The Question is No Longer ‘If’, but ‘How Best’, ICT can be Used in Early Years Practice

This study reports the different documentation that teachers encounter in four countries: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It considers the influence of this documentation on teachers’ implementations of ICT in early years practice. This influence is analysed in light of Seymour Papert’s ‘new forms of learning’ (1996). Early years’ teachers need to decide ‘how best’ computers can be used; it is no longer appropriate to ask ‘if’ young children should use ICT. This enquiry tries to identify what, if any, issues impact on teachers’ decisions about practice. It explores: • whether ‘schoolish’ kinds of learning are considered appropriate by the policy makers (as evidenced in the curriculum and other guidance documents) and by the teachers. (as evidenced in discussion responses); • whether computers are used to exploit ‘new forms of learning’ consistent with the nature of the child; • what if any aspects of computer use make teachers ‘fearful’; • what, in ideal circumstances, teachers would like to offer young children using computers as a tool for learning in any aspect of the curriculum.