RISHIMAKI, Finland, Sept 10 (Askume) – Students in the Finnish town of Rishimaki returned to school this autumn with backpacks full of books, a decade after the state backed the push for notebook computers and other digital devices in classrooms.
In recent decades, Finland’s public education system has gained a global reputation for its strong results and willingness to try new teaching techniques. Until recently, many schools provided free laptops to all students over the age of 11.
But as elsewhere, parents and educators in Finland are concerned about the impact of screens on children.
So, it’s 70 kilometers from Helsinki. Riihimäki (44 miles north), a town of about 30,000 inhabitants, stopped using most books in middle schools in 2018 and is now trying something different to start the school year: go back to pen and paper.
“Young people are using mobile phones and digital devices so much now that we don’t want schools to be places where children just look at screens,” said Maija Kaunonen, an English teacher at Pohjollnirne Middle School (Maija Kaunonen).
Due to the constant distraction caused by the use of digital devices, many children become restless and unable to concentrate.
“Most students finish their exercises as quickly as possible so they can play games and chat on social media,” he told Askume during breaks.
“They don’t have to spend any time switching tabs in their browser. So when the teacher comes to them, they can say, ‘Yes, I’m doing this exercise.'”
The academic performance of Finnish children has gradually declined in recent years, leading the government to plan to introduce new legislation that will ban the use of personal devices such as mobile phones during school hours in an effort to reduce children’s screen time.
Better concentration
One of Kaunonen’s students, Elli Sokka, 14, said she can’t always concentrate on school subjects while studying digitally.
“Sometimes I go to different websites,” she said.
Eighth-grade students Mikko Mantila and Inka Varo, both 14 years old, said their concentration had improved since the books were returned.
“It’s easier to read and I read it a lot faster than a book,” Mantilla said. However, he added that it’s easier to write on a digital device.
“If you’ve done homework late the night before, it’s easier to fall asleep when you’re not looking at your device,” Wroe said.
Minna Peltapuro, a clinical neuropsychologist who is working with the city to make the change, said total screen time should be minimised – Finnish teens currently watch an average of six hours a day – because excessive use of digital products can harm the body and mind.
“The second is multitasking,” Pertopoulou said. “The brain is very sensitive to multitasking and doesn’t handle it well, especially at a young age.”
(This story has been republished to correct gender of student in paragraph 14)
