Class five. Today we watched a video of a young teacher in Saskatchewan who implemented a 20 minute physical activity program into her math class. It was quite an interesting video. As the video started, I began copying the notes from a friend for the last class that I had missed. It was on being a wise consumer of information. I will go down the list and decide whether I think the information in this video is safe to consume.
I. Be cautious of popular media reports.
Popular media exists for the single purpose of manipulating it's readers/viewers. There is no such thing as a perfectly biased report on anything, because there is always an objective. There are always people wanting you to see their side of things, and they typically decide to report on only some aspects of a story.
II. Avoid drawing conclusions about individual needs based on group research.
While there were many advantages to the students in the movie, I wonder whether it would be as successful for every type of student. The group in the study was a troubled bunch of teens, some that had behavioral and/or learning disabilities. This approach may have been ideal for them, but I wonder if it would have worked so well for bright young students, or for younger children. Seeing the results of this study, I would not attempt to apply this too all ages or all stages of development.
III. Recognize how easy it is to overgeneralize about a small or clinical sample.
As I began to explain above, what worked best for this group of students won't necessarily work as well for other students. I would be interested to see how it would work with dedicated and successful students. Would there be as drastic a change? Also, what would the effects be on different age groups? I doubt very much that putting a 4 year old on a tread mill will help with much. Just because it's true for this one group, it is not true for all.
IV. Be aware that a single study is not usually the defining word.
In science, a hypothesis can never be found to be true. It can only be proved not false for the same reason as this fourth point. Scientists know that years down the road things could be drastically different, and their research could possibly be trumped. Technology and human kind will both advance, and it is impossible to predict where either will go. Just because a study is found true today, new evidence could possibly arise to contradict it.
V. Always consider the source of information and evaluate it's credibility.
As a reader, it is important to consider the source of the article that you're reading. As a viewer, it is important to consider the makers of that video. It is vital to realize that every news piece is trying to pull it's readers/viewers in a certain direction. I know that if I went to the green peace website, I would be flogged with articles yelling at me to take action against those that are abusing the planet. If I were to go to a children's toy website, I would be told about how wonderful the toys are and how they can help with the development of my child. What these articles fail to mention is that the Rainbow Warrior was kicked out of Alaskan waters for not having an emergency oil spill plan, and that lead paint is used to decorate those wonderful kids toys. You can never take an article or video for it's face value. You need to look into the story and try to figure out what they didn't want you to. Only then will you be a responsible consumer.
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