Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Maybe TV is GOOD for young brains?
This one is sure to spark passionate debate. The New York Times reports that two University of Chicago economists in a new study say there is evidence television may actually slightly enhance student standardized test scores
The study re-evaluated data on television’s effects on children that was collected in the 1940s and 1950s as television came to community that previously had no TV. The results of the study are very interesting, although the implications for today’s kids are not completely clear. The study doesn’t tell us if kids might be harmed by long periods of TV watching or watching lots of age inappropriate programs. And, of course, the nature of TV programming has changed a lot in 50 years. Perhaps todays programs are more harmful?
But TV, by itself, may not be the damaging force that can be blamed for everything from lower test scores to increased violence today.
What do you think of the study?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Teaching and Learning
Comments
By Mary
February 27, 2006 1:28 PM | Link to this
Television can be a source of mental and social stimulation and information like peers, parents, teachers, newspapers, etc. A lot depends on the quality and quantity of time as far as outcome. In some cases, I could see television raising the level of intellectual stimulation, not necessarily just when mom does not have a high school diploma. I grew up in the 50s in rural America when television was being introduced into homes. We did not overdo it, but it was new, different and thus more stimulating back then. History Channel, Discovery Channel, Educational TV, and news including Jon Stewart’s “fake news” on Comedy Central probably qualify as intellectually stimulating - but much of television is not.