Television can help children with language, researchers find

The following article was published by by: Natasha Bita, Consumer Editor, in the The Australian on November 12, 201112:00AM. The heading implies that TV helps children, which is a simplistic view. The study actually reinforces what educators already know--parental involvement is the key to success. I have highlighted the key points of the research. So let the children watch TV, but watch with them, discuss what they see and read to them so they will have a better chance at school and life.

TOO much TV does not "dumb down" young children but can improve their language, researchers have concluded in a landmark study of the first generation of "digital natives".

The research, based on data from the federal government's longitudinal study of Australian children, questions the conventional wisdom that TV hinders children's learning.

While it links console games to "lower linguistic abilities,” the study concludes that computer usage improves children's literacy skills as they grow older.

The first generation of children immersed in new media -- known as "digital natives" -- benefit as much from using computers as they do from reading books.

"Computers seem to aid literacy, especially as children get older," lead author Michael Bittman, of the University of New England's school of behavioural, cognitive and social sciences, said yesterday.

Professor Bittman said the research conflicted with conventional advice to keep toddlers away from the TV. "All the literature indicated that, and the American Paediatrics Association advice is, don't use any television when the child is under two," he said.

"It was regarded a bit like sunlight and skin cancer -- they said that if you get a lot of TV it inhibits your print literacy.

"But what comes out of our study is that it's the parenting that makes the difference."

The researchers discovered that toddlers with a TV in their bedroom had a poorer vocabulary by the age of four. "Co-viewing, in contrast, is associated with better vocabulary," they conclude in their paper, prepared for the Journal of Education and due to be presented at the Growing Up in Australia conference in Melbourne next week. "Our findings indicate that among preschoolers, perhaps, any dose of media is safe provided the protective factors . . . are all in place."

Those "protective factors" included a stimulating home environment, sufficient family income and parental conversation and supervision.

"The children most at risk of delayed language acquisition are those from low socioeconomic backgrounds whose parents are not involved in their child's use of media," the paper says.

The researchers found that children with a computer in the home had a "better mastery of vocabulary" at the age of eight.

But the old-fashioned bedtime story still has the most influence over a child's success at school.

"Our results suggest that attention should be paid to encouraging the child's use of the oldest media of all -- print -- as this is closely associated with receptive vocabulary at age four years," the study says.

Professor Bittman said the research found that TV inhibited language and literacy development if children had a TV in their bedroom. "There is no support for the electronic babysitter," he said.

Dentists, Health Care, Pension and other thoughts

I went for my three month dental check-up and cleaning this morning. I always wonder why Dentists and Dental Hygienists talk to you when your mouth is full. But the process was easy and we (she) talked about the Olympics, the tolling of the Fraser River crossings and the new Port Mann Bridge. Interesting how some people need to walk a fine line about expressing their opinion and not seeming to be politically on one side or the other.

I watched part of the MSNBC special on Baby Boomers last night and thought, the media is finally catching on that this generation is reaching a stage in life that requires a focus on health care and issues around this. The special dealt with the American situation and their problems with Health Care. In Canada, we have issues with Pension reform. The neo-conservative governments in BC and Ottawa are still strong believes in the trickle down theory of Economics that did not work in the 80's and will not work today. The government in BC is using its political majority to force closure on the debate of the HST. Boomers who are retired and who are trying to save for retirement will be two groups that will hurt by this tax. Boomers learned how to protest in the 60's against perceived or real injustices and as the governments fiddle around with not moving fast enough on pension reform and putting in place consumption taxes, the Boomers are starting to reawaken their skill sets on how to protest. This next few years will be very interesting in the world of politics if the politicians don't understand that Boomers have all of the power and have had for the last 65 years. We are a force that shapes society now and our needs are those that need to be paid attention to and those who don't understand this will loose their power.