Learning materials | The teacher noticed that the standard of textbooks has decreased – This is how the publishing houses respond

Schools the requirement level of learning materials has spoken in recent days. Helsingin Sanomat reported on Monday about the class teacher Valtteri from Puoltaipalewho found that books in several different subjects demanded less from students than before.

Puoltaival estimated that the old mathematics textbook had more tasks than the current ones. The texts in Finnish language and literature textbooks were shorter than before.

Read more: The teacher compared his old school books with the current ones and was surprised: “The drop in the level of requirements is astonishing”

Helsinki Sanomat interviewed three representatives of publishing houses that publish educational materials on the subject.

None of the interviewees said that the standards of learning materials had decreased. All the interviewees emphasized that a direct comparison of textbooks does not tell the whole truth about the level of requirements of the learning materials and the number of tasks.

Learning materials these days also include more than just a physical school book and a teacher’s guide. For example, digital learning materials can include a lot of additional tasks that do not end up on the pages of a physical school book.

“Learning material is easily seen as just an encyclopedia, the strength of which could be measured by the length of the text. However, the task of the learning material is broader, as it takes a pedagogical and educational approach”, content director of Otava Learning services Anna-Reetta Sipilä told Helsingin Sanomat.

Sipilä emphasized that changes in society and learning place new demands on learning material. However, this does not mean a decrease in the level of requirements.

Learning materials and the emphasis placed in them is always based on the current curriculum. Teachers usually also have the opportunity to influence what materials are used in the classrooms.

The digitalization of learning materials has brought new opportunities to teaching, says the publishing director of Edukonösen Mark Pernu. Digital teaching materials do not have the same boundaries as physical books, so students have access to more tasks than before.

The number of digital tasks can be Sanoma Pro’s business director Mika Perttolan including sometimes significant. For example, according to Perttola, the publisher’s Milli mathematics series includes thousands of digital exercises that can be used to study the same things as in a physical school book.

According to Perttola, not all students have access to all learning materials.

“Not all municipalities can afford, for example, to order the latest digital learning materials, which would be important in terms of students’ equal learning,” says Perttola.

In the school world according to the interviewees, changes other than the growth of digitalization have taken place. The skill level differences between students have grown, which has been seen, for example, in the differentiation of reading skills already at the beginning of elementary school.

According to Pernu, the increase in skill level differences has had a big impact on learning materials. Teachers are offered tasks and texts tailored to learners of different levels in several different subjects.

“The physical book doesn’t necessarily fit as many tasks as before, when modern books mostly offer tasks for students of different skill levels,” says Pernu.

According to Pernu, however, there are at least as many assignments as before, when both printed and digital learning material are taken into account.

Also Otavan Sipilä confirmed that different learning materials are available for different learners. At the same time, the students’ individuality is also taken into account in other ways. Every student must find a surface of identification in the learning material.

“The diversity of classrooms can be seen in different media content or, for example, in the way texts talk about professions or families. Digital services must also be accessible to everyone.”

According to Sipilä, the weakening of children’s reading skills can be seen in the demand for clearer texts and concepts in learning materials. However, the change is a consequence of literacy development, not the cause.

Interviewees emphasized that the current discussion about learning materials has been important. At the same time, the publishers reminded that all learning material is created in cooperation with teachers.

Publishers emphasized the importance of teachers in the success of teaching. The learning materials are the work tool used to achieve this.

Sanoma Pro is part of the Sanoma Group, which also publishes Helsingin Sanom.