Asked on NPR Today -
Is an audio book the same as reading a book?
Comprehension of either requires concentration. Full comprehension and understanding cannot take place if distraction is present.
When I first tried an audio book people told me they were great, you can listen while doing other things, like driving, cooking, doing chores…
That is equivalent to saying you can listen to the radio while reading. Your eyes may see the words but the meaning does not get passed through the optic nerve into your brain.
When I tried audio books again after beeing disappointed I learned that listening requires full attention and concentration on the audio content to achieve comprehension and enjoyment.
If distractions are allowed in listening or during reading then content is diluted, nurance is lost, and meaning is blurred.
Is this the cause of declines in achievement scores in reading comprehension and math proficiency in students today? My mother thought so seventy years ago when I argued with her. She prevailed.
What is homework? Homework is exactly the same mental exercise as practicing a musical instrument. You cannot become proficient playing a guitar, clarinet, piano or any other instrument without the concentration of practice. Math skills and reading comprehension require dedicated nhours of concentrated undistracted practice in school and at home for learning to take root.
I-phones are off limits in school. Why should it be any different at home during the time for homework? Learning how to study effectively also takes practice. And that begins at home with mom and dad.
Allowing distractions while practicing your scales on your instrument disrupts the process, leads to poor performance, frustration, and giving up. Training a brain to think is no different. Indulging in a distraction that competes for the brains attention is an act of sabotage that dilutes content and cripples proficiency.
How did the authority of discipline at home evaporate? Did the stress of work during the day at low wages make parents anemic? Did the hypnosis of TV game shows, sit-coms, social media, and sports anesthetise parental will power and authority? Will our collective backbone become a footpath for the ego driven authoritarian minority to tread on while they subjugate our hypnotized, brain washed minds? Kind of looking that way, isn’t it…
The Curmudgeon.