Constructionism is defined as the understanding that children actively construct knowledge through the interactions they have with their surrounding environment by building ideas. This can be stimulated by interacting with meaningful objects that allow them to express and materialize their ideas. Hence, building and playing with sandcastles, Legos, dolls, and collectible cards should be considered as models for designing new tools for children’s play.
Digital manipulatives (interactive, web-based representations of manipulatives like base-ten blocks) allow for a hands-on, engaging alternative to traditional digital tools by promoting exploratory learning and encouraging creativity and collaboration. Research shows Digital manipulatives enhance engagement, verbal interaction, and social skill development. However, early childhood curriculums often separate play from digital tool use, suggesting a need to better integrate children’s play with digital learning tools through deeper understanding of their play experiences
This study looked at Digital manipulatives and how they influence constructionism and found that children were able to explore and use the functions of the Digital Manipulative without any sort of help. Additionally, the children created their own play rules through negotiations with each other on how to handle the block, allowing autonomy and being able to create things on their own, which resulted in playful interactions and collaborations. The children also used the blocks for both creating visual narratives and for construction material, ensuring that children were able to engage in a diverse range of activities and not be confined to the computer. The blocks also gave democratic interactions, giving kids equal power to interact with the device, further encouraging social interaction and collaboration.
Overall, digital manipulatives have the ability to transform early learning by making digital experiences more playful, collaborative, and engaging. However, there’s still a gap between how play is understood in educational settings and how digital tools are used. In order to start bridging this gap, we need to rethink how children can play and how technology can support, NOT replace, those meaningful experiences!
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Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant