Screen Test

A report commissioned by the Norwegian Government into the use of screens by children has just been released. The report not only shows that screen use should be limited in the classroom but there’s a lot of evidence that students of all ages should be reading more on paper.

The research was written by Norway’s Screen Use Committee, which was asked to assess “how children and adolescents’ screen use in kindergarten, school and leisure time affects their health, quality of life, learning and upbringing”. The Committee found that while screen use in Norwegian schools has increased rapidly in a short amount of time, there is an important role for paper in education.

“The screen should not replace books, handwriting or physical exercise,” said Robert Steen, leader of the Committee. “We must stick to paper reading in Norwegian schools.”

Child’s Play

The report was delivered to Norway’s Minister of Education, Kari Nessa Nordtun, who has previously said that the government will stop the “uncritical digitalisation of schools”. Following the publication of the report, the Ministry of Education announced that it would “recommend strongly limiting screen use for children under the age of two.”

As well as limiting screen use for very young children, the report also stated that both print and digital technology should have their place in schools, with handwriting and keyboard use having a natural place in teaching. However, when it comes to comprehension, the report found that paper offers improved results compared to a screen. “Reading comprehension is better when we read coherent information texts on paper than on a screen,” states the report.

Facts Of The Matter

The report echoes a lot of research that shows that learning using paper, whether that’s reading text books or taking hand-written notes, improves comprehension and the long-term retention of facts and processes, which can both lead to better exam results. In addition to laptops and tablets, the Committee’s report stated that the use of mobile phones can be disruptive in schools, leading to the Ministry of Education issuing a national recommendation that all mobile phones should be removed from all classrooms.

To read the full report, go to bit.ly/Screen-Use-Report