Television Not an Effective Educational Tool

British psychologist Aric Sigman warns that using educational television in the classroom may harm student learning. Contradicting arguments that students at moneyed schools have an unfair educational advantage because of the ease in obtaining televisions, he found that in private schools with ample budgets, these and other screen technologies were rarely used because teachers found them less effective in comparison with other educational tools.

He commented: "As state education cultivates a growing belief in screen technologies in learning, this analysis offers an oblique way to clarify how, when money and resources are no object, educational television stands up against more traditional learning methods."

His study, which will be presented before the British government in April, further claims that excessive television viewing by young children may lead to problems learning math later on.

Read more: Television can harm learning, finds study