Gaming addictions & others

[RoadRaven]

And well, it shouldn't be odd in the 21st century, but twice in last few weeks, I saw a parent wheeling their child around (big enough to walk, around 4-6 yrs. old) outside. Child had a minature like laptop tucked in front while inside the stroller and manoeuvring the buttons. Probably it was a game? Ok, I'm not a parent but it is strange to see this with the child's fascination but totally disinterested in his/her outside immediate surroundings. Maybe it's the new way of keeping a kid from howling in public..

I find this very alarming. I teach a child development paper, and also a paper which focuses on the holistic development of infants and toddlers.

Children have plenty of time to access computer technology as they grow older and while there are many things a PC can offer, it can happen later on. There used to be alot of discussion about how "evil/bad" PCs were for children, and much of that has proven to be alarmist nonsense...

HOWEVER...
At this age, children need to be doing lots of looking around to ensure their eyes get practice in long distance focusing... because a laptop is always "busy" visually, children will stay focused on it longer
..... (as opposed to the toy car Tuckville wonders about which the child might fiddle with but look about also).

Also, children learn about the world by interacting with it... by looking, watching, listening... children don't reach 5 and start learning "stuff" then, they are learning from the momnent they are born (and I would argue before they are born as their senses begin to mature - unborn infants can see and hear and their sense of touch is well developed by birth.

[Veronica]

Also, children learn about the world by interacting with it... by looking, watching, listening... children don't reach 5 and start learning "stuff" then, they are learning from the moment they are born (and I would argue before they are born as their senses begin to mature - unborn infants can see and hear and their sense of touch is well developed by birth.

Our Kindergarten teachers are having a huge issue with their classes this year. One teacher actually had a parent say something like, "I send my kid to school. That's where they are suppose to learn. It's your job to teach them, not mine."

Maybe this is just happening in my little corner of the world. But it does scare me to think about what our future is going to be like.

Veronica

[RoadRaven]

Our Kindergarten teachers are having a huge issue with their classes this year. One teacher actually had a parent say something like, "I send my kid to school. That's where they are suppose to learn. It's your job to teach them, not mine."

Maybe this is just happening in my little corner of the world. But it does scare me to think about what our future is going to be like.

Veronica

Kindergarten over here is preschool (3-4 yr olds).
And the new entrant/junior school is the equivilent of American kindergarten classes.

And its not happening only in your corner of the wolrd, V. Its about what people value as "real" learning and unfortunately that tends to be measured in literacy and numeracy tests...


Have you seen the work being done in the Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia? That approach to teaching and learning with /working alongside pre-schoolers has been adapted big-time in New Zealand (the Reggio Emilia approach) with particulalr focus on the project appraoch where preschoolers follow their own interests and agendas and teachers support them in their research and understandings. I wish parents could see how much of this they already do themselves...

And also the work of Emmi Pikler (the Loczi Orphanage in Budapest) whose ideas Magda Gerber adapted and has taken back to Ammerican parents, and now the "Pikler Approach" is making huge impacts on how teachers work with infants in early childhood centres...

If only we could get out of the social paralyisis which seems to dictate what you have seen " that real learning happens at school " and are alarmed about. I'll join you and say 'bah humbug' to that idea!

[Tri Girl]

Our Kindergarten teachers are having a huge issue with their classes this year. One teacher actually had a parent say something like, "I send my kid to school. That's where they are suppose to learn. It's your job to teach them, not mine."

Maybe this is just happening in my little corner of the world. But it does scare me to think about what our future is going to be like.

Veronica

I've had that said to me before. I almost came unglued...

And we've talked about it, but it's not just your little corner of the world. Kids are definitely much bolder than they used to be. I had a cookie on my desk one day (given to me by a child who had a birthday) and I had a student reach for it while demanding that they wanted it. I almost had to slap his little hand away (but my look was all it took). They're not comfortable, they're bold and brazen and do and say things to me that I NEVER would've had the nerve/balls to do when I was a kid. The lines of respect between adults and children have blurred to the point where children feel entitled to interact with me as if we're peers. I don't think so little ones...


And I guess I'm addicted to my laptop now. It's new, so I'm sure it'll wear off, but I spend at least a couple hours a day reading all kinds of things online. At least I'm learing, right? Right?