Actress Sophie Winkleman Celebrates Heritage as an ‘Oasis of Screen Free Education’
The actress and screen-free childhood campaigner Sophie Winkleman gave a remarkable, impassioned speech at a conference this week, arguing for the return of tech-free learning in schools and celebrating Heritage as a leading example.
Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference, Sophie calls Heritage an:
‘Oasis of screen free education… haven of focus, serenity, classical intellect, Christian heritage, nature, art and beauty… a profoundly effective learning space… It would not be effective if the classrooms were filled with screens.’
She brilliantly outlines the case for a screen-free education, questioning the adoption of EdTech and AI in British schools:
‘Why is digitally transporting a child to the Egyptian pyramids better than that child imagining it? This kind of jazz-hands immersion as an engagement tool doesn’t work. It negates the need to imagine, rendering the pupil a passive rather than an active learner. Parents such as myself ask these questions, but we do not get answers.’
And she points out the incomparable value of real life human connection, the importance of nurturing in children the truly human skills of ‘reading about and getting to grips with the human condition, empathy, concentration, eloquent and humorous discussion, and creative expression’.
The full speech is well worth a listen:
