Why should or shouldn’t they be allowed? When and where should they be allowed in school? Should we decide what students listen to? Are PLD’s a distraction to learning or do they assist some learners? How would we monitor what students are listening to? How does listening to music affect student behaviors? Should we have one policy/rule for the building or allow individual teacher discretion? Is there any research that “proves” listening to music increases learning?
My thoughts as of today- (not strong, I could be persuaded) But right now, I would support the absence of PLD's in schools. I have not been convinced of the student learning benefits at this time. Student learning is the main thing and in an attempt to keep the main thing the main thing, I will suggest that students fully engage in the learning experience that we offer and not be "engaged" in whatever learning their PLD is offering.
I have times where students are working on projects or guided practice and I feel that some background music improves the environment. I choose the times and music, but I could see times that their choices might be OK.
ReplyDeleteI would be in favor of allowing students to use PLD during study halls or as the teacher allows in classrooms.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have allowed students to bring PLD's during semester testing to my room and use them AFTER the test is over. The guideline for use is simple: keep the volume low enough so only the listener hears it and you can't share ear buds,etc. Honestly, these are the QUIETEST times after taking a test.
If our goal is to create a quiet study environment in study halls or classrooms, PLD might assist in that goal. There is research that shows benefits of music, but like any thing, I'm certain an equal number of research exists against it.
As for controlling what kids listen to, that is beyond our control. We can't control what they are texting, what images are on their phones, etc. There simply are some areas that are beyond our control as a school. Perhaps one of the best ways to teach responsiblity to students is to give them opportunities to be responsible. Song choice would have to be one of those areas where we ask students to be responsible for keeping their music school appropriate.
Just my input - I look forward to reading the thoughts of others.