Educators at British International School Chicago Lincoln Park (BISC-LP) are finding that early exposure to technology education has a measurable impact on students.
“Technology empowers students to think creatively and logically,” says technology specialist Rachel Halliday, adding that her students become creative problem solvers and confident, independent thinkers through hands-on activities for students in Years 1-6. At BISC-LP, which is an independent international school in Chicago, this includes ages 5-11.
Students at BISC-LP build skills they’ll use in school and in life — preparing them to thrive in a world where adaptability and technology use are more important than ever. Halliday says her students think critically and approach problems strategically, becoming what she calls “troubleshooting techsperts.”
We tapped Halliday’s expertise in both education and technology to learn the key skills learned through early tech ed, plus what her students are achieving in real time. And, we asked about the connection between technology and critical thinking, creativity and resilience. Here’s what you need to know.
Top 4 ways students benefit from early technology education
1. Students build resilience through trial and error
Learning through technology gives young children the opportunity to make mistakes and try again. At BISC-LP, coding activities using Bee-Bots (simple robots that teach programming basics), show 5- and 6-year-old students how to sequence commands and troubleshoot. They practice persistence and patience as they work through each step — mirroring real-world problem solving.
2. Critical thinking grows when children learn to analyze
Hands-on tech activities help children build critical thinking skills as they navigate challenges, analyze issues and explore solutions. When older students use 3D modeling software at BISC-LP, they learn to work in three dimensions, sharpening spatial awareness and logical thinking.
3. Technology provides a safe space for creative risk-taking
Children can experiment without fear of permanent mistakes, building confidence to try new things. Unlike a traditional task, where a mistake can feel final, tech activities offer chances to “undo,” allowing students to take risks, analyze what might have gone wrong, then try again.
4. Critical thinking and problem solving can be applied to many learning environments and academic subjects
Structured thinking developed in tech activities also applies to other subjects. Skills like analysis, evaluation and logic transfer well to projects beyond technology — including literature, art and more.
How does early technology education work at BISC-LP?
A Q&A with Rachel Halliday, technology specialist at British International School Chicago-Lincoln Park
Q: Can you share some real-life examples of kids using technology at school?
Year 1 students are creating digital art with iPads and coding bots. Our Year 4 students are learning audio production and creating podcasts, where they’re learning how to edit and optimize sound. In Years 5 and 6, students are learning 3D modeling to create chess pieces for our Chicago-themed chess boards. Projects like 3D modeling are especially valuable because they’re operating on a two-dimensional interface to build and print 3D architecture pieces, which has been crucial to their resilience and critical thinking. We also do off-screen exercises and unplugged activities so it’s diverse and balanced.
Q: How have you witnessed growth in resilience?
Activities like coding, when we break it down into little bits, we isolate variables that we change, and we do this systematically. The benefit is that when you change one of the variables, you can see the outcome immediately. It’s tangible. And when students keep trying, this increases their resilience. The joy that it brings the children when they finally crack it — you can feel that lightbulb go off. That immediate joy inspires them to want to do it again.
Q: How does technology support kids’ creativity?
Technology offers endless creative avenues to approach problems from different perspectives. For example, with digital storytelling, students experiment with narrative structure, visuals, and timing. This experimentation gives them flexibility and encourages creative risk-taking in a way that feels safe and engaging. They experiment freely and try things out without the fear of making irreversible mistakes. It’s not a big burden on them to take the risk, which gives them the confidence to explore creative approaches and test their ideas.
Q: Do you see a change in students’ confidence as they engage with tech?
We see an increase in resilience rather than an immediate, “Oh, I can’t do it.” With tech-based projects, kids learn that when something doesn’t work the way they wanted it to work the first time, they don’t panic because they can undo. This spiral of confidence grows as students become more adept at solving problems, and kids even go home and share what they’ve learned with their parents.
Q: How can parents encourage these skills at home?
Supporting their child’s resilience through challenges is key. Rather than stepping in to fix issues, parents can help by saying, “Okay, try this. Have you tried that?” When kids encounter small tech issues, parents can prompt them to read a notification and ask, “What do you think it’s doing?” Allowing their children to take responsibility puts them in a leadership role. We call them techsperts here and I always say you can go home and be a techspert and support your parents with what you have learned.
British International School of Chicago-Lincoln Park blends the English National Curriculum with the International Primary Curriculum, providing personalized learning, hands-on experiences and global collaborations for students 15 months-11 years. Visit the BISC-LP website to learn more.
