IN this day and age, laptops, desktop computers and even tablet computers are a common sight in most urban schools in developed and developing nations.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate companies are rushing to donate notebooks or laptops to schools to fulfil their corporate social responsibility.
The Malaysian government is also in the midst of handing out 1Malaysia laptops to school children throughout the country.
Yet, as most educators around the world are trying hard to obtain funds to acquire Internet connections and computers for their students, one school in the United State’s Silicon Valley is actually taking a step back and barring computers and the Internet from its classrooms.
The Waldorf School of the Peninsula does not lack in funds, nor is it a low performing school. In fact, its fees are on the high end and the school has a remarkable achievement – 94 per cent of its students between 1994 and 2004 have graduated to prestigious universities such as Vassar and Berkeley.
The school does not believe in computers, the Internet and all things high-tech. It believes in pens, papers, modelling clay, books (printed on paper), chalk and human interaction.
The school believes in teaching its students to be “human” and to be resourceful without having to ‘Google’.
The Waldorf School subscribes to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks.
It claims that computers and the Internet inhibit creative thinking, attention spans and human interaction.
The Eye tends to agree. Take a look around and you will notice many children these days are glued to their hand-held devices – be it a hand-held games or online device.
The Internet and Google (as much as the Eye uses it, but it’s okay … the Eye is OLD) has taken the younger generation away from books. They are less resourceful and rely heavily on the Internet.
And when there is no Internet connection, they are rendered helpless, not knowing where or how to look for information.
The Waldorf believes that teaching is about engaging students through human interaction and that effective teaching comes about from great teachers who are able to make lessons interesting without having to resort to computers, television or the Internet.
This is where our Malaysian policymakers should take note – great students come about when there are great teachers who are dedicated and of quality. Great teachers do not depend on the computer or the Internet to teach.
And how do we go about developing great teachers? Definitely not by training teachers to be reliant on the computer and Internet as well. This is where we seem to be headed these days.
A teacher at the Waldorf school, who was formerly a computer engineer, teaches fractions by having the students cut up food. You could say they ate their way through fractions.
Another teacher at this particular school teaches language and interaction skills through incorporating body and brain synchronisation by having students stand in a circle, throwing beanbags and reciting verses or giving out instructions to their friends.
How many of our teachers are carrying out such creative learning activities with our students? Sadly, very few. Most would rush through the compulsory syllabus and not even detect mistakes in textbooks.
While some may argue that such teaching techniques are taking a step backwards, many see it as holding on to inculcating values that technology cannot teach.
We may not have to go to the extremes of not allowing our students access to computers or the Internet. They should, at some stage, equip themselves with knowledge of how to utilise information communication technology, but not too early.
As in the case of the Waldorf school, you would be surprised to know that the people who send their kids to this traditional institution of learning are those the likes of the eBay chief technology officer and other employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.
Before we get too wrapped up in the belief that each student must have a laptop and all schools must be wired to the great World Wide Web, let us not forget the values of learning to write with pen and paper, the joy of colouring with crayons, the pleasure in getting hands dirty with clay, and enjoying real interaction with one another, and not through hand-held devices.