Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
I just searched to see if kids taught in the open classrooms of the 1960's and 1970's, in which children could mostly read what they wanted, read more for pleasure as adults, but I can't find anyone doing such a long-term test of your hypothesis. It seems a plausible, if difficult, research project.
I recall not just assigned reading, but also being forced to sit through boring classroom films. Could that be why I'm not all that much interested in the movies, or TV, today?
Of course, I think the answer to that last question is no.
I wonder if limiting screen time works.
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There are some differences between films and books though. You don't need to engage your mind as much with a 2 hr movie as you do with words on a page. People tend to zone out and only remember some key scenes with any clarity. Anyway Mr. Allen went to school back in the 30's and 40's I'd guess since he was a young man on TV in the 50's so it's likely things were changed a bit over the decades, though I also remember having to read assigned books like "Lord of the Flies" when I was in high school. I don't watch much live TV either (mostly DVD's) because the quality of programming has dropped a lot since I was a kid. Books on the other hand are still going strong.