Technology Removed from Classrooms in Sweden
Sweden has decided to remove digital technology from schools, citing declining student performance as the reason. This move, particularly motivated by worsening PISA results since 2013, has led to a reassessment of digital tool usage in education within the country. Education Minister Lotta Edholm highlighted the concerning drop in the country’s Progress in Itnternational Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results, pointing to a worrying state of student achievement.
Although education experts say it’s too early to assess the effects of this “digital withdrawal” there’s a growing trend in Swedish schools towards reverting to handwriting and traditional reading methods. Following Minister Edholm’s recent statements, there’s been an increase in providing more physical textbooks to students, along with restrictions on digital device usage in preschool education.
These developments in Sweden have sparked similar debates in other countries. Nations like the Netherlands and New Zealand are taking steps to ban mobile phones in schools, while experts emphasize that completely removing technology is not the solution. They highlight the importance of teaching students to use technology in a measured and effective way, recommending that technology be designed to contribute positively to student development.