In recent times, Sweden has witnessed a significant shift in its approach to education, particularly in the realm of technology integration.
As the young children embarked on their return to school last month, a notable change was observed in the teaching methodologies employed by their instructors.
Rather than relying heavily on tablets, independent online research, and keyboarding skills, teachers began placing a renewed emphasis on printed books, quiet reading time, and handwriting practice.
This shift marks a departure from the hyper-digitalized approach that has been prevalent in the country’s educational landscape for some time.
The decision to adopt a more traditional approach stems from the concerns raised by politicians and experts regarding the potential decline in fundamental skills resulting from the overreliance on technology.
Among the staunchest critics of this all-out embrace of technology is Lotta Edholm, the Swedish Minister for Schools, who assumed office 11 months ago as part of a new center-right coalition government.
With this change in direction, Sweden aims to strike a balance between technological advancements and the preservation of essential skills that form the foundation of a well-rounded education.
In March, a statement was made by Edholm that highlighted the need for more textbooks in Sweden’s education system.
The statement emphasized the importance of physical books in student learning, indicating that they play a crucial role in the academic development of students.
The significance of textbooks cannot be overlooked as they serve as a valuable resource for students to understand complex concepts and theories.
They provide a structured approach to learning, enabling students to grasp the subject matter in a more comprehensive manner.
Furthermore, textbooks offer a sense of permanence, allowing students to refer to them at any time, which is not possible with digital resources.
In addition, textbooks are an essential tool for students who do not have access to the internet or digital devices.
Therefore, it is imperative that the education system in Sweden recognizes the importance of textbooks and ensures that students have access to them.
In a recent statement, the minister made a significant announcement regarding the government’s intention to reverse the decision made by the National Agency for Education, which mandated the use of digital devices in preschools.
Moreover, the ministry revealed its plans to go even further by completely eliminating digital learning for children under the age of six.
This decision comes in light of the country’s students consistently outperforming the European average in terms of reading ability, as evidenced by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, an international assessment of fourth-grade reading levels.
However, the study also highlighted a concerning decline in the reading proficiency of Sweden’s children between the years 2016 and 2021.
Specifically, Swedish fourth graders achieved an average score of 544 points in 2021, marking a drop from the 555 average recorded in 2016.
Despite this decline, Sweden’s performance still positioned the country on par with Taiwan, tying for the seventh-highest overall test score.
By comparison, Singapore, which topped the rankings, witnessed an improvement in its PIRLS reading scores from 576 to 587 during the same period, while England experienced only a slight decrease in its average reading achievement score, falling from 559 in 2016 to 558 in 2021.
The coronavirus pandemic and the increasing number of immigrant students who do not speak Swedish as their first language have contributed to certain learning deficits, according to education experts.
However, experts also point out that excessive screen time during school lessons may be causing young students to lag behind in core subjects.
The Karolinska Institute, a renowned medical school in Sweden, stated last month that there is clear scientific evidence indicating that digital tools actually hinder student learning rather than enhance it.
The institute believes that the focus should shift back to acquiring knowledge through printed textbooks and teacher expertise, rather than relying primarily on freely available digital sources that have not been thoroughly vetted for accuracy.
The rapid adoption of digital learning tools has raised concerns at the United Nations’ education and culture agency, UNESCO.
In a recent report, UNESCO issued an “urgent call for appropriate use of technology in education,” emphasizing the importance of maintaining in-person, teacher-led instruction and ensuring that technology supports the shared objective of providing quality education for all.
In the bustling city of Stockholm, Sweden, a young student named Liveon Palmer, aged only 9 years old, has expressed his support for increasing the amount of time spent offline in school.
As a third grader at Djurgardsskolan elementary school, Liveon shared his preference for writing on paper during his educational journey. “It just feels better, you know,” he explained to the AP during a recent interview.
Liveon’s sentiment is not unique, as his teacher, Catarina Branelius, also believes in the importance of limiting tablet usage in her classroom.
Even before the issue gained national attention, Branelius had been selective about incorporating tablets into her lessons.
While she does utilize tablets for math lessons and educational apps, she refrains from using them for text-based writing exercises.
Branelius firmly believes that children under the age of 10 require ample time, practice, and physical exercise in handwriting before they are introduced to writing on a tablet.
The topic of online instruction has become a highly debated subject not only in Sweden but across Europe and other parts of the Western world.
For instance, Poland recently implemented a program aimed at providing a government-funded laptop to each student starting in the fourth grade, with the goal of enhancing the country’s technological competitiveness.
These ongoing discussions highlight the complex and evolving nature of education in the digital age.
The coronavirus pandemic in the United States has prompted public schools to distribute millions of laptops to primary and secondary students, thanks to federal pandemic relief funds.
However, despite these efforts, a digital divide still exists. Sean Ryan, president of the U.S. school division at textbook publisher McGraw Hill, explains that American schools continue to use both print and digital textbooks due to this divide.
Educators are hesitant to fully embrace digital resources in areas where there is limited connectivity at home, as they strive to ensure equal access to education for all students, particularly the most vulnerable.
In contrast, Germany, known as one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, has been slow in transitioning government programs and information online, including education.
The level of digitalization in schools varies across the country’s 16 states, each responsible for its own curriculum.
Consequently, many students in Germany can complete their education without any mandatory digital instruction, such as coding.
This has raised concerns among parents who worry that their children may not be adequately prepared to compete in the job market against technologically proficient individuals from other countries.
Sascha Lobo, a German writer and consultant specializing in the internet, believes that a national effort is necessary to bring German students up to speed. Without such efforts, the country risks falling behind in the future.
In a recent interview with public broadcaster ZDF, an influential figure emphasized the urgent need for digitalizing education in order to secure the future prosperity of the country.
The statement underscores the critical role that digitalization plays in shaping the educational landscape and preparing students for the challenges of the future.
However, in response to Sweden’s declining 4th grade reading performance, the government has taken a different approach by investing a substantial amount of money in book purchases for schools.
While this initiative aims to address the issue at hand, not all experts are convinced that it is solely driven by the best interests of the students.
Neil Selwyn, a professor of education at Monash University, suggests that criticizing technology’s impact on education is often a tactic employed by conservative politicians to signal their commitment to traditional values.
Selwyn further argues that the lack of evidence supporting technology’s ability to enhance learning is due to the complex nature of educational factors, making it difficult to isolate the impact of technology alone.
It is clear that the debate surrounding the integration of technology in education is multifaceted, requiring a nuanced understanding of the various factors at play.