IDoS White Paper on:
Early STEM Education in the Digital Age
The white paper "Early STEM Education in the Digital Age" explores the integration of digital tools and promotion of digital literacy in early STEM Education and discusses both the benefits and risks of technologies. It shares research along with best-practice examples from the members of six leading STEM Education organisations across the globe – the IDoS peers.
White Paper and translation
© Christoph Wehrer / Stiftung Haus der kleinen Forscher / Children using a digital microscope connected to a smartphone to explore and learn about the surface of a slug’s skin and other natural material.
Research: what works to promote digital literacy in students
The current debate on digital media use in early STEM Education - with conflicting theories, myths, and polarised opinions - makes it increasingly challenging for educators and decision-makers to make informed, evidence-based choices on whether and how to integrate these technologies. This white paper should serve as a guide.
The findings in the first chapter emphasise the importance of integrating technology into STEM Education to enhance students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and sensemaking skills. The effectiveness of digital tools in education is not straightforward: it depends on how they are used. Certain technologies, like simulations and scaffolding tools, are particularly effective for subjects like maths and science. However, educational products must align with the learner's cognitive development, especially as attention and focus evolve with age.
Technology should complement, not replace, traditional learning methods, and teaching principles must remain central to effective education, regardless of the tools used. Educators should avoid polarised debates about technology and instead rely on insights from cognitive science – such as how attention, memory, and learning mechanisms work – to guide their teaching strategies.
Developing computational literacy is crucial in today’s digital world. It equips individuals with the skills needed to engage meaningfully in society and shape a future where technology benefits the common good. By applying advances in cognitive science, educators and organisations like IDoS can make informed decisions about integrating technology into STEM Education, ensuring it fosters both individual development and societal progress.
Six recommendations on the integration of digital tools in STEM Education
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The white paper emphasises a balanced, evidence-based approach to using digital tools in STEM Education, cautioning against viewing technology as either inherently harmful or revolutionary. Research shows that technology alone does not significantly alter cognitive abilities; meaningful learning still requires effort, social interaction, and real-world engagement. Educators are encouraged to use technology purposefully, aligned with specific learning goals rather than as mere innovation. Effective integration involves evaluating the tool's added value, accessibility, and relevance, supported by current research and planned assessments of its impact. Importantly, technology should serve clear educational objectives that are transparent to students, ensuring alignment with curriculum aims.
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Effective STEM Education prioritises pedagogy over technology, focusing on learning goals rather than tools. While the digital era encourages fresh approaches to education, successful outcomes rely on pedagogical strategies, whether or not technology is used. Research underscores the central role of teachers and instructional methods, favouring a balanced blend of inquiry and explicit guidance based on specific learning objectives. Proven techniques such as formative feedback, metacognitive training, and behaviour management are key to fostering engagement and autonomy. Growing up with digital tools, students develop new ways of seeking and sharing information, which reshape their learning habits and perceptions of expertise. Thus, education today must adapt to these shifts, addressing both opportunities and challenges brought by digital-age learning.
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In STEM Education, the quality of interaction—whether digital, analogue, or hybrid—is key to effective learning. Digital tools can simplify complex concepts, such as using VR for virtual tours of the human body or molecular structures, or virtual labs to simulate experiments without physical materials. However, technology should supplement rather than replace hands-on learning and direct interaction with the real world. Integrating digital tools within explorative, teacher-led activities encourages motivation, curiosity, and understanding. In today’s hybrid environment, combining analogue and digital methods enriches learning experiences. Digital tools reshape our understanding of the world, but their value lies in the interconnectedness they foster rather than standalone utility. Quality interactions, blending digital and hands-on learning, drive meaningful educational outcomes.
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Successful integration of digital tools in education requires careful planning, substantial teacher training, and robust institutional support. Past experiences with technology, like electronic whiteboards, show that without thorough preparation, these tools may fail to enhance learning. Teachers need training not only in the basics but also in effectively blending digital tools with other pedagogies. Infrastructure must be reliable, with easy hardware and software access and stable internet connectivity; otherwise, technical issues can disrupt lessons. Additionally, equitable access is essential to avoid deepening the digital divide. For systemic success, governments must invest in infrastructure, ongoing support, and equitable access, ensuring that digital transformation enhances education without leaving underserved students behind.
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STEM Education in the digital era goes beyond simply using digital tools; it plays a critical role in fostering comprehensive digital literacy. As digitalisation reshapes society through AI, social media, and workforce shifts, STEM Education must equip students with computational literacy, critical thinking, and knowledge of ethical use of technology. Rapid tech changes demand that digital literacy stays adaptable, fostering algorithmic and computational thinking to support future workforce skills and informed decision-making. Inclusivity and equal access are essential, with digitalisation enabling Open Educational Resources (OER) and global-local networks to enhance quality education while respecting cultural diversity. Digitalisation allows for sharing knowledge and solutions globally, yet adaptations must reflect local contexts to ensure relevance and inclusivity.
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Evidence-based practice is essential in STEM Education, where the latest research in learning and cognition should guide both teaching methods and educational tools. Evidence about effective teaching strategies and factors impacting classroom learning—like attention, emotions, and conceptual understanding—needs to be widely shared with educators and resource developers. More research is crucial, especially on the benefits and limitations of digital tools, to support learning for diverse student groups, including students with disabilities who often rely on adaptive technologies. However, challenges such as ethical data use, maintaining human interaction, funding professional development, and bridging the digital divide must also be addressed to ensure these tools enhance education inclusively and responsibly.
Digital tools have the potential to enrich and support real-world interactions, but they should complement rather than replace them. To be effective, these tools need to be age-appropriate, integrated with clear purpose, and aligned with the intended pedagogical objectives.
Fondation La main à la pâte
Examples: IDoS peers on technology use in day care centres and the classroom
The final part of the paper sheds light on each IDoS organisation’s stance on digital tools and presents their actions for promoting early STEM Education in the digital age. By showcasing diverse cross-country examples of how technologies are used in daycare centres, the classroom, or for teacher trainings the IDoS peers aim to provide informed guidance for policy makers and actors in the educational sector.
About the authors
The International Dialogue on STEM Education (IDoS) is led by six organisations worldwide, whose members, the IDoS peers, are experts in the field of early STEM Education. As such, they each learn from one another through regular exchange to implement their work at home more efficiently, more effectively, and in a more knowledge-based way. For this paper, the peers combined their expertise and experience in the area of early STEM Education in the digital age.
Please cite this paper as:
Pasquinelli, E., Borde, B., Dhar, J., Filtzinger, B., Franz, F., Henke, N., Lundell, J., Oberthür, J., O’Donnell, C., Pahnke, J., Sadadou, D. (2024). Early STEM Education in the Digital Age. Berlin, Germany: International Dialogue on STEM Education.