Almost half of all students globally use a desktop computer during lessons at school, but new technologies have not superseded traditional tools and blended learning, according to a new report from Cambridge International.
The report features the results of an international online survey of almost 20,000 teachers and students from 10 countries collected between March and May in 2018. The survey explores how students learn inside and outside the classroom and the roles that teachers and students play in measuring success.
While new technologies, such as smartphones, smartboards and tablets, are starting to be used in classrooms, 9 in 10 students are still using a pen and paper during lessons, and 73% are using a whiteboard with marker pens, according to an article by reporter Sara Friedman for THE Journal.
The report finds three-quarters of students in the United States are using desktops and smartphones for learning experiences, but China leads the world when it comes to tablet use in classrooms at 50%.
“As a leader in an international education, we feel like we have a unique understanding of how students learn and teachers educate,” said Mark Cavone, the U.S. regional director of Cambridge International. “In the task of preparing students for their future, it is becoming more difficult. We want to understand not only what students are learning but how and in what context to share the insights to the wider education community.”
The report also highlights other areas of student and teacher engagement:
- Mathematics is the most commonly studied subject around the world in 88% of schools, followed by the English language at 84%, chemistry at 65% and physics at 63%.
- Private tutoring is most common in China, followed by India at 55%. In the U.S., only 1 in 10 students has additional lessons outside of school hours. The majority of U.S. students (66%) are getting tutoring in math, followed by 43% in physics.
- Most teachers (71%) believe that teaching is a rewarding career, and 8 in 10 teachers in the U.S. chose the profession because they like working with young people.