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DigitalLanguages:Multimodalmeaning-makinginReggio-inspired

earlyyearseducationKateCowan

UCLInstituteofEducation(London)DigiLitEY:TheDigitalandMultimodalPracticesofYoungChildrenShortTermScientificMission–FinalReportCOSTAction: IS1410COSTSTSMRef: COST-STSM-ECOST-STSM-IS1410-090317-081617Duration: 9th–19thMarch2017STSMHost: Dr.SusanneKjällander/ProfessorGunillaDahlberg,StockholmUniversitySummaryThiscollaborationbetweenUCLInstituteofEducationandStockholmUniversityprovidedinvaluableinsightsintotheory,methodsandpracticesurroundingdigitaltechnologiesinSwedishpreschooleducation.Potentialsandchallengeswithintheconceptof‘digitallanguages’wereexploredthroughdiscussionswithleadingacademicsworkinginthefieldofdigitaltechnologies,multimodalityandReggioEmilia.SharingmyworkthrougharesearchseminaratStockholmUniversityenabledanexchangeofideassurroundingmultimodalresearch,fosteringnewconnectionswithacademicsinearlychildhoodeducation.MeetingsandworkshopswiththeStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitutehighlightedthestrongconceptualfoundationfordigitaltechnologieswithina‘hundredlanguages’approachandtheongoingsupportandtrainingbeingofferedtoeducators.TheseknowledgeexchangeactivitieswereenhancedbyvisitstothreeReggio-inspiredSwedishpreschoolsettingstoobserveanddiscusstheiruseofdigitaltechnologiesinpractice.Thepreschoolvisitsrevealedamultitudeofwaysinwhicheducatorsareembeddingdigitaltechnologiesintheireverydaypracticeandusingthedigitalincombinationwithtraditionalforms.TheteachersIencounteredwereenthusiasticaboutnewpossibilitiesofdigitaltechnologies,sawthemasadditionalformsforexplorationandmeaning-making,usedthemincombinationwithnon-digitalmaterialsandwerethoughtfulandarticulateabouttheirpotentialsandconstraints.TheReggioEmiliaconceptofchildren’s‘hundredlanguages’seemedtoprovidearichfoundationforusingdigitaltechnologiestosupportyoungchildren’smultimodalmeaning-making.InStockholmthiswasunderpinnedbyabroad,Reggio-inspired,play-centredcurriculumtotheageof6,teachertrainingwhichintroducestheconceptof‘multimodality’,ongoingprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities,schoolnetworksandresearchcollaborationsfocusingspecificallyonthedigital.

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ThisstudyvisithasbeenafascinatingopportunitytoshareknowledgeandgaininsightsintoSwedishpreschooleducation,offeringopportunitiesforreflectionuponthetheory,methodologiesandpracticesrelatingtomultimodalmeaning-makingwithdigitaltechnologies.Iamdeeplygratefultoallwhomadethisvisitpossibleandwhotookthetimetoshowmetheirworkandanswermyquestionssothoughtfully.RationaleandAimsDigitaltechnologyinearlyyearseducationoftenevokesresponsesrangingfromstronglynegativerejectionstounquestionedpositiveendorsements(Plowman,Stephen,&McPake,2010).Thepurposeofthisvisitwastoseekoutamorebalanced,evaluativeapproachtothedebate,adoptingamultimodalperspectivewhichrecognisesthatmeaning-makingoccursinmanymodesbeyondlanguage(suchasimage,sound,gesture)andfocusingattentiononthepotentialsandconstraintsofnewtechnologies(seeFlewitt,2011;Jewitt,2006;Kress,2005;Kress&Cowan,Forthcoming).Thisprojectsetouttoexplorepossibleconnectionsbetweensuchamultimodalperspectiveonyoungchildren’smeaning-makingandtheapproachadoptedinmanySwedishearlyyearssettingsinspiredbytheReggioEmiliapreschoolsofNorthernItaly.

ReggioEmiliahasbecomesynonymouswithcreative,child-centredpedagogyfoundedupontherightsandthecommunicativepotentialsofallchildren.CentraltotheReggioEmiliaapproachistheconceptofthechild’s‘hundredlanguages’,atheorywhichseekstorecognise,supportandgivevaluetothemanyformsofexpressionchildrenusetomakemeaning,beyondthoseofspeechandwriting(Edwards,Gandini,&Forman,1998).Whilst‘languages’inReggioEmiliahaveoftenbeenconsideredintermsofnaturalmaterials(clay,wire,paint,lightetc.),attentionhasrecentlyshiftedtoincludeconsiderationof‘digitallanguages’(ScuolaComunaleDell’InfanziaDiana,2012).Thisemerginginterestinthedigitalpotentiallyoffersnewwaysofunderstandingandworkingwithdigitaltechnologies,foundedonReggioEmilia’sstrongpedagogyofmeaning-makinginmultipleforms.

StockholmUniversityisinternationallyrecognisedforitsexpertiseinearlychildhoodeducationandhaspioneeredcollaborativeteacher-research,practitionerdevelopmentandclassroompracticeinformedbytheprinciplesofReggioEmilia.Thishasincludedthe‘StockholmProject’(Dahlberg,Moss,&Pence,1999)anddevelopmentoftheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitute,anorganizationwhichsupportsReggio-inspiredpreschoolpracticethroughlectures,courses,workshopsandpublications.Morerecently,StockholmUniversityresearchershaveundertakengroundbreakingprojectsontheuseofcomputersandtabletsinpreschoolstoinvestigatedigitalenvironments,children’splayanddesign(Kjällander,2013;Kjällander&Moinian,2014;Kjällander,Moinian,&Dorls,2016).

Theresearchvisitfocusedonthreeinterconnectedtheoretical,methodologicalandpracticalaims:

1)Toexploretheoreticalperspectivesonchildren’sdigitaltechnologyusethroughdiscussionofmultimodalsocialsemiotictheoryandtheReggioEmiliaapproach.2)Toconsiderthemethodologicalpossibilitiesofcollaborativeresearch-practicepartnershipssurroundingdigitaltechnologiesthroughtimespentattheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstituteanditsnetworkofpreschools.3)ToexaminethepracticalwaysinwhichdigitaltechnologiesareusedinReggio-inspiredclassroomsinStockholm,andthepedagogybehindtheiruse.

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OverviewofActivitiesIncombination,thevisit’saimssoughttoarticulateabalancedapproachtomultimodalmeaning-makingwithdigitaltechnologiesthroughexploringtheconceptof‘digitallanguages’.Thevisit’sactivitiescoveredthreekeyareas,correspondingtotheaimsabove:

1)Theory:DiscussionswithSwedishresearchersandpractitionersworkingintheareasofdigitaltechnologiesand/orReggioEmilia,sharingperspectivesonchildren’stechnologyuseandidentifyingcomplementaritiesofrespectivetheory.2)Methodology:DialoguewiththeStockholmReggioEmiliaInstituteandconsiderationofitsroleinsupportingpreschoolpractice.DiscussionswithpractitionersabouttheirexperiencesofworkingcollaborativelywiththeStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitute,StockholmUniversityandothernetworks.AseminardeliveredatStockholmUniversitysharingmethodologicalinsightsrelatingtomultimodalresearch.3)Practice:VisitstoReggio-inspiredpreschoolstoobservetheconceptof‘digitallanguages’inpractice,includingconversationswithpractitionersrelatingtothedigitaltechnologiesthatareprovidedandthepedagogyadoptedinrelationtotheiruse.

Date ActivitiesFriday10thMarch

InitialmeetingwithSTSMhost,Dr.SusanneKjällander(SeniorLecturer,StockholmUniversity)

Monday13thMarch

MeetingwithDr.MiaHeikkilä(SeniorLecturer,MälardalenUniversity)MeetingwithProfessorEmeritaGunillaDahlbergandDrSusanneKjällander(StockholmUniversity)MeetingwithGregerRösnes(Director,StockholmReggioEmiliaInstitute)‘DigitalWorkshopandExploration’withKarinGandini(DigitalCreativeTrainer)andMariaKozlowska(Atelierista),StockholmReggioEmiliaInstitute

Tuesday14thMarch

SeminardeliveredatStockholmUniversity:‘Re-representationofmultimodalempiricalmaterial’–KateCowanApproximately15attendeesincludingresearchersfromStockholmUniversity,SödertörnUniversityandMittuniversitet:MidSwedenUniversity.

Wednesday15thMarch

SchoolVisit1:KatarinaVästraPreschool,SödermalmMeetingswithAnnaLarsén(Headteacher),SannaOlsson(Teacher),MariaFabien(Atelierista),ErikaLewis(Teacher)

Thursday16thMarch

SchoolVisit2:VintergatanPreschool,KärrtorpMeetingwithHelenKärnebro(SchoolNetworkLeader/AssistantHeadteacher)

Friday17thMarch

SchoolVisit3:RösbergaFörskolecenter,Ronna,SödertäjleMeetingwithMatildaNilsson(Teacher/MAEarlyYearsEducationstudent)

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FindingsandKeyThemesMyvisittoStockholmprovedtobeextremelytimely,coincidingwithagovernmentannouncementregardingdigitalliteracyinthenationalcurriculum(Regeringskansliet/GovernmentOfficesofSweden,2017).Informedbyconsultationswithresearchers,forthcomingchangestothecurriculumwillplacegreateremphasisonaspectssuchascriticalmedialiteracy,digitaltexts,programmingandcreativeproblem-solvingwithdigitaltechnology.Whilsttheseguidelineswillapplyspecificallytotheprimaryandsecondarycurricula,theyillustratethatdigitaltechnologyisatopichighontheagendaoftheSwedishGovernment,andseemstosuggestawillingnessofpolicy-makerstoengagewithresearchersintheareaofdigitalliteracy.WhilstmytimeinStockholmwasrelativelyshort,andthepreschoolsIvisitedwereinmanywaysdifferent,thepracticeIobservedwithdigitaltechnologiesofferedrichinsightsintohowtheywereusedtosupportmultimodalmeaning-making.Ihaveselectedfiveexamplesofpracticeandusethesevignettestoillustratethepedagogicalapproachto‘digitallanguages’whichIencounteredduringmyresearchvisit.1.EmbeddingDigitalTechnologiesinPractice:Exploringthebodyindigitalandnon-digital

combinations

InDecember2016StockholmReggioEmiliaInstituteestablishedanew‘atelier’studiospacetocarryouttrainingwitheducators.DuringmytimeinStockholm,theatelierwasholdinga‘DigitalWorkshopandExploration’forpreschoolteachersledbydigitalcreativeKarinGandiniandatelieristaMariaKozlowska.Thistrainingtookplaceovermultiplesessions,offeringeducatorspracticalexplorationofdifferentdigitaltools,experiencecombiningdigitalandnon-digitalforms,andsupportdevelopingvisualcommunicationrelatingtopedagogicaldocumentation.AfteraninitialinputfromMariaandKarin,theeducatorswereinvitedtoexploretheatelierforthemselvesingroupsofthree,withtwopeopleineachgroupinvestigatingthevariousmaterialsandthethirdpersondocumentingtheirexplorations.Thegroupsthencametogethertoshareanddiscusstheirexperiencesthroughshowingtheircreationsanddigitaldocumentationoftheprocess.

Figure1.1:iPadmotioncapture,mannequinsandwire

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Theatelierhadbeensetupwitharangeofmaterialscarefullychosentoinviteexplorationofthebodyandmovement(anexampleprojectforthepurposesoftheworkshop).Throughouttheatelier,digitaltoolswerepresentedalongside‘traditional’forms.Forexample,aselectionofmalleablematerials(clay,wireetc.)werepositionedclosetoseveralwoodenartists’mannequinslocatednearamountediPadsetupwithmotion-capturesoftware(seeFigure1.1).Thisofferedameansofcapturingthemovementofthevariousmalleablematerials,thewoodenfiguresandthebody.Elsewhere,webcamsanddigitalmicroscopeswereofferedalongsidenon-digitaltoolsforcloseobservation,suchasmagnifiersandmirrors,whichcouldbeusedtocarefullyexaminepartsofthebodysuchasskinandeyes.Thedigitalimagewasprojectedontoalargeeaselsetupwithpaperandpaints(seeFigure1.2).

Figure1.2:Webcam,projector,mirrorsandmagnifiersInadditiontoarangeofpaints,pencilsandpastelsprovidedformark-making,aniPadwasprovidedwithadrawingappandstylusinadarkenedroom.Thescreenwasprojectedontoawall,enlargingthedrawingsandprojectingthemontoanyonewhostoodinfrontoftheprojector(seeFigures1.3and1.4).Thisinvitedshadowplaywithsilhouettesandtheeffectof‘wearing’drawingsonthebody.Elsewhereintheatelier,webcamswereconnectedtocomputerprogrammeswhichaddedfiltersandeffects(e.g.PhotoBooth),promptingdigitaltransformationandmanipulationofthefaceandbody.Inthemainhallwayoftheatelier,aprojectordisplayedimagesofthebodyandmovementinartasinspiration(e.g.sculpture,dance,performanceart),asdidbooksandphotographsdisplayedthroughoutthespace.

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Figure1.3(Left):iPadandstylus,setupwithadrawingapp.Figure1.4(Right):iPadprojectionontothewall,alongsidelightsandtorches

Richopportunitiesforplay,explorationandcreativerepresentationwereofferedinavarietyofmaterials,bothdigitalandanalog.KarinandMariaseemedtohavegivencarefulthoughttothe‘affordances’ofthematerials,consideringwhatadditionalpotentialsdigitaltechnologiesmightofferfordeepeningenquiriesandmakingconnectionswithotherforms.IaskedKarinifsheconsideredthedigitalpartofthe‘hundredlanguages’,towhichsheanswered,“Absolutely-verymuchso”.Karinseemedparticularlywelcomingofthepossibilitiesofnewtechnologies,butapproachedtheirusewithastrongfoundationalpedagogyinspiredbyReggioEmilia.Inthissense,thedigitalwasanotherlanguageamongthe‘hundredlanguages’;oneformamongmany,withtheconnectionsbetweenformsgivenparticularthoughtandemphasis.ThefactthattheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitutehaddesignedaprogrammeofeducatordevelopmentrelatedtodigitaltechnologiesseemedtobothgivevalueto‘digitallanguages’andrecogniseoftheneedtosupporteducatorsinthisnewandemergingformformeaning-making.Thefactitwasawell-attendedprogrammeseemstoindicatethatthistrainingiswelcomedbythepreschools.ThetrainingdidnotfocusondevelopingisolatedICTskillsorabstracttechnicalcompetencies,insteademphasisinghands-onexplorationandconsiderationofthedigitalwithinawiderpedagogicalapproach.Itseemedthatthroughsuchtraining,practitionersworkinginStockholm’sReggio-inspiredpreschoolswerebeingencouragedandsupportedtoincorporatedigitaltechnologiesintotheirexistingapproachinanembedded,consideredway.Theprovisionofdigitalworkshopsforeducatorsislikelytocontinueandgrow,astheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitutehopestohosttheReggioEmiliaexhibition‘BorderCrossings’,focusingontheinterplaybetweenthedigitalandotherforms.Thisinitiativeinvolvesplanstoopendigitalateliersinthecityandsurroundingslinkedtotheexhibitiontoinvitefurtherexplorationofdigitaltechnologiesinpreschools.

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2.DiscerningSelectionofDigitalTechnologies:Music-makingwithiPads

Intheclassroomforone-year-oldchildrenatKatarinaVästrapreschoolinSödermalm,educatorsSannaOlssonandMariaFabienhadevidentlygivencarefulthoughttotheiruseofdigitaltechnologywiththeyoungestchildreninthepreschool.Whatwasapparenthere,asattheatelierworkshop,wasthatopportunitiesfordigitalmeaning-makingexistedalongsideothermaterialsforexploration.Forexample,theiPadwasbeingofferedasonemeansforexploringsoundalongsideresourcessuchasdrumsandalargewoodenxylophonepositionedcloseby.Someformoftechnologywasofferedtothechildreneverydayamongstothermaterials,illustratingthatdigitaltechnologywasnotanoccasionalorremoteexperiencebutwaspartofthefabricofthelearningenvironment.WhilstIspokewiththeeducators,severalyoungchildrentappedandswipedataniPadwiththescreenprojectedthescreenontothewall.TheappsincludedBrianEno’s‘Bloom’app,describedbythedevelopersas‘partinstrument,partcompositionandpartartwork’,whichenabledchildrentocreatepatternsandmelodiesbytappingthescreen.Whilstseveralchildrenplayed,otherswandereduptotheprojectiononthewallorpickedupnearbyscarvesandmovedwiththesounds.AsecondappIwitnessedwas‘MadPad’(seeFigure2.1),whichhadbeenusedtocreateaboardofsoundsmadebythechildrenrepresentedbytheirmark-making.Bytappingthesoundboard,thechildrencouldremixtheirsoundsinanycombination.Tappinganddraggingwithtwofingerschangedthepitchoftheplayback(afeaturewhichtheeducatorshaddiscoveredthroughthechildren’sownexplorations).Thisenabledthechildrentocreatetheirownsoundcompositionsinnewforms,whichMariaandSannahadrecentlybegunrecordingandplayingbacktothechildren.Theyspokeofhowthiswasaccessibletothechildrenindifferentwaystotraditionalinstruments,andoffereddifferentmanipulationsofsound.

Figure2.1:MadPadsoundboardofchildren’smark-makingandsounds

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Itwasevidentthattheeducatorswerehighlydiscerningintheiruseofdigitaltechnologies.Theyspokeabouttheimportanceoffindingappsthatareopen-ended,creative,multi-touch(toenableseveralchildrentocollaborateattheiPad)andwhichcombinemultiplemodes,suchasimage,movingimageandsound.SannastatedthattheydonotusetheiPadsimplyasa‘time-filler’orsomethingtokeepthechildrenquiet,butmentionedthatitwasdifficulttofindqualityappsforwithyoungchildren,withanabundanceofclosed,proceduralappsdominatingthemarket.Theyspokeoftheneedtoresearchandchoosesuitableappscarefully.ThepreschoolhasanongoingcollaborationwiththeStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitutewhereMarialecturesaboutdigitaltechnology,sharingtheirrecommendationsandexpertisewithotherteachers.SannaandMariaspokearticulatelyabouttheethosbehindtheuseofdigitaltechnologies,discussingthepotentialfordigitalformstocomplementothermaterials,forprovidingthechildrenwithdifferentexperiencesandforofferingfurthervariationintheconceptstheywereexploring.SannamentionedthatmultimodalityandtheworkofGuntherKresshadbeenpartofherteachertrainingatStockholmUniversityandthisseemedtohavebeeninfluentialtotheirpractice.Theseobservationshighlightedthattheeducatorswerecriticalusersofdigitaltechnologywiththechildren,beingselectiveandpurposefulintheirchoicesofwhichappsandtechnologiestouse.Theywerealsoextremelyarticulateabouttheirrationaleandunderlyingapproach,whichseemedtobehelpfulinreassuringparentswhowereconcernedabouttheappropriatenessofdigitaltechnologiesinpreschoolsaswellasforclarifyingtheirownaimsandpedagogy.3.ValuingChildren’sDigitalCultures:Stop-motionPokémonfilms

Intheclassroomforfive-year-oldchildrenatKatarinaVästraImetwiththeclassteacher,ErikaLewis,whoshowedmearangeofwaysthechildrenwereusingdigitaltechnologiestoextendtheirexplorationofprojects.Forinstance,sheshowedmehowthechildrenhadusedadigitalmicroscopetocloselyexamineandcaptureimagesoficecrystalsduringStockholm’ssnowywinter,promptingidentificationofaparasiteinthesnowwhichthechildrenthenpaintedandcharacterised.OthercharacterswhichseemedtoholdadeepfascinationforthechildreninErika’sclasswerePokémon,fromthepopularlocation-basedgamingapp‘PokémonGo’whichinvolvescollectingvirtualmonstersthroughaugmented-realityplay.Erikaexplainedthatshefeltitwasimportanttohonourthechildren’sownculturesandinterests,includingtheirextensiveknowledgeofPokémon,andtousethisenthusiasmandexpertisewithinthepreschoolprojects.Shementionedthatsomeparentshadinitiallybeenunsure,butthatratherthanrestrictingorbanningPokémon,Erikafeltitwasimportanttoengagein‘non-judgmentalopendiscussions’withparentstoheartheirconcernsandexplainherrationaleforincludingpopularcultureintheclassroom.WhileIspokewithErika,severalchildrenwerebusycreatingPokémonoutofpicturebeads,whichtheyarrangedonsmallpegboardstobeironedandfusedtogether,givingapixelatedeffect(seeFigure3.1).SomechildrenhadcreatedrepresentationsoftheirfavouritePokémonfromthegame,andothershadmadeupnewimaginarycharacters.TheirresultingcreationswerecopiedandmountedontocardtocreateacatalogueorlibraryofdifferentPokémoncharacterswhichthechildrenusedandsharedasfiguresintheirplay.ThePokémoncreationhadbeenongoingformanymonths,andErikahadrecentlyintroducedstop-motionvideo

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recordingusingtheiPad,enablingthechildrentorecordtheirplayandcreatetheirownPokémonfilms.ThechildrenhadcreatedasetfortheirfilmingandworkedwiththeiPadinafixedpositiontotakeaseriesofstillsusingamotion-captureapp,animatingtheseintoshortfilmswhichtheywerebeginningtorecordsoundtracksandnarrationsfor(seeFigures3.2and3.3).

Figure3.1:Pokémoncharacterscreatedwithpicturebeads

WhenIaskedErikaifsheconsidereddigitaltechnologiespartofthe‘hundredlanguages’shewasadamant,“Ohdefinitely!Definitely.”Shespokeaboutherbeliefthatdigitaltechnologiescouldnotonlycomplementenquiriesbutalsoextendandgodeeperintoconceptsthroughprovidingdifferentformsforexpressionandthinking.Erikawasalsoreflectiveaboutthelimitationsofdigitaltechnology.Forinstance,sheexplainedthatsheusedCuisenairerodswiththechildrentoenabletactile,hands-onmanipulationofthree-dimensionalnumberandquantityinawaythatdigitaltechnologydoesnotcurrentlyoffer.Thisbalancedapproachwelcomedchildren’sowndigitalmediaculturesintotheclassroom,usingtheirfascinationsandexpertiseasthebasisforongoingprojectsandprovidingdigitaltoolsthatsympatheticallyextendedthisinadigitalform.

Figure3.2(Left):iPadrecordingstop-motion,PokémoncharactersandsetFigure3.3(Right):Pokémonstopmotionfilmrecording

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4.MovingBetweenDigitalandNon-digitalForms:Investigatingbubblesthrough‘multi-

stations’

AtVintergatanPreschoolIwitnessedanongoingErasmus+fundedcollaborationbetweenpreschooleducatorsinSwedenandEnglandcoordinatedbyHelenKärnebroandDebiKeyte-Hartland.Thethree-yearproject,‘WeThinkEverywhere–DigitalLanguagesandCreativePedagogies’isinterestedinhowdigitaltechnologiescanbeusedincreativeandexpressivewaystocreatenewknowledge,communicateandexpresslearning.Theprojectinvolvesteacherexchangevisits,sharingofpracticeanduseofsynchronousonlinecommunicationviaSkypetoenablechildrenandeducatorsinSwedenandEnglandtoconnectvirtually.Theprojectaimstocreateabodyofresearchintheformofcasestudies,publications,aconferenceandarangeofonlineresources.

The‘WeThinkEverywhere’researchgroupisparticularlyinfluencedbytheworkofGregoryBateson,includinghisideasoncybernetics,systems,patternsandrelationships.HelenKärnebroexplainedhowthisinfluencesherworkasaschoolnetworkleaderinsupportingthepedagogyofteachers.OnepedagogicalapproachwhichseemedtoencapsulatetheseideaswastheVintergatanPreschool’suseof‘multi-stations’,whichsupportedchildrentomovebetweendifferentmaterialsandexperiencesinordertoinvestigateaconceptinmanydifferentways.Helenexplainedthatfromstationtostation(whichmight,forinstance,offerdrawing,roleplay,sculpture,digitaltechnologyetc.)thechildrenarepromptedtoexploreaconceptthroughnewassociations,comparisonsandconnections.Pedagogicaldocumentationforthe‘WeThinkEverywhere’projectrecordedamulti-stationexplorationattheVintergatanpreschoolinvolvingchildrenaged1-3investigatingbubbles.Theexplorationbeganinapuddleinthewoodsandwasdevelopedintodeeperexplorationthroughprovidingmulti-stationsincludinghands-onexplorationofbubblesofvariouskinds,drawingbubblestotryandexplorewhatabubbleisormightbe,abubbleapponaniPadprojectedontothewalltoexplorebubblemovementandsound,photographingand‘catching’bubbleswithdigitalcameras,andsoon.

Thisapproachofferedchildrenopportunitiestocompare,discoversimilaritiesanddifferences,andconnecttheirideasandthoughtprocessesthroughmultipleforms,includingdigitaltechnologies.ThisBateson-inspiredpracticehassimilaritiestotheReggio‘hundredlanguages’approachandmultimodality,actingasaconceptualfoundationforpedagogythatoffersdigitaltechnologiesincombinationwithotherformsandvaluesmovementbetweenforms.Theoutcomesofthe‘WeThinkEverywhere’projectwillofferfurtherillustrationsofsuchanapproachandwaysinwhichdigitaltechnologiescanbeusedaspartofcreative,expressivemeaning-making.

5.DigitalLanguages,DiversityandDemocracy:Representingcommunitiesthroughdigital

photography

RösbergaPreschoolinSödertäjleservesanareaofStockholmwithaparticularlyhighproportionoffamilieswhocametoSwedenasrefugees,predominantlyAssyriansfromTurkeyinthe1960s-70sandmorerecentlyfromIraq,SyriaandacrossEurope.Rösbergaisalsoadistinctivepreschoolasithasbecomeknownforsupportingchildrenwitharangeofspecialeducationalneedsanddisabilities,boththroughinclusioninthepreschoolclassesandthroughaspecialist

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classroomwithahigherratioofadultstochildren.Thepost-warSwedishpreschoolmovementwasfoundedontheconceptof‘aschoolforall’,andthepreschool’sethoswelcomedandcelebrateddiversity:

AtRösbergaPreschoolweseediversityasanasset…Ourworkisbasedoneveryone’srighttobedifferentandeveryone’srighttofeelrespectedintheirdiversity,beitculturalorindividual.(RösbergaFörskolecenter,2017)

MatildaNilsson,oneofthepreschoolteachersatRösbergawhoiscurrentlycompletinganMAinEarlyYearsEducationatUCLInstituteofEducationsuggestedthattheideasofReggioEmiliaofferedahelpfulfoundationtotheirworkwhichsupportedmeaningfulinclusion.MatildasaidthataparticularbenefitintheirpreschoolcontextwasthevalueReggio’s‘hundredlanguages’approachgavetodiverseformsofcommunicationandexpression.ShesuggestedthatwhilstmanyoftheirchildrenmaynotspeakSwedishorbeabletocommunicateverbally,thehundredlanguages(including‘digitallanguages’)enabledallchildrentoaccessandcontributetoprojectsindiverseways.Inthisway,the‘hundredlanguages’seemstobeahighlydemocraticapproachtomeaning-making,recognisingandvaluingmultipleformsofcommunicationbeyondlanguage.Throughoutthepreschool,digitaltechnologieswereusedalongsideandincombinationwithotherformsformeaning-making.Forexample,sensorytechnologiessuchaslightboxesandmusicwereusedinadesignatedroomforrelaxationalongsideballpoolsandwaterbeds,anddigitalmicroscopesandprojectorswereusedintheatelierspacetoexplorescaleandperspectiveintheircreativeactivitiessuchasobservationalpainting.

Figure5.1(Left):Digitalphotographsoftheneighbourhood,takenbythechildrenFigure5.2(Right):Children’smapsofRonna

Digitaltechnologiesalsofeaturedinanongoingwhole-centreprojectwhichrelatedtothelocalneighbourhood,Ronna.WhilstMatildaexplainedthattheareacarriessomethingofanegativereputation,theirprojecthassoughttobuildthechildren’sprideintheirlocalitythroughexplorationssuchasvisits,map-makinganddigitalphotography.Ontheirvisitstothelocaltowncentre,thechildrentookdigitalphotographsoffamiliarsightstodisplay,discussand

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shareinthepreschool(seeFigures5.1and5.2).Theseweredisplayedwithchildren’smapsanddrawingsofthelocalarea.Thechildrenwerealsogivencamerastotakepicturesofeachother,encouragingthechildrentorecogniseandcelebratebothindividualityanddiversity,suchasthroughthedisplayoftheeyesofthedifferentchildrenintheclass(seeFigure5.3).

Figure5.3:Digitalphotographsofthechildren’seyes

Thesemultipleformsofmeaning-makingenabledallchildrentocontributetoandaccesstheprojectsinsomeway,withoutrelianceonverbalcommunication.Boththefocusesoftheprojectsandtheirmultimodalformseemedtodemonstratethatlinguistic,socialandethnicdiversitywascelebratedandvaluedthroughoutthecentre.ThisseemedtobesupportedbythedemocraticfoundationsoftheSwedishpreschoolcurriculumandinparticularthe‘hundredlanguages’approachtoexpandingcommunicationandexpression.ConclusionsThevisitsandactivitiesIcarriedoutinStockholmofferedmanyrichinsightsintoyoungchildren’smultimodalmeaning-makingwithdigitaltechnologies,aswellastheconceptualfoundations,methodologicalcollaborationsandpedagogicalpracticeswhichseemedtosupportthis.Whilstthiswasashortandsmall-scaleresearchtrip,hereIdrawtogethersomecommonthemesandreflectionsrelatedtotheinterconnectedaimsoftheproject.

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TheoreticalPerspectives:Foundationsformeaning-makingwithdigitaltechnologiesTheinfluenceofReggioEmiliaseemspartofthefabricofthecurriculumandteachertraininginSweden,owingmuchtoProfessorGunillaDahlberg’slongstandingworkwithReggioChildrenandStockholmUniversity,includingthe‘StockholmProject’(Dahlbergetal.,1999),establishmentoftheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstituteanddevelopmentofthepreschoolcurriculumin1998(revised2010).Ratherthanmimicryorformulaicimplementationofa‘Reggioapproach’,thisongoingcollaborationbetweenSwedenandReggioEmiliahasbeendevelopedthroughdialogue,reflectionandbuildingupontheSwedishplay-centredpreschooltraditionandthecountry’ssocialdemocratichistory.Thefundamentalpreschoolcurriculumvaluesofdemocracy,equalityandsolidarityareunderpinnedbyastrongemphasisonplay,creativity,sociabilityandenjoyment.Educatorsarenotboundbypre-specifieddevelopmentalscalesandtargetsbutguidedbybroadaims(forexample,to“givechildrentheopportunitytodeveloptheirabilitytocommunicate,documentanddescribetheirimpressions,experiences,ideasandthinkingprocessesbymeansofwords,concretematerialsandpictures,aswellasaestheticandotherformsofexpression”(Skolverket,2010:11)).Itiswithinthiscontextthatthemeaningfulincorporationofdigitaltechnologieswassupported.Theconceptof‘digitallanguages’withintheReggioEmilia‘hundredlanguages’approachseemedparticularlyhelpfultoSwedisheducators,emphasisingthedistinctpossibilitiesofdigitaltechnologieswhilstrecognisingthattheyofferoneformofexplorationamongmanyothers.The‘hundredlanguages’approachalsoemphasisestheimportanceofconnectingandcombiningforms,recognisingthepotentialsandconstraintsofdigitaltechnologiesandvaluingtheprocessofrepresentingconceptsindifferentwaysinordertoexpandpossibilitiesformeaning-making.Herethereseemtobemanyparallelswiththeconceptofmultimodality,whichhighlightsthatcommunicationoccursinmultiplemodes,thatmodeshavedistinct‘affordances’whichenablecognitiondifferently,that‘transduction’betweenmodesresultsinre-makingofmeaning,andthata‘generousrecognition’ofmeaning-makinginitsmanyanddiverseformsisnecessary(Bezemer&Kress,2016;Kress,1997,2010).MultimodalityfeaturesasatopicintheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitutejournalModernChildhood(Herngren,2016)andseveraloftheeducatorsIspoketowerefamiliarwiththeconceptthroughreadingGuntherKress’workaspartoftheirteachertraining.ThissuggeststhatthesetheoriesmayhavecomplementedtheReggioEmiliaapproachwhichwascentraltotheireducationstudies.WhilstthereseemstobeaproductivecomplementaritybetweenReggioEmiliaandmultimodality,certaintensionspersist.Fundamentally,theuseoftheterm‘language’in‘hundredlanguages’isatoddswithamultimodalapproachinwhichlanguageisnotseenascentralandwhereconceptualisingmodesas‘languages’mightbeconsideredalimitingandcounter-productivemetaphor.Furthermore,academicsmaybereluctanttodrawuponReggioEmiliasinceitmayappearfocusedonpracticeandlackingatraditionalempiricalresearchbase.ThisislikelytobecontestedbythoseinvolvedinReggioEmiliaitself,whowouldarguetheyareresearchingtheirownpracticeandgeneratingevidenceofadistinctkind,embodyingresearchasawayofthinking(Giudici&Barchi,2011).ThisalternativeconceptualisationofresearchmaybewhatisparticularlyaccessibleandappealingaboutReggioEmiliatoeducators.However,theseideasmaynotcarryweightwithtraditionalacademicestablishments.Ifacademicsaregenuineaboutconnectingtheoryandpractice,asoftenespousedin‘impact’statementsofuniversities,perhapsfurtherengagementinthecomplementaritiesbetweenReggioEmiliaandmultimodalitywouldbeproductivebothforarticulating,refiningandsharingthetheorieswithintheReggioapproach,andinmakingmultimodalpedagogiesvisible,accessibleandmeaningfultoeducators.

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MethodologicalCollaborations:SupportingandDevelopingDigitalPartnershipsInadditiontotherichtheoreticalfoundationsformeaning-makingwithdigitaltechnologies,therealsoseemedtobeaconcertedefforttocontinuedevelopingresearchandpracticeinthisareathroughpartnershipsbetweenuniversities,educators,policy-makers,digitaltechnologycompaniesandotherorganisations,suchastheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstitute.WhilsttheStockholmReggioEmiliaInstituteisnolongerstronglyconnectedtotheStockholmUniversity,its‘DigitalWorkshops’andothertrainingprogrammesofferongoingsupportforprofessionaldevelopmentinincorporatingdigitaltechnologies,includingbeingsupportedbyadesignateddigitalexpert,a‘digitalista’.TheInstitute’splanstohosttheReggioEmiliadigitalexhibition‘BorderCrossings’andtoestablishpublicdigitalateliersforthecityindicatefurtherprovisionandsupportfordevelopingdigitalpedagogy.Networksofpreschoolsalsoseemedinstrumentalformeeting,sharingandreflectingupondigitaltechnologypractice,andthiswasaparticularfocusintheongoingErasmus+funded‘WeThinkEverywhere’project.Incombination,thesepartnershipsrecogniseandaddresstheneedforongoingdevelopmentsupportingpreschoolpracticewithdigitaltechnologies(Kontovourkietal.,2017;Marsh,Kontovourki,Tafa,&Salomaa,2017),informedbyrobustresearchanddynamiccollaborationswhichworkmeaningfullywithpractitionersindevelopingdigitalpedagogy.PedagogyandPractice:EmbeddedandEverydayDigitalTechnologiesInthesettingsIvisited,digitaltechnologieswereanembeddedandeverydaypartofpreschoolpractice.Digitaltechnologieswereembracedasofferingdistinctpossibilities,usedincombinationwithamultitudeoftraditionalformsformeaning-making.Theeducatorsspokethoughtfullyandarticulatelyaboutthepedagogybehindtheiruseofdigitaltechnologies,andtheydemonstratedaconsideredandcriticalapproachtowhattechnologiesmightbeusedwiththechildren,howandwhy.TheeducatorsandresearchersIspokewithacknowledgedthatusingdigitaltechnologiesraisedcertainchallenges.Forinstance,somespokeofthevariationinpracticefrompreschooltopreschoolandwelcomedinitiativessuchastheSwedishGovernment’snewcurriculumforprovidingclearerguidance.Arelatedthemewasthatmeaningfuluseofdigitaltechnologiesdependedonteacherconfidenceandtimetoreflect,shareanddeveloppractice.Educatorsalsomentionedtheconcernsofparentsregardingtheappropriatenessofusingdigitaltechnologiesinpreschools,buttheycommentedthatopendiscussionsaboutthepedagogysurroundingdigitaltechnologieshelpedtoalleviateworries.Finally,thecommentsoftheteacherssuggestedthatthereiscurrentlyalimitedselectionofopen-ended,creative,collaborativeappsforchildren,andthatadiscerningapproachtochoosingandusingappsisneeded.Tosummarise,thebalancedapproachtomeaning-makingwithdigitaltechnologiesIwitnessedduringmytimeinStockholmseemstohavebeensupportedbytheconceptualfoundationsofthepreschoolcurriculum,influencedstronglybyReggioEmiliaandresonatingwithmultimodality.Thishasbeensupportedfurtherthrougharangeofongoingresearch-practicecollaborationsandopportunitiesforreflectionandprofessionaldevelopment.Thisseemedtosupportpreschoolpedagogiesinwhichdigitaltechnologiesarevaluedasanotherwayinwhichtomakemeaning,andtoenabledemocraticrecognitionofthemeaning-makingofmany.

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FutureOutputsThisresearchvisitofferedvaluableopportunitiestoconnectwithothersworkinginthefieldsofReggioEmilia,multimodalityanddigitaltechnologiesinearlychildhoodeducation.Arangeoffurtheractivitiesandoutputsareplannedrelatingtothistrip,including:

o ApresentationattheDigiLitEYTrainingSchool,Madrido AseminarfortheCentreforMultimodalResearch,UCLInstituteofEducationo AseminarfortheDepartmentofLearningandLeadership,UCLInstituteofEducationo AworkshopforLondonReFocus,theregionalnetworkoftheUKReggioEmilia

organization‘Sightlines’o AblogpostfortheDigiLitEYwebsiteo AblogpostfortheTeachwirewebsiteo InputintoteachingontheEarlyYearsEducationMAprogrammesatUCLInstituteof

Education(onlineandface-to-face)Inaddition,IhopemanyoftheconnectionsestablishedinStockholmmightbesustainedanddevelopedinlonger-termprojects,suchasthroughorganisingconferencesymposia,consideringjointpublicationsandsupportingSwedishresearcherstopresenttheirworkattheCentreforMultimodalResearchorLondonReFocusnetworks.FinalCommentsIamdeeplygratefultoDigiLitEYforsupportingthiscollaboration,toDr.SusanneKjällanderandProfessorGunillaDahlbergforsupportingmyapplication,andtoeveryonewhowelcomedmesowarmlyinStockholmandmadethetimetomeetandsharetheirwork.ReferencesBezemer,J.J.,&Kress,G.R.(2016).Multimodality,learningandcommunication:asocial

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learners ;REPZ(5.printing).ReggioEmilia:ReggioChildren.

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