Denmark was a pioneer in adopting digital tools for education and is now a pioneer in removing technology from the classroom, returning to a more traditional approach, according to Euronews.
The number of schools adopting the “mobile-free school” policy is increasing. Students are required to turn in their devices during the school day throughout Denmark.
Educators note the impact that unrestricted access to digital devices has had on students’ learning and social behavior.
Some schools opt for a system where students need to leave their smartphones in a safe upon arrival at school. This measure was necessary after the policy of letting students keep their phones failed, inviting them to turn them off during classes. Many did not follow the rules and phones rang and vibrated, disrupting classes.
Distractions have become so obvious that programs have been created to limit the use of devices in 2023.
According to the OECD’s PISA report, students around the world perform better in math and feel a stronger sense of belonging at school when they spend moderate amounts of time using devices to learn.
Experts say limiting smartphone use can help improve concentration, memory, sleep and physical activity.
“Not banning them completely, but limiting them (cell phone use can help) to encourage different types of activities,” Jesper Balslev, a researcher at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, told Euronews.
“In developmental psychology, it’s very well documented that the passive stance you have with a cell phone, where you’re not actually in contact with your peers, is detrimental to learning strength,” Balslev added.
When the ban was implemented, there was strong resistance from students. There were months of conversations between teachers and students, a natural process when fighting an addiction. However, students recognized that they became more active.
In February, Styrelsen for Undervisning og Kvalitet, the agency that oversees the quality of education under the Ministry of Education and Children, announced 12 recommendations on the use of digital devices in school, such as implementing a phone ban and encouraging to analogue teaching.
This change marks a significant departure from Denmark’s previous approach to technology in education, pioneering digital learning using technology in classrooms, from iPads to AI tools such as ChatGPT. The Danish government’s investment in developing the use of IT in schools in 2012 was 500 million kroner (67 million euros).
According to the latest research from PISA, an OECD program for international student assessment, 86 percent of students in Denmark use digital tools for learning purposes for an hour a day or more at school.
In the PISA report, around 32 percent of students admit that they are distracted by their own use of digital devices in most or all of their math classes.
The recommendations address screen time beyond cell phones, reflecting growing concerns about the ubiquity of digital devices.
In addition to banning smartphones, Danish schools plan to limit the use of computers, minimizing time spent on computers and encouraging reading and researching books.
The pioneering spirit in the adoption of digital tools in education was followed by several countries, but this return in time and practices has also found followers. The Netherlands, Hungary, France and Greece have already created measures to restrict smartphones in schools.