preschool based on their experience. Data was collected by semi-structured qualitative, open interviews that were analyzed using a phenomenographic research approach. Focus is directed toward the technology that teachers associate with an everyday situation in preschool.  We identify four qualitatively different ways of experiencing technology including exploring techniques, exploring techniques using artefacts, exploring artefacts as technology, and building and constructing with artefacts. The results also indicate that preschool teachers are aware of the importance of using subject specific concepts, however they express uncertainty about what relevant technology specific concepts are.