Carrollton, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/01/2009 -- If you have a child or work with children, then you surely know the feeling. Ever have your kiddo not listen to you? Of course you have! We’ve all been there!
The educator design team from Achiever McBeaver character education has made the bold move to declare war on student listening skills! Let’s face it we live in a microwave society where everything is done in an instant. Let’s be honest, how many times do we peek into the microwave rushing our 3 minute TV dinner along to perfection? Or how often do we get upset if forced to wait in line for a few minutes extra at a fast food drive thru. No wonder our kids are in a hurry – and usually too much of a hurry to listen.
Modern technology is awesome – 20 years ago who would have thought that we’d have the technological reach, power, and diversity that we have available today! But, with that advancement there is also a great sacrifice being made at the expense of our young children. The Achiever McBeaver (http://www.iamgoingtocollege.com/character_education/index.htm ) character education team believes that an old and dying technology needs to be brought back to the forefront as part of an assault against the rush and hurry of the world. The argument to be made is that TV and video media has actually robbed students of certain types of educational skills that they need in order to be successful as future adults. Although it is a wonderful, powerful, extremely entertaining, and highly necessary medium, TV/video formatting actually takes away student interaction or involvement in the learning process as the viewer is typically a passive participant during the program. To accent the point being made, many people “self-medicate” with the use of television to fall asleep at night … why … because it is a passive process!
However with “old fashioned” radio style formatting, students are actively engaged in the material as they are asked to use their imagination, fantasy, creativity, critical thinking, interpretive reasoning, and listening skills. With the students having been an active participant instead of a passive bystander in the action, lessons are better internalized, digested, and become more of an integral part of a student's individual daily habits. Even with all the modern technological advancements, teachers to this very day still choose to read books aloud to their students … because so many important and basic skills are developed with the listening process!
With the recent launch of Achiever Radio Character Education Programs, these lost blessings of radio have been recovered! Based on a “cartoon radio” style of programming that uses familiar sounds from popular television cartoon series like SpongeBob - kids in grades K-6 are able to acquire development of new listening skill sets while at the same time learning about the character values and social skills that make us successful both now in a school setting and in the future as adults. Written to a high level of learning, these short radio cartoon episodes capture the attention of the higher learners while the familiar cartoon sounds grab the immediate attention of younger learners. Initial reports from elementary and intermediate schools have seen up to 40% reductions in office referrals and up to 50% reductions with student incident reports. Due to the ease of media operation, simple to integrate lessons, and lack of required preparation, schools also report great feedback from administrators, counselors, and staff members.
Radio media is such a simple technological process and may have gone out with the dinosaur - but if the Achiever McBeaver character education team has anything to say about it – you are going to see a radio revival in schools across the country!