Schedule 22 Oct 2024
  • IELTS writing, speaking,wordlist
  • water wave chapter 7 and part of chapter 8

Topic

notes

Some people believe that children can learn effectively by watching TV and should be encouraged to watch TV both at home and at school. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Example

notes

Watching television (especially informative television) has been recognised as an effective method of learning because audio-visual information can attract students' attention and engage their interest. Although many TV programmes have educational value, I do not agree that increasing screen time can yield academic benefits for children.

Television viewing can interfere with children's studies and present challenges to their educational attainment. TV programmes can be highly addictive: soap operas as well as cartoons attract young viewers with amusing characters, easy-to-understand dialogues and interesting storylines. Children who lack self-discipline may binge watch these programmes when they stay at home alone without the supervision of parents. Homework hours will diminish-a problem which can lead to poor grades. Teachers may choose educational programmes, but it is the visual input, rather than content, that draws the attention of young viewers. The knowledge children can gain from these programmes is limited.

Given this, only a moderate amount of television viewing can be accepted, provided that adults decide what children can watch. Some educational programmes spread knowledge with the support of visual information, which is easy to comprehend, especially for viewers who do not have high levels of literacy. By using video teaching material, teachers can explain some difficult concepts and theories in the ways that are not empowered by traditional approaches. Documentaries, for example, present visual evidence about a historic event and enable viewers to make sense what happened at the time easily. Young children, in particular, have difficulty in imagining what life was like, when reading books or listening to the oral accounts of different historical periods by teachers.

To summarise, parents and teachers should regulate children's television viewing, rather than promote this activity. Watching TV can have an adverse impact on children's grades although sometimes it can be employed as a teaching tool.