All right. I always feel like SUCH the bad guy, but it's time for you to know why I'm 100% against screens before puberty.
I get this all the time, and I appreciate the reasons why:
"Do you have video lessons for See it and Say it?"
~Nope.
"Can we get your flash cards in an app?"
~So sorry, but no, never.
"Are there any video lessons you're making specifically for elementary kids?"
~No way, José.
WHY? Well....
In short, screens are VERY VERY bad for our young children. (They're not great for us older types either.)
Here are some quick explanations on why I really steer students before puberty WAY far away from all apps, screens, and video learning. (For any subject, but especially for learning a language.)
- Passive learning is harmful.
I'd like to give a basic overview for all my homeschooling mommas, who will hopefully continue to research and clarify for themselves: all learning is truly self-taught learning.
Absorption depends on the receiver, the student. Exposure is one thing, but owning the information is wholly dependent on the motivation of the one who desires (or doesn't desire) it. Therefore, when a student (especially during the pre-pubescent years) is passively watching, listening, or simply enduring a lecture, with no hope of interaction, not only is it not super effective, but this method trains the brain to accept information without working for it.
When we read information, we decipher, decode, and we often make notes, whether mental or physical. We underline bits, highlight, or circle. We dog-ear favorite pages in texts (I know, some of you cringe at that, but it's true!) and we adhere sticky notes. When a student is not actively reading, but is rather just listening, or watching, a habit of laziness is often forming - there's no work involved, unless they are aware that a discussion will be happening soon. - Or, if they can interrupt the speaker; even better, they have a current (dare I say familial?) relationship with them.
This learning method (watching or listening) will be less detrimental if it were to be accompanied by note-taking, or responding with someone near by, who is ALSO learning with them. Any sort of interaction will break the harm from becoming a lazy, passive learner. In the best case, it makes the joy of ACTUAL learning feel like a chore, in the worst case, it creates a child who thinks they can NOT learn because they are unaccustomed to putting any effort into it.
- Screens turn off portions of the brain.
Specifically the language development portion of the brain goes dark, stagnant, while a person is using a screen. Young children are always developing neurons and synapses at leaps and bounds, and the presence of a screen in front of their face drastically delays those developments.
From reduced ability to communicate, increased anxiety, and yes, speech problems, before puberty, addiction to using screens is a huge problem for every human.
Here are some studies for you to look into more deeply (these are my topic titles, not theirs):
Screen Time and Brain Health by Harvard.
Sensory Issues by Potsdam.
Dementia and depressions by New York Presbyterian Health.
- Body language and posture are important.
I'm sure you're convinced now, and don't need any more ammo, but let me help a little more with your teens, after puberty hits, and how to manage the screen use. Lighting, posture, at what is in front or behind your student matters. So, sitting up straight, and looking FORWARD rather than down, will help to keep their brain as active as possible, and not dull the senses that can become injured for perception, cognition, and spatial awareness. Eyesight is important too, but even more so, being in a well lit room will help to keep all synapses firing and not create a sort of tunnel vision with attention span, or focus ability. (Mental and Visual!)
Finally, having the screen further away from your body (not "closed off") is better for the brain function. Having action in front of the student, not facing a wall also keep the spatial awareness firing for the student. Shutting every other sense down is a very bad exercise for the brain while focusing in on a screen. And by and large, bigger screens are better than smaller screens - partly because it's easier to accomplish all these pointers on a larger one.
In general, all those annoying ways our teachers and mothers nagged us in the past - sit up straight, don't have your back to the room, keep your area well lit --- they all make a huge cumulative affect in the mental development, and basic brain health for your teen's future.
Here's an exaggerated picture to compare just a bit, and help you visualize a healthy environment for when your high school is using a screen. I know it's silly... but it helps!
- Relationships suffer from video learning
Language, by nature, is relational. And humans were meant to have relationships. A screen, and screen learning, short cuts that chance. The ah-ha moments are less exciting when there's no one to share it. The lack of accountability, facial language and body language reading... it snowballs into depression, anxiety, and even paranoia, because the small baby steps of experiencing life, new lessons, and simply basic conversation have been deleted.
Until puberty, NO SCREEN LEARNING. I know that's almost not even possible. But it is a good goal.
So - do you have teens, high schoolers, kids who SPARINGLY watch screens? Then GREAT NEWS - you don't have to worry - here's a run down on how to use Spanish Geniuses, TOGETHER, in a well -lit room, while taking notes, and using good posture.