VOA教育报道2024--Finnish Students Go Back to School with Books, Not Screens

 

This autumn, students in the Finnish town of Riihimaki headed back to school with backpacks full of books. This marks a change from recent years.

For the past 10 years, the Finnish government pushed laptops and other electronic devices in the classroom.

Finland's public education system is known for its good results and its readiness to try new teaching methods. Until recently, many schools gave laptops for free to all students from as early as age 11.

But Finnish parents and teachers have become increasingly concerned over the effect of screens on children.

Riihimaki is a town of about 30,000 people. It sits 70 kilometers north of the capital, Helsinki. In 2018, the town's middle schools stopped using most books. But this school year, schools in Riihimaki are going back to pen and paper.

"Young people are using phones and digital devices so much these days that we don't want school to be one of the places where children are only staring at screens," said Maija Kaunonen, an English teacher at Pohjolanrinne middle school.

The distractions² that come with the use of digital devices make many children restless and unable to give their full attention to learning, Kaunonen said.

She added, "Most students just did the exercises as quick as they could" so they could then move on to using social media.

"And it took them no time at all to change tabs in the browser³. So when the teacher came round to them, they could say: 'Yes, I was doing this exercise'."Across Finland, children's learning results have been slowly getting worse in recent years. In answer, the government plans new laws to ban the use of personal devices, such as phones, during school hours to cut back on screen time.

Improved concentration

One of Kaunonen's students is 14-year-old Elle Sokka. She said she did not always pay attention to the school subjects when learning digitally. Instead, she moved to another web page.

Eighth-graders Miko Mantila and Inka Warro, both 14, said their concentration has improved since books returned to the classrooms.

"Reading, for one, is much easier and I can read much faster from books," Mantila said.

"And if you have to do homework late at night, it's easier to go to sleep when you haven't just been looking at a device," Warro added.

Minna Peltopuro is a psychologist working with the town on the change. She said the total screen time should be cut because Finnish teenagers currently⁴ stare at a screen for up to six hours each day on average. She added that too much use of electronic devices comes with both physical and mental risks, such as eye problems and growing anxiety.

Peltopuro added that the brain is at risk when trying to do more than one thing at a time. "Especially at a young age, one cannot manage it well," she said.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Elviira Luoma and Anne Kauranen reported this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

Words in This Story

laptop - n. a small portable⁵ computer

digital - adj. using or characterized⁶ by computer technology

stare - v. to look at something for a long period of time

tab - n. a clickable area within a web browser window that represents a separate web page or resource

distraction¹ - n. something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention

concentration - n. the ability to give your attention or thought to a single object or activity; the ability to concentrate

psychologist - n. a scientist who specializes in the study and treatment of the mind and behavior; a specialist in psychology⁷

anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

1 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

2 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

6 characterized   

adj.[医]具有特征的v.是…的特征( characterize的过去式和过去分词 )；以…为特征；描述（人或物）的特性；使…具有特点（或最引人注目的特征）

参考例句：

• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity. 莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The world situation is characterized by turbulence and intranquility. 世界局势动荡不安。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。