REIMAGINING PRESCHOOL PEDAGOGY: AI-ENHANCED TEACHING THROUGH MULTILITERACIES-INFORMED CURRICULUM INNOVATION

Oct 15, 2026

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into early childhood education raises important pedagogical questions about designing inclusive, multimodal learning experiences that nurture children’s agency and critical literacies. This paper analyzes sixty AI-enhanced teaching scenarios developed within a national training program using the Multiliteracies and Learning by Design (LbD) lens. The study applies thematic analysis to show how the four knowledge processes—Experiencing, Conceptualizing, Analyzing, and Applying—are supported or constrained by AI-enhanced multimodal activities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Introduction

Theoretical Framework

Multiliteracies Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education

Proceedings of the 6th International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education, BalticSTE2025 104 REIMAGINING PRESCHOOL PEDAGOGY: AI-ENHANCED TEACHING THROUGH MULTILITERACIES-INFORMED CURRICULUM INNOVATION Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts , Konstantinos Kotsidis , Stamatios Papadakis , Panagiotis Anastasiades University of Crete, Greece E-mail: [katsampoxaki@uoc.gr](katsampoxaki@uoc.gr), [Kkotsidis@edc.uoc.gr](Kkotsidis@edc.uoc.gr), [stpapadakis@uoc.gr](stpapadakis@uoc.gr), [anastasiadis@uoc.gr](anastasiadis@uoc.gr) Abstract The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into early childhood education raises important pedagogical questions about how to design inclusive, multimodal learning experiences that nurture children’s agency and critical literacies. This paper analyzes sixty AI-enhanced teaching scenarios, developed during a national training program, through the lens of Multiliteracies and Learning by Design (LbD). Using thematic analysis, the study identifies how the four knowledge processes–Experiencing, Conceptualizing, Analyzing, and Applying–are supported or constrained by AI-enhanced multimodal activities. Rather than assessing the teachers’ intentions, the study highlights the emergent pedagogical affordances and the potential ofthe LbD model for crafting flexible, inclusive, and socially embedded learning experiences within the Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum. The findings suggest that strong foundations are already in place for responsibly integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into preschool learning environments, while affirming that a systematic, multimodal, and culturally sensitive approach fosters early critical literacy development. Keywords: multiliteracies, learning by design, artificial intelligence, early education Introduction The rapid expansion of digital technologies and their integration into educational settings presents new opportunities and challenges for curriculum design, particularly in Early Childhood Education (ECE) (Lampropoulos & Papadakis, 2025) . Among the emerging tools reshaping learning environments, Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers novel pathways for knowledge creation, multimodal representation, and playful inquiry, even among young learners (Anastasiadis et al., 2024; Aravantinos et al.,2024; Uğraş et al., 2024; Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts et al., 2024) . Simultaneously, the need to address the linguistic, cultural, and multimodal diversity of young learners has prompted a shift toward pedagogical models such as Multiliteracies (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009, 2020; New London Group, 1996) . Learning by Design (LbD), grounded in Multiliteracies theory, offers a reflexive, non-linear framework based on four knowledge processes, i.e., Experiencing, Conceptualizing, Analyzing, and Applying, that supports learner agency, This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Proceedings of the 6th International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education, BalticSTE2025 105 creativity, and socio-cultural connection before and after AI (Gee & Zhang, 2024). Early childhood settings, traditionally characterized by playfulness, experiential learning, and creativity, must now navigate the responsible integration of AI without compromising these core attributes. Designing AI-enhanced learning scenarios thus demands careful pedagogical planning that simultaneously nurtures children’s agency, multimodal literacies, and cultural awareness (Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts et al., 2024) . As recent scholarships suggest, the infusion of AI into early learning environments offers unique opportunities for children to contribute their lived experiences into collective meaning-making processes, transcending the sum of individual knowledge (Zapata, 2023; Gee, 2024) . In this context, young learners are positioned as active coconstructors of knowledge, building bridges between firsthand experiences, emerging d

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study analyzes AI-enhanced preschool teaching scenarios through Multiliteracies Pedagogy and Learning by Design (LbD) to examine resulting pedagogical affordances and challenges.

How many AI-enhanced scenarios are analyzed?

The paper analyzes sixty AI-enhanced teaching scenarios developed during a national training program.

Which knowledge processes from LbD are examined?

The study examines how AI-enhanced activities support or constrain Experiencing, Conceptualizing, Analyzing, and Applying.

Oct 15, 2026

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