Over the past some years, technology has become an integral part of the classrooms across the USA. It is common to see students using tablets, laptops and other devices to read, write and learn. In this ever increasing technology intrusion, it is obvious to think that paper will be out of the scene, sooner or later. However, it seems impossible as students are still choosing to do their important learning on paper. According to a recent study, paper is still important to productive learning.
The Paper and Packaging Board found in its survey conducted over 4,300 respondents (including students, teachers and parents) that paper is still important in classroom. Some of the key findings of the survey are:
- Over 90% parents believe paper is essential to their kids to do good in study.
- 72% parents admit that their kids are not comfortable with computer based homework.
- 88% parents agree that their kids remember paper assignment better.
- 70% junior school students prepare for tests with handwritten notes.
- 93% college students prefer paper for achieving educational goals.
- 50% college students state they learn best by writing info down by hand.
Why paper is useful for the learning of the students?
Maryanne Wolf, development psychologist and cognitive scientist at Tufts University, explains,” There is physicality in reading, maybe even more than we want to think about as we lurch into digital reading—as we move forward perhaps with too little reflection. I would like to preserve the absolute best of older forms, but know when to use the new.”
According to Dr. Naomi Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University, “Print is tailor-made for helping us read continuously, concentrate, puzzle out concepts and contemplate the significance of what we have read.”
Putting in other way, paper is engaging, interactive, easy and encouraging medium of learning.
Here we have listed and explained such benefits of using paper for learning…
Paper Doesn’t Distract Your Focus:
Learning on digital screen is not easy due to several distractions like an urge to play the game popping up on the screen or brightness problems. Then, the kid may want to play the song or check the tabs holding social media profiles. But that is not in a case of paper.
It is Useful in Exam Preparation:
Students often use paper for exam preparations to grasp the information easily. For example, they use handouts, study sheets, notecards and lecture slides. One of the reasons is that a person remembers or digests the things better when he notes them down on elsewhere like paper.
Rebecca Mieliwocki, National Teacher of the Year 2012, says,” With the advent of so much technology that makes learning more interactive and vibrant, we forget that sometimes the best way to remember things is by simply writing them down. Unlike typing, the act of writing down information increases retention of that information and stores more of it into working and long-term memory.”
Comfortable for Parents When it Comes to Help Kids in Study:
The world has been using paper for over 2,300 years. The paper is like a legacy of the past generations. There is no tutorial necessary to use paper, unlike digital devices. It is easy to access and use. This is why parents who have little to no digital literacy prefer paper to teach their kids.
So you must have understood why paper is and always will be preferred by the students when it comes to academic learning.
