Paper-based teaching materials such as textbooks and printouts are playing a key role in stay-at-home studying as children remain out of school because of the spread of the new coronavirus.
Online classes and video distribution via the internet have received attention, but some households do not have sufficient internet setups. There are numerous cases in which schools are striving to involve paper-based materials to meticulously cope with the situation such as teachers communicate with students -- including by marking up assignments with handwritten messages and sending them through the mail.
One of the schools using paper teaching materials in various ways is Katsuura municipal middle school in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture. Since the beginning of this academic year, the school has been sending assignment sheets about once a week to all of its about 300 students in subjects including Japanese and math.
For instance, students in second-year science were asked to use about 10 sheets of A4-sized paper to write about topics including geological strata and the mechanisms behind the occurrence of earthquakes, using such reference materials as textbooks and supplementary learning materials to verify their information.
A social studies assignment asked students to check reports from newspapers, television and other sources every day and write about the main points of reports that most interested them as well as their thoughts on a particular news item.
Students put their completed work into a return envelope and post it back to the school by the due date. Teachers in each subject mark up the students' work in red pen and return it together with the next assignment.
Interacting through the mail is time consuming, and there is the hurdle of not being able to offer advice to students as they're doing the work. However, the fact is not all homes have a sufficient setup, including a printer, for information and communication technology (or ICT).
"We can't allow inequalities to occur as a result of students' home environment," Kazuhiko Okayasu, principal at Kita municipal middle school, said. "Using paper allows us to handle things individually and in detail. When the teachers write corrections on the assignments, it also adds a personal touch to it for the students."
Instructors initially visited each student's home to distribute printouts, but the school later switched to using mail.
A survey conducted by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry found, as of April 16, that 10% of stay-at-home study at closed schools involved class videos prepared by boards of education, 29% digital materials and 5% online instruction with back-and-forth communication. Multiple answers were allowed.
In contrast, textbooks and other paper-based materials were used in 100% of at-home study.
It costs money to post materials like Katsuura municipal middle school is doing, and thus some schools are using their shoe cubbies as makeshift mailboxes to exchange assignment sheets and other materials.
Kita municipal elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, regularly puts new assignment sheets and completed work marked up by teachers in the shoe cubbies of about 160 students. The children or their guardians drop off and pick up the items during designated periods of the day.
Even though the school has introduced a two-way online system for students and their instructors to participate in morning assemblies, it continues to use the shoe cubbies.
"This will encourage students who remain at home and let them maintain a link with their teachers," Mutsumi Kuroda, principal at Kita municipal elementary school, said.
Some instructors are sending handwritten messages of encouragement to students along with their assignment sheets.
Teachers from Kamishibanishi municipal elementary school in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, visited the homes of about 500 students in mid-April and distributed assignment sheets and handwritten messages. Examples of the messages included: "Elementary school is fun, I want to study and exercise with you soon" and "Eat well, sleep well and study well for a productive break. I hope you can help around the house, too."
"I think this conveys the teachers' feelings and affection," Principal Chiho Shibasaki said.
Said Waseda University Prof. Hiroyuki Tanaka, who is well versed in educational methods: "Students who receive papers marked by hand and handwritten messages will be more motivated to study. It's also easy to review when there's a record of individual guidance and communication. Going forward, I hope to see paper and digital materials brought together effectively in at-home study."
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