There will be no tokenmaxxing in Norwegian classrooms. According to a Reuters reportThe country’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere announced Friday that the government will impose restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence tools in schools in an effort to combat what he sees as a negative impact on learning.
The new rules, which will go into effect when students return to school in August of this year, will impose a near-total ban on AI for elementary students in grades one through seven, which generally span ages 6 to 13. As students enter lower secondary school for grades 8 to 10, where children are typically between 14 and 16 years old, they will be allowed to use AI tools under the supervision of their teachers. For students aged 17 and over entering senior secondary school, the rules are relaxed somewhat. But those children are still encouraged to use AI only when appropriate.
“The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write and do math,” Stoere said. according to Reuters. Seen this way, it seems quite reasonable!
Norway has been one of the nations leading the fight against the excessive proliferation of technology in schools. In 2024, the nation They banned smartphones in classroomsrequiring students to lock their devices during school hours. Apparently it worked wonders. According to a study published by the Norwegian Institute of Public HealthBullying decreased across the board and grade point averages began to rise once device restrictions were implemented. The nation followed that with a planned social media ban earlier this yearwhich would keep anyone under 16 years old off social platforms.
As part of its Luddite mission to reduce reliance on technology in teaching environments, Norway’s leadership also said it plans to propose legislation that would increase funding for the purchase and use of books in classrooms. by Reuters.
That shift is perhaps the most interesting for the nation, given the radical departure it represents from its previous approach to technology in classrooms. In 2016, Norway announced a plan to provide a tablet to every student aged 5 and up. The results were quite devastating.as the country watched its literacy rate decline dramatically and its test scores sink. It is now in the process of removing screens from classroom environments and returning to a more analog approach. And sure, it might run the risk of creating a generation of hipsters, but at least they’ll be able to read.
