School issued devices (laptops or tablets) for each student has become the norm. How well is it going & what role, if any, should Christians play in the future?
Originally, I wrote this for the July 29, 2022 "News You Can Use" e-newsletter of the Screen Time Action Network at Fairplay. I am a member of the Screens in Schools workgroup where I have the privilege of learning from and advocating with some of the most passionate and well informed leaders in this field. I have edited my original writing for clarity and added a new ending. As I’m writing mostly to Christians on this Substack, I will point out that Fairplay is a secular organization and I do not personally agree with all of their policy goals. By and large, they are doing good work and I offer my points of dissent to those in leadership, when appropriate.
Emily Harrison is a member of the Action Network’s Screens in Schools Work Group, an activist, and a mom to two school-aged boys in Virginia. We asked her to share her thoughts this week on patience, delayed gratification, and the brain-building that happens when screens are delayed for young children.
I’m fortunate enough to stay home with my sons during the summer break. It’s a time I cherish each and every year. And truthfully, a time that also can make me feel exhausted. If you’ve spent any time with two active boys lately, you’ll know exactly what I mean!
Living near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia my boys will return to school in a few short weeks and I’m soaking up these last humid, beautiful summer days. We’ve had a lot of tried-and-true summer fun so far – catching lightning bugs, climbing trees, playing with friends, building forts, riding bikes, reading physical books, swimming at the pool, and lots and lots of sunscreen and bug spray.
Before we know it, they’ll be packing up their backpacks and lunchboxes and heading back into the classroom. Their school encourages them to keep up with reading and math over the summer, so we are tackling that and enjoying more popsicles than I normally allow.
For one of my sons, summer reading was a breeze but doing math with him reminds me why he needed extra tutoring during the school year. He’s a bright kid but math requires a lot of hard work and effort on his part. As he struggles through a problem, I can see when the light bulb goes on in his brain, but it takes time and effort, perseverance and fortitude. Developing those character traits is part of growing up though, and I’m there to help coach and train him on how to do so.
In school districts across our country, amazing teachers will return to the classroom over the coming weeks and will begin to help develop these same traits in our kids.
Sadly, many teachers have been stymied due to the heavy reliance on screens in the classroom. In the Screens in Schools Work Group, we recently heard about one school that requires all papers to be submitted via computer so the teachers could give “quick feedback.” The concern wasn’t for the type of deep learning that takes time and effort and struggle. Speed was the priority. But raising resilient kids means they must learn to wait and be patient.
Patience and delayed gratification are both signs of maturity that we as a generation of parents, educators, and mentors need to be developing in our children. Despite all of the technological advances, life is still life. Developing patience and the ability to wait is part of maturing. The constant push for quick results and quick feedback isn’t only leaving our kids with lower levels of learning, it’s leaving them with lower levels of practical life skills.
“The results of the study were clear: For the most effective learning and remembering, it was better for students to write or draw by hand versus typing out notes. The researchers deduced this because writing and drawing activated areas of the brain that typing didn’t. And it’s important to note that both adult and kid brains delivered similar results.”, states one study.
This process begins early. Our youngest students, those cherub-faced 5-year-olds walking in to kindergarten don’t need iPads for learning, they need to work on fine-motor skills. The groundwork for writing begins with learning how to print letters with a pencil and paper. Studies show using a finger on a screen just isn’t the same. Cursive writing shouldn’t be tossed out as "old fashioned” in favor of a screen; “accumulating evidence suggests that not learning cursive handwriting may hinder the brain's optimum potential to learn and remember.”
Sure, kids need to learn to use a word processor and how to type. They need to use spreadsheets and calculators. Those are computer skills that can be taught, but they should not replace time-tested methods of educating our future adults. C.S. Lewis said, “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.” I desire that the leaders of tomorrow not be technological wizards but deep thinkers, compassionate leaders, problem solvers, and if they have some fun summertime stories to tell about lemonade stands and setting off firecrackers on the 4th of July, I’ll take that too.
Since individual screens began taking a more prominent role in the classroom, in the early 2010’s, student test scores have shown significant learning loss. Covid related school closures certainly didn’t help the problem, but the learning loss began around 2012. Sometimes as adults it’s easy to look at these things as blips on the radar but if you are a student from 2012-2024 that’s your entire educational career. This will have real, lasting impact on our greater society. As Christians, we should be deeply concerned.
Many Christian parents have chosen to enroll their children in Classical Christian Schools which focus on time tested methods of education and do not rely on the latest trends. (This method of teaching is also popular with homeschool families.) In most of these schools, students are taught to use computers as tools (word processing, spread sheets, power point presentations, guided online research) in computer labs. Physical books are preferred in part so that students can learn how to annotate (underlining, writing notes in the margins). Pastor and author John Piper said, “I can’t read without a pencil in my hand.” Taking notes while we read not only helps us better engage with the subject matter, but it sharpens our writing skills, allowing us to better communicate thoughts, ideas and data. We learn and retain information more efficiently when we physically interact with it. This shouldn’t surprise us. God put us in physical bodies in a physical world. As Christians we ought to talk to teachers, administrators and school boards about when, how and why screens are being used in the classroom. When my oldest was in second grade I discovered he was on a screen for a minimum of 2 hours a day in his public school classroom. When I began a civil conversation with his teacher, things improved, not only for my son but for the entire class.
Dear Christian Parent, talk to teachers you know. Ask them how and why they are using screens. Advocate for your sons and daughters and their classmates. Twelve years of learning loss shouldn’t be acceptable to us. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all of our minds. Let’s make sure our kids know how to use theirs.
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Great article. We moved our children to a more Classical Christian School with paper assignments and real books three years ago. It was a huge change from our local tech saturated public schools and it is amazing. We love it.
Great article. We moved our children to a more Classical Christian School with paper assignments and real books three years ago. It was a huge change from our local tech saturated public schools and it is amazing. We love it.