Bridges across contexts – developing an animated Story World for Early Childhood transitions

Learners successful experiences during the transition from Kindergarten to school can have a profound and lasting impact on their performance throughout their education and beyond. Learners who do not have positive experiences during this critical phase are more likely to have low performance in school and become early school leavers. Meaningful and creative use of technology that enhances communication competencies and collaboration can provide young children (ages 4 -6) a good start in their education and skills that will serve them throughout their education, and help them develop personal skills. The partnership in this European project has developed a pedagogical tool and framework which holistically addresses the transition phase from Kindergarten to school. In a research-informed process, it has further developed appropriate purposeful ICT animations and a guide to tools for involving the creative expression of the learners in the designs for learning The project aimed to design a participatory learning resource, that can foster resilience in children and empower them to navigate the transition processes, in order to provide for happy and fulfilling school experiences and lessen the risk of early school leaving. The resource was developed in a research-based process involving the users, drawing on a pedagogical framework.