Teachers have been advised not to forget “good-quality textbooks” when it comes to home learning.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) argues that textbooks can provide “more effective learning”, as well as “better equity of access” than “the digital environment”.
Since schools closed owing to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been real concerns that pupils, without access to technology and a reliable internet connection, will be left behind.
Background: Doubts over the future of textbooks
Research: Pupils not engaging with online learning, say teachers
Opinion: Why textbooks still have a place in the classroom
Long read: How can Scotland’s teachers make the most of vlogging?
A lot of energy and money has been invested in trying to level the playing field. When the Scottish government announced that schools would not be reopening until 11 August, it also revealed it was planning to invest £30 million “to support digital learning outside school”.
In England, the Department for Education announced on 19 April that “disadvantaged” children in Year 10 (S4), together with care leavers and those with social workers, would be given free devices in a bid to make remote learning during lockdown easier - although delays have been reported.
However, the RSE - which aims to bring together leading thinkers in Scotland - is urging schools not to overlook textbooks and “other print resources” in home learning, since these can be “used more or less anywhere, anytime, regardless of limits on device time, WiFi, or broadband”.
In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee, the RSE and its expert group on science, technology, engineering and maths education, the Learned Societies’ Group (LSG), said: “It is also often assumed that the solution to problems associated with remote or blended learning can be best solved by improving access to the digital environment and to hardware.
“However, there is some evidence to suggest access to good-quality textbooks and other print resources are a more effective tool for providing and improving learning. The use of good-quality textbooks, guided through some more limited digital communication, may provide both more effective learning resources and better equity of access, since textbooks can be used more or less anywhere, anytime, regardless of limits on device time, WiFi, or broadband.”
The RSE and LSG also called for clear expectations on “attendance and participation” in online learning, in light of evidence that pupil engagement “varies significantly”.
It was often assumed, they said, that young people were “digital natives” but while they might be familiar with YouTube and social media, they needed support “for the development of the more complex skills required for effective online learning using the tools and apps designed for this purpose”.
They add: “For effective and efficient blended learning there is a need for training for both teachers and learners.”
The RSE and LSG made their comments in a submission to the Education and Skills Committee which is gathering evidence on the impact of the coronavirus lockdown and the reopening of schools. Tomorrow, education secretary John Swinney will appear before the committee.
