Munich. First presence, then distance: The back and forth during Corona is a stress test for Bavaria’s schools. But that also has good things: It makes learning more digital. A study by the Association of the Bavarian Economy (vbw) shows: In terms of digital education, the Free State is further than it was a few years ago. But there is still a lot to do.
“Information and communication media have not yet achieved the status they should have in an increasingly digital world of life and work,” says the vbw. The possibilities of digital media should be better exploited in the classroom.
“A projector does not yet make digital lessons”
This requires sufficient devices for students and teachers as well as fast and robust connections to the Internet across the board. The qualification of teachers must also be systematically promoted so that they can better use tablets, videos and other electronic means in the classroom.
“Media skills play a more important role in teacher training,” says Professor Frank Fischer, holder of the chair for empirical pedagogy and pedagogical psychology at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU) and author of the study. Digital media are now being used more in the classes, according to the education expert. But at the same time he states: “Compared to the previous study (2017), there was no fundamental change.”
For the current, two-part study (before and during the pandemic) around 700 teachers and schoolchildren and 300 primary school parents were interviewed. Half of the teachers are still not satisfied with the digital equipment in schools. Many would like more technical and media pedagogical support for their work.
In about half of the teaching time, digital media are used in elementary and secondary schools, mainly for presentations. This means that the students consume passively, just look and listen. According to the study, more formats with (inter) active participation will be needed in the future. “A projector alone does not make digital lessons,” warns Fischer.
The pandemic has exacerbated social disadvantage
In addition, according to the study, social disadvantages have worsened in the pandemic. Because only those who have the means can learn digitally. For example, children from less affluent families often have no WiFi at home and no devices to take advantage of digital educational offers. This has to be compensated, according to the vbw. They also often lack support at home. Overall, primary school parents, three-quarters of them mothers, spent an average of three hours a day on this.
Associations are calling for a master plan with concrete steps
Even if there is still room for improvement, Bavaria is on the right track, according to the associations. They want a “Master Plan for Digital Lessons 2022” that tracks the expansion of digital education.
Three questions are central here:
- When is the school’s connection to the Internet right?
- When are all teachers equipped with hardware and software?
- When will a data protection-compliant means of communication recommended by the Ministry of Education be available that can be used by all schools to offer video conferences and live lessons in the digital classroom?
The study “Digital Education in Bavarian Schools” is available for download at vbw-bayern.de/digitale-schule
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