Learning pathways · Pre-school to Researcher
Find a real problem. Fix it. Prove it. At every age.
EAD has a pre-school programme for the youngest children and three student levels — Explorer, Investigator and Researcher — that share one way of working. What grows is the size of the problem and the strength of the evidence.
Start where your child is
Which EAD programme fits?
Four doors. The pre-school programme stays exactly as it was; the three student levels sit alongside it.
Learning through play
41 free video lessons — STEAM projects, English and maths games, science experiments and social-emotional skills — plus Little Labs: short, fun projects with an adult beside the child.
Early Years and Little Labs → Explorer · from about 7Discover and experiment
Short, safe tests at home or school. Notice a problem, measure it, make one improvement and explain what happened.
EAD Young Innovators → Investigator · from about 11Investigate and analyse
Real industry problems with research, a measured baseline, costs, one controlled change and repeated measurement.
Young Innovators and the 12 EAD Labs → Researcher · from about 14Build authority in one niche
Advanced research, AI agents and automation with human checks, business cases and relationships that last.
EAD Impact Innovators →Ages are a guide, not a rule and not a certification criterion. A learner may be ready earlier or need more time. Evidence and demonstrated capability decide when they move up. Primary schools can also run the scripted Grades 3–5 programme, and younger children can start with Little Labs.
Level 1 · Explorer · EAD Young Innovators
Discover and experiment.
Short, safe tests at home or school, with an adult nearby. An Explorer notices something that is not working, measures it simply, makes one improvement and explains what happened.
What an Explorer practises
- Discovering everyday problems
- Observing closely and asking questions
- Carrying out safe, simple experiments
- Recording basic measurements with a unit and a date
- Making one improvement
- Explaining what was learned, including what went wrong
Ten Explorer projects, such as Seed Detectives, Bridge Builders, Wind Power Engineers and Water Filter Designers, each with a record page and a worked example for the level.
One to two weeks of short sessions per project.
Help with reading, choosing safe materials and recording observations. The learner still makes and explains their own decisions.
Level 2 · Investigator · EAD Young Innovators and EAD Labs
Investigate and analyse.
Real industry problems, investigated properly: reliable sources, a measured baseline, what the problem costs, one controlled change, repeated measurement and an honest account of the limits.
What an Investigator practises
- Investigating real industry problems
- Researching reliable sources and naming them
- Establishing a measurable baseline before any change
- Understanding what the problem costs and who it affects
- Changing one variable and keeping the rest the same
- Repeating the measurement the same way
- Analysing results, other factors and limitations
- Defending a recommendation under questioning
One per industry. The workbook carries a shorter version of each; the EAD Labs pages carry the full six-week version, with written steps on two routes: High-Tech and No-Tech.
About six weeks per project, a few hours a week, alongside school.
Investigators talk to experts and the people a problem affects. An adult arranges every contact outside the family.
The twelve EAD Labs
Level 3 · Researcher · EAD Impact Innovators
Build authority in one niche.
The aim is not one project or a job application. A Researcher picks one niche, researches its problems deeply, solves them with evidence, AI agents and automation, and builds relationships that last — one measured project after another.
What a Researcher practises
- Independent research and a knowledge base for one niche
- Industry specialisation through a ladder of projects in the same niche
- Advanced data analysis, checking each finding from three angles
- Stakeholder relationships that last beyond one project
- AI-supported research and automation, with a person approving every output
- Business cases and honest impact measurement
- Research defence, publishing and professional communication
Eight industry challenges to start from, each with an automation idea, plus record pages, an AI and automation log, and a niche portfolio tracker.
Learners without an Investigator certificate can ask for a readiness assessment.
Authority is recognised by other people. The workbook’s milestones are targets, not guarantees.
One method at every level
How every project works.
Learn these five steps once and a learner can run any EAD project, from a first Explorer test to a Researcher’s tenth project in a niche.
Find the problem
Something wasted, unstable, confusing or not working well — and one question you can answer by counting or measuring.
Measure before
Decide the unit, the date, the tool and the method. Take the first measurement before changing anything.
Change one thing
Only one, with everything else kept the same, so the test is fair. Write down what you expect.
Measure again
Same tool, same method, same unit. Note anything else that changed. If nothing improved, say so.
Show and explain
Both numbers, a chart or drawing, what went wrong or surprised you, and what you would test next.
When you cannot change something physically, change one thing about how you compare or check — per serving versus per pack, one filter material versus another, your confidence before and after checking sources. The standard stays the same: a clear baseline, the same method each time, a fair comparison and honest limits. Every project runs on paper (No-Tech) or with free online tools (High-Tech).
The learner path
From first project to the next level.
Nine steps. Feedback and certification are different things, and nothing is certified automatically.
- Discover EADRead this page, or open any project and read its first three steps.
- Choose a levelExplorer, Investigator or Researcher. The age guide is a starting point only.
- Explore projectsPick a problem worth solving, in the workbook or in the twelve EAD Labs.
- Complete a projectMeasure before, change one thing, measure again, explain it honestly.
- Build a portfolioAt least three finished projects at your level; five is better.
- Submit for feedbackSend finished work for written feedback. How to submit →
- Apply for level assessmentA portfolio review and a defence of selected projects.
- Certification when criteria are metCertified at the level, or clear feedback on what to add, and a plan to try again.
- Progress or join a semester projectMove up a level, or join a teacher-guided semester project.
| Self-guided projects | Teacher-guided semester projects | |
|---|---|---|
| Who leads | The learner, from the workbook or the EAD Labs pages, with an adult keeping it safe. | An EAD teacher, with a term plan, checkpoints and a team. |
| Feedback | Submit finished projects for written feedback. | Feedback at every checkpoint, through the term. |
| Cost | Free online projects and workbooks. | Charged. Ask for details and the price list for your country. |
| Certification | Only through formal level assessment, for both. Finishing projects or a semester builds evidence; it does not award a level. | |
How assessment works
Completion, feedback, then certification.
Three different things. Keeping them apart is what makes an EAD certificate worth having.
1 · Project completion
Finish one project
The learner keeps the evidence: baseline, the one change, the after-measurement, the failures and an explanation. Finishing a project builds a portfolio; it does not award a level.
2 · Project feedback
Free written feedback
Online, three complete projects get free AI marking with written feedback. The printed workbook also includes a first project assessed by EAD. Feedback helps a learner improve; it is not a certificate.
3 · Formal level assessment
Portfolio and defence
With at least three finished projects at the level (five recommended), the learner applies. An assessor reviews the portfolio, checks the skills for the level and asks the learner to defend selected projects. Certified when the criteria are met — or feedback and a plan to try again. Charged: ask for the price list for your country.
Each project is marked out of 20
Semester projects
Teacher-guided, every semester.
For learners who want more structure, EAD teachers run guided semester projects at Explorer, Investigator and Researcher level — for individual learners, and inside schools.
How a semester runs
- Learners join at the level that fits them
- An EAD teacher gives structured guidance
- A term plan with checkpoints
- Feedback throughout the term
- Portfolio evidence the learner keeps
What a semester is not
Completing a semester does not automatically award a certificate. Formal level assessment is separate, and a learner is certified only when the published criteria are met.
For schools: EAD teachers deliver semester projects in your school, bringing their own laptops. No timetable change and no new subject.
For parents
What your child actually does.
Your child picks one thing that is not working, measures it properly, changes one thing and measures again. At the end they can say what changed, show how they know, and admit what they could not prove.
Your role
Help choose a safe project and agree a start date. Arrange any contact with adults outside the family. For younger learners, help with reading, materials and recording. Ask questions; do not do the work.
Safety first
Nobody goes anywhere alone, nobody enters a stranger’s house, and nothing is measured without the person agreeing first. No private details are collected, and every project carries its own safety rules.
What it costs
The online projects and the workbooks are free. Printed workbooks, formal level assessment and semester projects are charged — ask for the price list for your country.
For schools and teachers
Bring it into your school.
Run the free projects yourself, or let EAD teachers run guided semester projects for you. Either way, the curriculum and the timetable stay yours.
EAD in your school
EAD teachers deliver teacher-guided semester projects in your school, bringing their own laptops — alongside your curriculum, with no new subject.
Run it yourself
The free teacher pack: assessment template, marking rubric, facilitator handbook, checkpoint cards, class tracker and worked samples. Each lab is mapped to SNC/PCTB, Cambridge and KHDA.
Pre-school and primary
The Early Years video library with session guidance, Little Labs project cards, and the scripted Grades 3–5 programme continue alongside the student levels.
Universities, NGOs, funders and companies: see partner, CSR, grants and funding.
Optional
Qur’anic research references
Some families and schools want an optional faith layer. EAD’s Architecture of the Word framework lists Qur’anic references by research area. They are optional prompts for choosing what to examine and for reflection at the end of a project. They are never scientific evidence, never an interpretation or a ruling, and never required. Scientific and technical evidence stays separate.
Questions, answered
Levels, feedback and certificates
Which level should my child start at?
Use the age guide as a starting point, not a rule: Explorer from about 7, Investigator from about 11, Researcher from about 14. If the steps make sense to your child and they can write down a number, they can start. Evidence and demonstrated capability decide when they move up.
Is the pre-school programme still available?
Yes. Pre-school and Early Years (ages 3–8) continue exactly as before: 41 free video lessons and Little Labs, with their own pages and links. The student levels sit alongside them; they do not replace them.
Is free feedback the same as a certificate?
No. Feedback on a project — free AI marking on three complete projects online, and a first project assessed by EAD for printed-workbook owners — helps a learner improve. A level certificate comes only from formal level assessment of a portfolio, which is charged.
Does finishing a semester project award a certificate?
No. A semester builds portfolio evidence with a teacher’s guidance. Certification comes only through formal level assessment, when the published criteria are met.
How many projects are needed for level assessment?
At least three finished projects at the level; five are recommended. Three let a learner apply; they are not an automatic pass. For Investigator assessment, the portfolio also needs a relations ledger of ten people in total across all projects, not ten for each one.
Questions? WhatsApp +92 333 4520616 (Pakistan) or +971 50 125 1929 (UAE), or email haroon@earlyagedevelopment.com.