Writing for an Academic Discussion Do television programming for children have a greater impact on their development than parental guidance?

Do you agree or disagree that television programming aimed at children has a greater impact on their development than parental guidance? (a media studies class)

 

 

☆Let’s Think

1.        Give examples of children’s shows. Did you use to watch them? How do you think they have affected you?

 

2.        Do children spend time with their parents longer than they do in front of their TV set?

 

3.        What do parents teach to their young children?

 

 

☆Hints for Points

TV programming

1.     Educational programs specifically designed for children like Sesame Street introduce ideas and information that parents are do not always provide.

2.     Children’s shows choose themes familiar to children that match their developmental stages, while adults around children do not always take optimal actions for their development.

3.     TV personalities can be more attractive than parents.

4.     Narratives and ideas children see in the programs are often less biased than those of adults, reflecting the norm and values of society. Adults know it and try to expose children to for their proper development.

 

Parental guidance

1.        Parents’ cultural background such as language, customs, and religion have profound impact on the development of children.

2.        Children learn from people who love them most, and those who love children are usually their parents.

3.        Children spend much more time with their parents than they do in front of a TV set, and this naturally make them learn more from their parents.

4.        Children can tell the difference between the reality and the 2-demnetional world they seen in TV screens. They first of all do not think much of what TV tells them unless they are enchanted by a charismatic star or an extremely popular show.

 

 

☆Sample Answer for Ideas and Expressions

【Thesis】Intuitively, I agree with Kevin, since parents are the first and most intimate humans for young children and thus seem to have more influential power to them than TV shows. However,

【Supporting Details】First of all, time spent together with television is often longer than anything else for today’s children. Parents are too busy to attend children’s learning. They are also preoccupied with their own interests. Thus, they often put their young children in front of a TV set or a tablet showing children’s programming. Moreover, those programs tailored to young children are high in quality and engaging as Rachel points out. They are designed to keep children’s attention with various attractive devices. Last but not least, adults leave the role of a mentor to their children to educational programs, since they know educational programs conform to the standard of the new generation, while they themselves are actually conservative, ignorant, or reactionary. Wanting their offspring to adapt to the trend of their times, they give way to television programming in their children’s education. Not my parents, you might say. But how many can remember being directly taught for instance how to read by parents? The learning environment of humans has television at its core.

【Counterargument-treatment】The lack of interaction in learning with TV programming might not be so big. Humans instinctively try to interact with what they are focused on, and children’s programming is designed for children to be involved with. For example, characters in the programs often talk to the audience and take time for the audience to react. I know a person who used to go get a cup of chocolate and drink it in front of the TV set of his family when the lady of his favorite show for children say it was the time for chocolate.

【Conclusion】Children are affected by television just as adults do. Therefore, TV programming for children has a greater impact on their development than their parents are today, although parents are potentially more influential to their children’s development than television. (336 words)

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

 

                                                   DRAFT