Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy Fulda
My apologies, but I feel compelled to contest the implied criticism towards the school and the parents in this statement.
There are a lot of reasons why a teenager might prefer video games to reading, and not all of them have anything to do with parenting or teaching styles. Children with sensory processing disorders, dyslexia, high-functioning autism or an auditory learning style, for example, all find it difficult to concentrate on written words. Video games provide a medium to engage with stories on terms that are less strenuous.
(Ok, I'm backing down off my soapbox now. Sorry. This just happens to be a hot-topic for me.)
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No, the soapbox is the place to be !
(I'm an ex-teacher, so.......)
Sorry if it came across that way, Nancy - I really did want to know if the school did in fact have a policy in hand, were aware of this case, and in general, if it was a common trait. It is, sadly, not a given, but it should be.
I also wanted to have an idea of the age group, which 1Ebbokfan omitted, as recommending without having an idea of that, UI felt would be a tricky thing to do sensibly. And the question of peer activity is also an important consideration.
And obviously, if there
were other factors as you detail, this is really not the right place to offer suggestions from a position of ignorance of them.
I also do not think, anyway, it is the right place for 1Ebookfan to seek suggestions he/she might act on if that were the case.
"Distance" learning is difficult at the best of times, but without at least having a reasonable idea of the individual situation, far harder.
Children do latch-on to games, videos and TV at ever earlier ages, and most wean themselves off at various age and developmental stages. A host of factors apply, the usual - school, home, peer pressure, girls/boys, hobbies, parental habits, advertising, sport - endless really.
There is a school of thought that believes any reading, with certain caveats, is better than none, and the school or 1Ebookfan may ascribe to this policy. I'm not too convinced, frankly, as the influence of the caveats can be crucial in the outcomes.
And I feel it can lead to such policies becoming too "child-led".
But I do make my questions and comments as a parent who has dealt with the "teaching" of reading, and seems to have come through our own games/video v reading benchmark without too much angst !
And there is a corner of a bedroom in our house where there moulders a fairly impressive pile of DVD's, games, PS2/3s, Nintendos etc...
And we're still not too sure if it was anything we did or not !
Mind you, the guitars, amps, and fencing equipment , as well as what was once "my" PRS350, have gone travelling along with the now occasional occupant, so things could have turned out worse I suppose....