Designing a digital instructional management system to optimize early education

The individualization of curriculum features and the matching of those features with learner characteristics (optimization) may help to stimulate learning processes, in particular for children at risk. In a pilot study in two Dutch kindergartens, specific individualization and optimization conditions were codeveloped with teachers and school management. In order to realize the desired changes, a prototype of a digital instructional management system called the Digital Planning Board was developed, implemented and evaluated. Future research aims at the further development of a pedagogical-didactic kernel structure, integrating instructional management software in new instructional practices.