Exclusive use of laptops and tablets resulted in poorer reading and comprehension results.

Fourth-grade students at Lövestad primary school in Sjöbo in southern Sweden put their smartphones in a small wooden box, which teacher Madelen Sevedsson then locks in a cabinet. In Sweden, it is not unusual for fourth-grade students to already have a smartphone.

The children also do not carry heavy bags – because they work digitally in class, on a laptop or tablet. But today will be different. The teacher shows the children a new mathematics textbook. “First I’m giving it to you so you can look at it in your free time. Flip through it. It’s completely new!”, writes Deutsche Welle.

A turnaround in five years

Real books in the classroom! After almost four years of school, for these children it is the first time. Until now, they worked in math classes almost exclusively on laptops. After just a few minutes, student Ines notices the difference: “There are more descriptions. We didn’t have that on the laptop. But now I have to read it myself, that’s a little harder. Before, the computer read the tasks aloud to me”.

In many Swedish classrooms, a turnaround is slowly beginning to happen – a return to the old ways. Because even primary school pupils have for years been taught almost exclusively digitally. And just five years ago, school authorities recommended in national guidelines the use of digital teaching tools such as laptops or apps and not using textbooks.

However, it turned out that this also had drawbacks, says teacher Jeanette Wiberg. “Students have reduced reading speed, a smaller vocabulary, and poorer reading comprehension. We believe that this is because we worked too much digitally”. The Swedish school system has been liberalized.

In addition to state schools, there are also numerous private ones, and primary school lasts nine years. Education policy is not implemented centrally; schools and teachers approach digital teaching in different ways. Sweden’s conservative government wants to change that and soon give teachers new guidelines.

Digital teaching

This year alone, the Swedish government has made 60 million euros available for returning books to schools. Education Minister Lotta Edholm is particularly demanding that primary school students read more again. “The problem with digitalization is that it was largely imposed from above. Education workers were against it, but they felt that no one was listening to them. Digital teaching tools are for older children.

We know that, according to brain research, small children should not come into contact with screens at all. Many parents also want us to bring books back. Because with a book, they can more easily understand what the child needs to learn for the next test, instead of being given some paper or just a link”, says Edholm.

At Lövestad school in southern Sweden, for geography class the children take laptops from the shelf: they need to get to know their country, learn where the cities and regions are located, and mark them on the screen. One laptop is not working properly. “An entire school lesson can pass before it works again. That is bad. Writing is much better! It is more connected to the brain”, says one student.

Swedish school authorities also point to the role of teachers, who should handle the new possibilities in the right way. In any case, Jeanette Wiberg does not want to teach completely without laptops.

“The future is digital. We have to teach children about this world and in the right way. If I had the choice again, I would choose a combination”, says Wiberg.

Source: poslovni.hr