Lero backs computers in schools following mixed OECD report findings

Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre, has stated that international media coverage of this week’s OECD report distorts the value of computers in schools.

“The danger is that Irish policy makers, parents and teachers misinterpret the findings which would damage Ireland’s goal of building a digital economy as well harming student development,” commented Professor Brian Fitzgerald, chief scientist at Lero.

International headlines ranged from: “Don’t bother buying computers for schools, says OECD report” (The Register) to “Schools wasting money on computers for kids: OECD” (CNBC.com). The OECD reported “no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in ICT for education”.

“The key challenge is not to reduce the use of computers or the internet in Irish schools but to show how this technology can be used more effectively to train students in problem solving and collaboration,” said Professor Fitzgerald.

“The ancient Greeks were concerned that writing would dis-improve memory and make people more forgetful. But no one nowadays believes that we shouldn’t teach people to write.

“In a similar way, the OECD report appears to show negative consequences associated with the use of computers. However, in countries who do see improvements in student performance when using computers, it is clear that the necessary skills to take advantage of this technology have also been incorporated into the curriculum.”

Professor Fitzgerald continued, “You cannot make the most of 21^st century technology against a backdrop of 20^th century teaching methods. A key goal for Ireland should be to train teachers at all levels to exploit technology for the benefit of its students and add computing to the Leaving Cert cycle.”

Lero has developed a Junior Cycle Short Course in Coding and strongly recommends the creation of a Computer Science course at Leaving Cert level to teach students how to use computers to analyse and solve problems.

Since 2007 Lero has run the “Scratch” education and outreach programme, using a tool developed by the MIT Media Lab, to encourage primary and post-primary students to learn about computing and software development. Over 3,000 primary and post-primary teachers have completed Scratch training in conjunction with PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers) in Education.