Technology and methodology - the MADE BY THEM TO THEM approach in early childhood

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Knowing that the Internet has expanded access to information and ubiquitous communication, education must revisit teaching and learning approaches with “learning to learn” at the methodological center. This multiple case study examines “Made by them to them: the students in the learning process” in early childhood, focusing on how it activates prior knowledge, promotes personal and collaborative construction of didactic resources, and creates emotion in learning. Reflective narratives from intern students across varied educational contexts show inclusion-oriented, emotionally supportive learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

I. Introduction

Education renewal in a digital age

Rethinking pedagogy and teacher training

Technology and methodology: the THEM" approach in early childhood Technology and methodology: the “MADE BY THEM TO THEM” approach in early childhood Paula Quadros-Flores [paulaqflores@ese.ipp.pt](paulaqflores@ese.ipp.pt) School of Education of Porto Polytechnic, Portugal Daniela Ramos Gonçalves [daniela@esepf.pt](daniela@esepf.pt) ESE de Paula Frassinetti, Portugal Altina Ramos [altina@ie.uminho.pt](altina@ie.uminho.pt) University of Minho, Portugal Abstract Knowing that the Internet has opened doors to information and to the possibility of ubiquitous communication, there is now a need to review ways of teaching and learning. Learning to learn assumes a significant predominance in the methodological design due to the centrality of the student in the learning process. In this sense, this study aims to understand the approach “Made by them to them: the students in the learning process” in early childhood, assuming that it 1) activates prior knowledge; 2) promotes personal and collaborative efforts in the construction of the didactic resource; 3) creates emotion in the learning process. This is a multiple case study indifferent educational contexts and levels whose data collection was carried out by analyzing reflective narratives carried out by intern students from higher education institutions in public and private institutions. The results suggest that this approach, in addition to activating prior knowledge that is important for the construction of a robust structure of knowledge and significantly involving children in an emotional process of well-being, stimulates the natural articulation of knowledge in an inclusive environment. We conclude that situated and contextualized learning in a growing process of child involvement facilitates the understanding of reality and promotes inclusion and the construction of complex thoughts. Keywords Pedagogical innovation; skills in the 21st century; education transformation P.Quadros-Flores, D.Ramos Gonçalves & A.Ramos Digital Education Review-Number 41, June 2022 82 I. Introduction Today it is common to hear about a world in transition and how its unpredictability, complexity, diversity and interconnection causes challenges both personally and professionally. We know that in the context of education, it imposes a scenario of renewal and that the digital age encourages a set of strategies and new teaching resources, many linked to the internet, therefore to a digital environment, with the purpose of promoting communication and other solutions for current problems. We realize that this framework is not just a means to add to the traditional paradigm, asthe new potentials raise the question of how to educate today, influencing the ways of teaching and learning to learn. In fact, in the current digital, global and ubiquitous world, Education has to respond both to the students' interests and to the challenges of society. The latter is increasingly organised around complex global digital networks based on updated notions of intelligent and sustainable growth and inclusion. Thus, it seeks to achieve a conceptual economy based on knowledge and innovation, on qualified human capital with a cooperative and entrepreneurial spirit. The notions of education and learning, in this context, take on a new meaning and a new amplitude because, as in other important times, education now assumes a strategic importance for the harmonious and integral development of the human being, enabling, in this way, a balanced and sustained growth of future societies, and for that there is a need to rethink the present to change the course and reimagine the future (Arendt, 1972; Nóvoa, 2009; UNESCO, 2021) . The school must reaffirm itself as a space of social reference and educators/teachers must equip themselves with skills (Lucas M. & Moreira, A., 2017) that allow them to understand the fundamental lines of the processes of change that affect the world in general and, in parti

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study on “Made by them to them” in early childhood?

To understand the “Made by them to them: the students in the learning process” approach in early childhood and how it shapes prior knowledge, didactic resource building, and emotional engagement in learning.

How does the approach affect the learning process according to the study results?

It activates prior knowledge, stimulates children’s emotional well-being, and supports natural articulation of knowledge in an inclusive environment.

What research method and data source does the study use?

It uses a multiple case study in indifferent educational contexts, with data collected by analyzing reflective narratives written by intern students from higher education institutions in public and private settings.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk