No Evidence as Teachers Slams Videogames Again

Alison Sherratt is the Junior vice president of the teacher's Union The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, which had its annual conference in Manchester this week. She's also a Cert Ed, foundation stage teacher, Riddlesden St Mary’s CE Primary School, Keighley. She proposed a motion at the conference based on the assumption that video games are bad for kids.

The motion - seconded by "Ann Nash, unattached member, Bradford" - proposes:

"THAT conference, believing that there are negative effects from some computer games on the very young, asks the executive Committee to commission research which will enable it to lobby the government for the introduction of stringent legislation with regard to computer games."

Looking at the results of the motions put to the conference, however, it's unclear if this one was lost or carried.

This has not, however, stopped the mainstream media in the form of left-leaning broadsheet, The Guardian from stating that, "A growing number of young children are acting out violent scenes from adult computer games in the playground, teachers have warned."

The report also quotes Alison Sherratt as stating that, "her four- and five-year-old pupils spend their breaks pretending to 'throw themselves out of the window of the play car in slow motion' and act out blood 'spurting from their bodies'".

Yes, just like those kids did who watched movies in the 1960s and who read books about cowboys and 'injuns' in the 1930s, but then didn't go onto to repeat the playground emulations in the same way that actors who played roles from Shakespeare don't pluck out the eyes of the old men.

Ms Sherratt and The Guardian continue, "We all expect to see rough and tumble, but I have seen little ones acting out quite graphic scenes in the playground and there is a lot more hitting, hurting and thumping in the classroom for no particular reason."

"Obesity, social exclusion, loneliness, physical fitness, sedentary solitary lives – these are all descriptions of children who are already hooked to games … Sadly there is a notable correlation between the children who admit to playing games and those who come to school really tired," she said.

We're trying to discover the supporting evidence.

Sources:
ATL
The Guardian