PC-FREE SCHOOLS? Not “politically
PC-FREE SCHOOLS? Not “politically correct”, but “personal computers.” Psychologist Jane Healy’s book “Failure to Connect” makes the claim that allowing kids younger than age 7 access to computer-aided education actually stunts brain development.
This is not to say that children so exposed for significant periods of time will suffer loss of general intelligence (IQ), but they may suffer significant loss of ability in one or more discrete “intelligences” such as creativity and social skills, and gain little of enduring value in the process.
Healy recommends that children would be significantly better off if computers were withheld until age 7, and even then used conservatively…
Unfortunately, about the only way today’s parents can prevent their children from having access to computers before the fifth grade is to home-school. There are exceptions. The Calvert School in Baltimore adheres to the “no computers in the classroom until grade 5” principle. The accelerated performance of Calvert School students, drawn from across the socio-economic spectrum, more than affirms what Healy has found and the warning she issues.
The author of this review makes the common correlation-causation error, but the premise is interesting. I may try to pick up a copy of the book.