Article from the Sunday Telegraph 23 February 2003, by Julie Henry

Pupils find internet 'a poor learning tool'

Schoolchildren believe that they learn far more from traditional methods, such as taking notes from the teacher, than they do from using the internet or watching videos, a Government-funded study shows.

The findings will undermine the Government's £1 billion drive to put information and communication technology at the heart of learning. By 2006, a further £400 million will be spent creating "online curriculums" and giving schools faster access to the internet.

Some of the results also challenge the validity of classroom techniques, such as pupils working in groups. About 2,000 teenagers were asked to select three effective teaching methods in a questionnaire carried out as part of Science Year, the £4 million national campaign to boost science education.

The government-funded survey, designed by pupils and carried out by the Science Museum, will be published in the next few months. It found that almost half of pupils thought that taking notes from the teacher was one of the most useful classroom activities.

Three-quarters of students said that watching videos was "enjoyable" but only a quarter of them thought it was effective. Less than one in 10 rated the internet as useful.

The report concluded: "The internet, though moderately enjoyable, is ranked very poorly as a learning tool.

"This finding is important because government policies are directing students and pupils towards online learning and students are not finding it effective."

Research commissioned by the Association of Maintained Girls Schools recently reported similar results. Academics at London Metropolitan University found that the 203 pupils questioned from eight schools valued contact with the teacher most highly. Fewer than a third of pupils said that learning through specially designed science. and history computer programmes was effective, compared with 70 per cent who said practical work and teacher explanations were essential. Books were thought as important as the internet.

At Kendrick Girls, a high performing state school in Reading, computers are dotted around the school and pupils spend an hour a week learning how to master information and communication technology.

Pupils, however, regarded the internet's use across the curriculum as limited.

India Dhillon, 12, said: "The internet can be quite good but anyone can put anything on there so you should not necessarily believe it. I learn most from listening to people talk and writing down what they say. Answering questions on the board is a good way to remember as well."

Jessica Burns, a classmate, valued textbooks written specifically for her age group.

Quyen Hoang, 15, a pupil at King Edward VI School, Handsworth, Birmingham, said that material from the internet was often too easy or complex to be useful.

She also said that techniques designed to encourage students to "think for themselves", such as working in groups, often led to pupils "messing around".

Children now use computers and the internet in every subject and from an early age. Groups of pupils gathered around a terminal is a common sight in classrooms.

The Office for Standards in Education has to inspect the use of ICT, even in sports and religious education lessons. Multimedia teaching, using CD-Roms and videos, are also a feature of some lessons, particularly English.

Most head teachers agree that there is a place for computers in the classroom but that the teacher remains the most important resource.

Some claim that ministers regard distance learning, e-mail and online curriculum as a potential solution to staff shortages.

Lynn Gadd, the head of Copthall girls' school in Barnet, north London, said: "You cannot just stick pupils in front of a computer and expect it to happen."

Charles Clarke, the Education Minister, however, has claimed that computers help teachers to be creative and engage pupils. "Some people have contested the value of ICT in teaching and learning. I challenge that view."

Educationalists are divided over the power of computer and the internet to raise standards in schools. A government-funded study published last month was used by sceptics to show that computers made little difference to results, prompting a hasty "clarification" from the researchers claiming that the study showed the opposite.

A report by American academics published by the Royal Economic Society last year found that there was no evidence that computers in schools improved pupils performance and that in some subjects, such as mathematics, they may be a handicap.