Is anyone else bothered that schools no longer use books?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, because they take info in my listening to books/videos. I never liked to read and I read very slowly.
As for learning, I think my kid knows a lot more at age 9 than I did at age 18. Making a living for him probably involves computers. I don't think it will be using physical books and highlighting.
If learning is about making a living when grownup, then I have a backup plan for him in case he 'doesn't learn'. I have enough money invested that if he takes it over at 18-22, he doesn't really have to work as long as he manages it well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you make the people stupid then they are easy to control. By banning books, not teaching history.

Many white people gets triggered by history. To learn history is in favor to the next generations to not copy the racist, horrible white people from before.

But if we learn history we'll learn about centuries of Asian genocides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are much younger, but this will bother me, especially once you hit middle school/high school. How on earth do you take a challenging AP history class without reading a textbook? I read literally my whole AP US history textbook over the course of the year in high school. And what about for reference? What happens when you can't remember all the parts of the cell in bio, do you just google it? How do you study?

Math, I can see, because we really just used ours for the math problems/homework, so if those are online or in handouts, then fine.

I guess I'm also biased because reading is how I learn best. I got a lot more out of the nightly readings than I did from class, just because of my learning style. And it's still how I learn best (I've never been a YouTube learner, though my husband uses it a lot to learn new things, like home repair). But what happens to kids who are that same way?

I think some people may be confusing a lack of a bound physical book with a lack of reading. My two kids, currently in middle school and high school have done a ton of reading. It just happens on screens (think Kindle) or in hand outs. My 11th grader has read multiple novels and AP texts through her computer.

There are a lot of advantages to this. It can be interactive. It can be edited in real time to be up to date and address anything that lacks clarity or needed context.

We can talk about whether the electronic nature of the content is somehow less optimal, or bad for the eyes or whatnot. But reading is still occurring.

Maybe it's a coincidence, but the fall of textbooks correspondended to a reduction in assigned reading volume.

And all the crazy apps are much harder to navigate than books.

Not trying to be personally judgmental, but the fact that you call them "crazy apps" makes me think that your own difficulty navigating the technology is influencing your opinion that they are contributing to lower quality learning. And to be clear, I AGREE that the apps are hard for me as a parent. But as an adult in the workforce, new technology is also hard for me. Technology adoption/adaption is always going to be hard. That doesn't mean it is bad.

I'm also curious about your reference to "assigned reading volume." I'm not doubting you, just wondering what that means? Is there a study?

I also appreciate the quoted PP who acknowledged their own bias. Some people learn better through ingesting written text. That has been the traditional way of learning. But some people lean better through more visual/graphic methods. And some people learn better through audio. (In fact, some young people in my own family are visually impaired, though have some sight. As a result, a combination of spoken word and larger bolder graphics are the best way to learn.)

A movement towards a more hybrid way of teaching/learning is both more inclusive and more reflective of the world we are sending our kids into. I embrace it. 

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School should be preparing kids for adult life.

In your adult life, work or otherwise, how often do you use a book? I mean an actual bound book? When you are ingesting information for work, are you able to do it even though it isn't presented in a bound format?

I would guess rarely. And the world is increasingly not involving the printed page. I suggest that our generation's sense of discomfort, is rooted in thinking that what we did something is the "right way" to do something. I also suggest the studies on learning are influenced by the change in times. Give it a decade.

Children learn a lot more than adults, so adults aren't role models here.

Adults who read more substantive content are reading more books than adults who read more junk.

To your first point: I think you are saying that the amount of learning that needs to occur at younger ages is higher than at older ages. I agree. But I'm not sure how that matters. Maybe you are suggesting that ingesting printed bound books is the best way to learn the highest quantity of information, so that is what should happen in school? Maybe. But then what? How does the transition occur? Do children go through 13 years of school with physical books and then enter college and the workforce without them? Is that optimal?

To your second point: What?

[Anonymous]

No. I’m grateful that my kid hasn’t been subjected to the misery of textbooks. His own classes are so much more engaging than what I experienced in middle/high school.

[Anonymous]

You critics are afraid of technology. Kids dont even write anymore. Get with the times!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You critics are afraid of technology. Kids dont even write anymore. Get with the times!

Kids need both styles and some kids learn better from textbooks. Reading books online works for some and not others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Textbooks are enormously expensive and need to be replaced often. I think it makes sense to have more tailored print outs and workbooks, as long as there is still written material. I don't love the idea of completely computer based learning, even if their future livelihoods will computer based. I did grad school in the late 2000s and noticed a big difference using computers to take notes compared to written notebooks in undergrad in the early 2000s. It really is true that you don't process and retain material as well on a screen. Plus there's just too much opportunity for distraction and circumventing security controls. I know a first grader that figured out how to install Minecraft on their school device. Not great and definitely not great during the school day.

Things like math don't change. Our school uses a 20+ year old Pre-Calculus book some teacher was smart enough to keep. For basic math, not needed but once you hit algebra it is. Clearly you have little ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the no textbook thing in public schools or also good private schools? I.e. do private schools have less screen time? My kids haven’t started school yet so I haven’t looked into this.

Some privates have gone away from textbooks too.

[Anonymous]

I’m another in the camp of hating the lack of textbooks. I think all the worksheets are wildly inefficient and having problems in a book to do plus the section explaining the topic right there makes much more sense

[Anonymous]

Have you actually talked with the teacher about this? Because I know in my kid’s world history class, they do use a textbook. It’s just never brought home, but it’s used in class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the no textbook thing in public schools or also good private schools? I.e. do private schools have less screen time? My kids haven’t started school yet so I haven’t looked into this.

My son used textbooks for math, science, history, and foreign language in MS and HS Catholic school.

[Anonymous]

My kids have books. Catholic school. Their school experience is very close to mine in the 80s/90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have books. Catholic school. Their school experience is very close to mine in the 80s/90s.

I am trying to think of all of them:

Math plus a workbook
Grammar
Reading
Handwriting workbook (cursive)
Spanish
Science
Social studies

Their backpacks are so heavy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its been clearly shown that people remember information better when they read it in a book vs on a screen. Its been clearly shown that people retain information better when they write it down vs. type.
Yes, its a huge problem.

+1