Sweden moves students off digital devices and on to books and handwriting
7 days ago
- #Sweden
- #Digital Learning
- #Education
- Sweden is shifting back to traditional learning methods, emphasizing printed books, quiet reading, and handwriting over digital tools.
- This change follows concerns over declining basic skills due to excessive digitalization in education, including tablets in nursery schools.
- Sweden's Schools Minister Lotta Edholm advocates for physical books, citing their importance for student learning.
- The government plans to reverse mandatory digital devices in preschools and end digital learning for children under six.
- Despite above-average reading scores, Sweden saw a decline in fourth-grade reading levels between 2016 and 2021.
- Experts suggest screen overuse in schools may hinder core subject learning, alongside pandemic and language barrier impacts.
- The Karolinska Institute warns digital tools impair learning, advocating for knowledge acquisition through printed textbooks and teacher expertise.
- UNESCO calls for balanced technology use in education, ensuring it supports rather than replaces teacher-led instruction.
- Students and teachers in Sweden express preference for offline learning methods, highlighting the value of handwriting practice.
- The debate over digital vs. traditional learning extends globally, with varying approaches in Poland, the US, and Germany.
- Sweden invests heavily in school books to counteract reading performance declines, amidst skepticism over the motives behind the back-to-basics push.