Your voice: demanding workloads, eliminating devices from classrooms (long letters) – Young Post

There’s a girl in my extracurricular class at a local school. She often sits slumped in her chair, eyes closed and eyelids heavy with fatigue. My sister and I drag ourselves into the room, slouching like sloths. After eight hours of school, standing in the MTR and walking here, we are all exhausted.

However, the assumption is that I can’t get burned out because I go to an international school. Let me explain.

Despite the difference in curriculum, local and international schools both face challenges and stressors, one student writes. Photo: Shutterstock

I remember one day lugging my violin, swim bag, laptop and school bag across town to this class. We all entered the classroom and the teacher saw our tired faces. The girl from the local school shared her day and mentioned two quizzes and a swimming lesson. We sympathized with her.

Then the teacher turned to me and asked, “Why are you tired? Don’t international students have homework and tests? You should be happy!”

I love my school and being part of the community, but at that moment I felt frustrated. After completing three summative assessments, a presentation, and my own swimming lesson, I stopped myself, smiling but clenching my fists under the table.

There is a wide variety of school systems in Hong Kong. This includes the “local” new academic structure for upper secondary education, which in 2012 replaced the O and A levels with the university entrance examination for the Diploma of Secondary Education. Other schools in Hong Kong – including comprehensive, subsidized, subsidized, private and private international schools – may follow different non-local curricula.

I attend a private international school that uses the International Baccalaureate format, with fewer exam periods than local schools and more assessments spread throughout the year that usually overlap. Our classwork includes assignments such as experiments and writing pages and pages of detailed lab reports.

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All schools in Hong Kong are challenging, just in different ways. The choice of study depends on many factors, such as location, income, family background and extracurricular interests. However, I believe we all experience stress and exhaustion, whether you are at a so-called local or international school.

I think there is a misconception that international students don’t study or have work to do. I anticipate a heavy and demanding workload as I approach the end of high school.

It’s time we get to know the different school systems and try to understand each other’s challenges and stresses, without trivializing or discrediting each other.

Back to the basics of education

Irene Zhang, Pope Paul VI College

I am writing to give my opinion on the recent Swedish education reform regarding electronic devices in schools. There has been a lot of discussion about reducing or removing digital devices from students. I believe it can coexist with traditional education and even complement each other.

According to the Associated Press, Swedish teachers are placing a new emphasis on back-to-basics education. This means traditional learning methods such as printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice instead of spending time on tablets, independent online research and keyboarding skills.

One of the most important benefits would be that students can concentrate better during class. Several studies have shown that electronic devices cause students to divide their attention during class, whether through text messages, social media notifications, or even gaming apps.

If you access social media on your phone, tablet, or even computer during class, chances are you’ll get distracted. Photo: Shutterstock

According to a 2018 study published in the scientific journal Educational Psychology, this split attention negatively impacts long-term retention and exam performance.

Digitization has cost students adequate communication, reading and handwriting skills. By returning to traditional education, where they can interact with classmates in person and write with a pen on paper, they can train these essential skills.

On the other hand, completely eliminating electronic devices could come with its own challenges. Students may have difficulty adjusting to a sudden shift away from technology, especially after becoming accustomed to digital learning. Imagine the confusion if schools were to abruptly return to traditional methods after years of integrating technology.

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Additionally, devices provide access to learning resources beyond textbooks. Without them, students could miss the opportunity to dig deeper.

I do not believe that digital education should just disappear. Technology can enhance a student’s learning experience. For example, there are incredibly useful applications for organizing study notes. It can complement traditional methods and, with proper management, have a positive impact on academic performance.

The problem is not the use of digital devices, but rather the need for self-discipline. Schools should focus on addressing this misuse rather than cutting device use altogether. As the saying goes, “You have to have good tools to do good work.”

We need to focus on managing devices wisely and finding a balance between technology and traditional learning methods.