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Prometheus said:
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the G-man said:
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Prometheus said:
No, that's where you're wrong. Shows like Sesame Street and the like may lack many things, per your criteria, but educational value is not one of them...



I'm not sure that's the case. I seem to recall reading that there have been theories and/or studies that Sesame Street, with its hyper kinetic style, does little to educate kids and may actually make them less able to concentrate on learning in and out of the classroom.



I would have to see who did the study, what their findings were, and who backed the study financially and other ways, before I would begin to even consider such ridiculous nonsense.

Meanwhile, I'm certain the educated generations will be satisfied in their own life lessons gained from that show...



TV Linked to Attention Deficit

    A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that watching videos as a toddler may lead to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, also called ADD in UK) in later life.

    TV watching "rewires" an infant’s brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school.

    "In contrast to the way real life unfolds and is experienced by young children, the pace of TV is greatly sped up." says Christakis. His research appears in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics. Quick scene shifts of video images become "normal," to a baby "when in fact, it’s decidedly not normal or natural." Christakis says. Exposing a baby’s developing brain to videos may overstimulate it, causing permanent changes in developing neural pathways.

    "Also in question is whether the insistent noise of television in the home may interfere with the development of ‘inner speech’ by which a child learns to think through problems and plans and restrain impulsive responding," wrote Jane Healy, psychologist and child brain expert in the magazine’s commentary.


In the study itself, the authors note

    Some re-search indicates that educational television (eg, Sesame Street) ...can be detrimental.



For example, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D, is "an educational psychologist and teacher who has worked with students from preschool through graduate school. She consults and lectures worldwide, helping teachers and parents understand the educational implications of current brain research. She has appeared on national media such as the Today show, Nightline, Good Morning America, CNN, and NPR."

Healy is the author of Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think And What We Can Do About It

In this book, she describes research that largely mirrors the study noted above, and indicates that children who view Sesame Street on a regular basis, express shorter attention spans than those who do not.