Comments on: John Gatto: Teacher of the Year Acceptance Speech http://www.home-ed.vic.edu.au/2002/02/26/john-gatto-teacher-of-the-year-acceptance-speech/ Home Education in Victoria Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:11:48 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Robert Seviour http://www.home-ed.vic.edu.au/2002/02/26/john-gatto-teacher-of-the-year-acceptance-speech/comment-page-1/#comment-60739 Robert Seviour Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:43:08 +0000 http://home-ed.vic.edu.au/wordpress/?p=30#comment-60739 That is a most interesting analysis of how a child's time is apportioned. What is clear is that the largest area of change since my youth is in the amount of televsion being watched. I certainly did enjoy my favourite programs 40 years ago, but I also spent a lot of time on my hobbies and with my friends. Observing my own children watching television, I was struck by how engrossed they are. Their concentration is intense, they looked rather like people under hypnosis. The difference between television and other activities is that it requires no action physical or mental. So although it is a medium which delivers much information, it does little to develop any active capacities in children, unlike the hobbies I enjoyed in the past. As long as it is freely available, there will be takers. That seems unfortunate. That is a most interesting analysis of how a child’s time is apportioned. What is clear is that the largest area of change since my youth is in the amount of televsion being watched. I certainly did enjoy my favourite programs 40 years ago, but I also spent a lot of time on my hobbies and with my friends.

Observing my own children watching television, I was struck by how engrossed they are. Their concentration is intense, they looked rather like people under hypnosis. The difference between television and other activities is that it requires no action physical or mental. So although it is a medium which delivers much information, it does little to develop any active capacities in children, unlike the hobbies I enjoyed in the past.

As long as it is freely available, there will be takers. That seems unfortunate.

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