The research referenced in this article is unfortunately behind a paywall (grrr) so I cannot verify my feeling that it is the academic equivalent of an opinion column. The research selected the top 10 preschool math and literacy apps and evaluated them against a set of criteria (for example, " feedback, increasing complexity, guided play, developmental appropriateness and instructive value) and the conclusion drawn that "few supplied in-play guidance on how to complete tasks, rephrased instructions if the initial ones were not understood or offered rewards that advanced learning." But do children - especially young children - learn by following instructions, or do they (as I think) learn by mimicking and imitating? And (to me at least) it seems just wrong to say " Youngsters under 5 process information very differently from older kids" - not because they aren't different, but becuase we're not computers; none of us "process information".
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