How Toddlers Learn: A Debate

By James G. Pynn

The popularity of educational shows has managed to generate a minor level of controversy, as indeed, it seems some people are not convinced as to the efficacy of the basic premise behind the idea of learning from watching television programming. Researchers at the University of Washington took aim at the assertions that exposing toddlers and young children to educational programming increased their learning capacity.

According to the research, there was no verifiable benefit to exposing children to educational videos. That being said, the research, conducted by Frederick Zimmerman, Dimitri Christakis, and Andrew Meltzoff, likewise concluded that there was no significant harm either. Indeed, the study specifically states, "Among toddlers aged 17 to 24 months, the study found no significant effects, either negative or positive, for any of the forms of media that were viewed."

Though not necessarily an outright condemnation, neither is it a glowing endorsement. The biggest player involved in creating and producing educational shows, Disney, has made it clear that it is parental involvement that makes programming educational. The concern is creating content that is age-appropriate and entertaining. Indeed, a show in-and-of-itself is no substitute for an involved parent who can help the child incorporate the material as educational information.

The search for more information is characteristic of toddlers and young children; indeed it is a uniquely human characteristic. How that information is filtered and assimilated is as much a byproduct of a child's environment as the raw information itself. Helping children correlate specific animal noises, for example, with specific animals requires a parent or teacher to help shape and make sense of the presented information. There is no magical fountain of learning -- and what plays out on the television screen must be translated and given scope.

In essence, an educational show can provide the raw material a parent can help shape. Disney, it seems, has a a great deal of faith in the interplay of child, parent and screen. To be sure, without the parent, the television screen becomes nothing more than a surrogate caregiver, and a rather shallow one at that. The commitment to family entertainment can therefore, be viewed as a kind of commitment to family involvement. - 23812

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Interested parents and children are encouraged to look into a host of interactive, educational programs. One of the more mainstream series is Disney's BABY NOAH series.