Since recently watching Patricia Kuhl: The Linguistic Genius of Babies, I have been thinking about how whether or not small children can learn from television. This talk discusses a study on babies’ ability to learn a language. The results of the study show that babies need a human being to interact with them in order to learn. I found this very interesting because there are many educational television shows and movies geared toward very small children.
Prior to watching this talk, I had never really felt strongly about whether or not small children should watch television. I believed that they should watch very little television, if any, at a very young age, but I was under the impression that educational television would be beneficial to preschool-age children. Professor Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal recently did a study on how television in early years effects student achievement in kindergarten. Pagani’s study (2013) shows that even an hour of television beyond the recommendations given by the American Academy of Pediatrics can be detrimental to success in kindergarten. She suggests that this television viewing could be detrimental to not only a child’s development in vocabulary and math skills, but also to attention skills as well as gross motor development.
As a kindergarten teacher in Baltimore City, I have many students who clearly watch a lot of television at home. This becomes clear when students are sharing about their time spent at home, or when students are making connections to a story read aloud. I see a much shorter attention span in the students I am currently teaching than students I have taught in the past. I am not sure exactly how much each of my students are spending in front of the television, but I can usually get a rough estimate by talking with parents. Many parents work long hours or night shifts, and the children get very little adult interaction while at home. I can tell that the students who have more adult or peer interaction in their home have the ability to stay on task longer. These students are able to focus much better, and they seem to have a greater attention to detail. When children are watching television, they are constantly visually stimulated. The screen is changing every few seconds, and the shows are usually changing every 15-25 minutes, with many commercial breaks in between the actual content of the show. This may get kids used to being constantly stimulated by both visuals and sounds, and this could cause a drop in focus and attention at school. It is also obvious that children who spend most of their time indoors in front of the television are lacking exercise and outside time. Time to play outside or even inside enhances a child’s gross motor development. Parents who allow their children to remain seated all day are hindering their child’s gross motor development. If more parents were able to interact with their children or have their children construct their own knowledge through play, students may be more prepared for kindergarten. I would be interested in finding more studies done on the effects of television in preschool and pre-K years.
Sources:
Linda S. Pagani, Caroline Fitzpatrick, Tracie A. Barnett.Early childhood television viewing and kindergarten entry readiness. Pediatric Research, 2013; DOI:10.1038/pr.2013.105
Patricia Kuhl. (2010, October). The linguistic genius of babies [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html
Thanks for sharing Cara. I found your blog very interesting. I also teach kindergarten but I teach in Anne Arundel County. I see a lot of the same thing in my classroom that you see in your classroom. A lot of my students also talk a lot about watching TV in their free time. On Mondays, we usually journal write about our weekend; almost every child at some point in their writing talks about watching TV or watching a movie. I never would have thought that this affected their attention span but as I reflect on my own classroom I can definitely see that my students with shorter attention spans are the ones that also frequently talk about watching TV.
ReplyDeleteI feel like at kindergarten age educational shows are still abstract. The children are just sitting and watching and are not doing anything with the information. These children still need concrete materials. To learn patterns, children need to play with manipulatives. They need to move things around. Simply seeing a pattern on TV is not going to have the same effect as the child manipulating things to create their own pattern. I just feel like an educational show is static; it’s not novel or concrete to the child. Likewise, learning new words through a TV show does not have the child using a new vocabulary word when having a conversation with someone. They’re not necessarily trying to figure out what the word means and how it relates to them. I’d also be interested to see what other research has been done in this area!
It is sad to think that these kids spend so much time in front of the tv. I hear many veteran teachers talk about how they notice a decrease in their students' attention span over the years. I wonder if it also affects their fine and gross motor skills. They are not running around outside as much, but are also not picking up game pieces or beading necklaces. This may have something to do with their lack of attention while writing because gripping a pencil is difficult for them. Another issue with watching a lot of tv is that they are spending less time talking. Instead of talking to their parents, grandparents, or siblings about their day, the children are just staring at a television. They also don't have the opportunity to use their imagination. I agree that kids constantly need stimulation. Many kids aren't good at making up a game when they are bored. This lack of imagination may affect their writing, reading, and social skills.
ReplyDeleteChildren watching too much tv is a problem. However, what are parents supposed to do if they have night jobs in order to support their families? Is there a way to incorporate technology so that children whose parents are working are able to stay entertained but still communicate with others that also involve movement? The one thing that comes to mind is a WII fit game. There are also ways to play games where you are talking to someone in another house. Maybe they could skype with friends. Or read books on an ipad. I'm not sure exactly what the answer is but educators and families needs to brainstorm ways to help parents come up with activities for their children when they cannot be with them at night.
Everyone's comments are right on target, but we also have to take all the research with a grain of salt. There are many students who watch television and have very good attention span, and there are many students who watch no televisions who have a very weak attention span. I think it depends on the child. I remember spending a lot of my time watching movies or television programs because I was being babysat, or had nothing better to do, but I also remember having something to talk about with my family and friends. There were certain movies we watched over and over again in my house that my mom, dad, brother, and sister still laugh about. The plots of the stories and the characters connect us to the other. I also remember being able to make friends in elementary because we all watch "Mighty Morphing Power Rangers" or "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Nickelodeon's "Doug" and "Salute Your Shorts" are two shows that connected me and my wife when we were simply friends, so TV does have its benefits. However, I completely agree that watching too much TV at a young age hurts a child's development, but so does a need for constant learning with no fun. A student sitting in the house reading a book is losing the same motor skills as a child sitting in front of the TV (I know because my uncles made fun of me for wanting to read and not go outside to play with my cousins). As I get ready to have my first child I have thought about this issue, and questioned if I wanted my daughter to be exposed to any TV at a young age. There is research that supports interactive apps and programs such as Skype to further brain development. However, I think the use of too much technology can be a downfall to a child's development as well. Exposure to the internet, apps, games, Nooks, Kindles, and iPads can turn children into more of a zombie than an television program.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is too much of anything can be bad. I feel that if parents create a healthy balance of literacy, friendly interaction, play, TV, and technology, the child will develop mentally and socially at an appropriate speed.