Lay Theories of Media Effects - Ellen Seiter, pg 367-384

Recap: An interesting range of interviews. Looking at how individual teachers look at the effects of television and how they deal with it at their particular school. The difference between the Montessori school and Gloria’s Family daycare are quite large. It appears that the teacher, Sara, at the Montessori school is very out of date where it concerns the television and what type of content is being seen. On the other hand, Gloria’s school has the approach that television is Ok with moderation. That is as long as it isn’t abused. The other day care was attached to the local hospital and serviced mostly the employees of the hospital had the largest number of children attending. Having a large attendance can sometimes make certain things harder to learn and keep all the children under control and learning.

Comment: My wife is a 4th grade teacher and she has talked about the Montessori schools here and it would be where she would like to send out children. However, the cost makes it a difficult to send our kids there. Personally, I don’t think the teacher from the example in this article was really staying abreast of what could be gained from the television at the Montessori school. To me that sort of reaction against television can make for a very limited learning experience. Television can be useful when used correctly and limited to a set amount of viewing.