VOA教育报道2023--Sweden Brings Books, Handwriting Back to School

Sweden Brings Books, Handwriting Back to School

As children returned to school in Sweden last month, many of their teachers were putting a new importance on some traditional skills. These included reading printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice. Teachers were spending less time with digital devices, online research and typing skills.

The return to traditional ways of learning might be the answer to questions raised by politicians and experts. They have questioned the country's dependence¹ on electronic technology in education. For example, schools in Sweden have introduced tablets in preschools but critics say students are not learning basic skills as well.

Lotta Edholm is the Swedish Minister for Schools. She took office 11 months ago as part of a new center-right government. She was one of the biggest critics of the level of technology in schools.

"Sweden's students need more textbooks," Edholm said in March. "Physical books are important for student learning."

The minister announced last month that the government wants to reverse the decision made by the National Agency for Education to make digital devices required in preschools. The ministry² told the Associated Press that it plans to stop digital learning for children under the age of six.

Sweden's students score above the European average for reading ability. But an international test of fourth grade reading levels, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, showed Sweden's children had lost ground between 2016 and 2021.

Some learning loss might have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The losses could also be a result of a growing number of immigrant students who do not speak Swedish as their first language. But an overuse of electronic devices during school lessons may cause kids to fall behind, education experts say.

Sweden's Karolinska Institute is a medical school centered on research.

"There's clear scientific evidence that digital tools impair³ rather than enhance student learning," the institute said in a statement last month. The institute added that schools should instead center on teaching using printed textbooks and teacher knowledge. Information from digital sources may not be accurate, it said.

The expansion of digital learning tools in schools also has drawn⁴ concern from the United Nations' education and culture agency.

In a report published last month, UNESCO issued an "urgent call for appropriate use of technology in education." The report urged countries to speed up internet connections at schools. But it also warned that technology in education should be used in a way so that it never replaces in-person, teacher-led instruction.

Online instruction is a highly debated subject across Europe and in other parts of the world. Poland, for instance, just launched a program to give a laptop paid for by the government to each student starting in fourth grade.

In the United States, the coronavirus pandemic pushed public schools to provide millions of laptops to students. But there is still a digital divide, which is part of the reason why American schools often use both print and digital textbooks, said Sean Ryan. He is president of the U.S. school division at textbook publisher McGraw Hill.

Educators are less likely to use only digital textbooks because some households lack the technology or internet connection at home, he added.

To answer Sweden's decline in 4th grade reading performance, the Swedish government announced $64.7 million in book purchases for the country's schools this year. Another $45.3 million will be spent yearly in 2024 and 2025 to speed up the return of textbooks to schools.

Not all experts think Sweden's move away from digital technology is only about what is best for students.

Criticizing the effects of technology is "a popular move with conservative politicians," Neil Selwyn said. He is a professor of education at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

"The Swedish government does have a valid⁵ point when saying that there is no evidence for technology improving learning, but I think that's because there is no straightforward⁶ evidence of what works with technology," Selwyn added. "Technology is just one part of a really complex network of factors in education."

Words in This Story

type –v. to write using a keyboard

impair — v. to worsen the ability of something or someone to perform a task or to operate

enhance — v. to improve something

textbook — n. a book about a subject that is designed for teaching in a school

accurate –adj. free from errors or mistakes

appropriate –adj. having the right qualities for some purpose

laptop — n. an easily carried computer that has a keyboard

valid –adj. fair or reasonable

factor –n. something that influences a result

1 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

6 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。