Earlier this year, New York City banned cell phones in classrooms through high school. The results are mostly positive. Teachers report that students are more likely to get to class on time. The downside is that they really don't know that they are on time, because many don't know how to read the analog clock found in every room. These same students were taught how to tell time in the first and second grades, but since then they've relied on their phones to display the time digitally.
It's a phenomenon we've all heard about from time to time, but the NYC school story shines a light on how widespread it is. Students who don't understand analog clocks don't understand the terms "a quarter 'til," "top of the hour," or "incoming fire at ten o'clock," much less "clockwise." Such phrases often reveal a misunderstanding of fractions. I read about a student declaring that "a quarter 'til three" meant 2:35 because a quarter was 25. But how can 35 be three-quarters? A misunderstanding of round clocks may also interfere with the understanding of 360° geometry or compasses, not to mention number systems outside base ten.
There are those who would argue that people no longer need to understand analog clocks because there are digital clocks everywhere, and the phrases we use for time and direction are outdated. What do you think?
-via Fark
(Image credit: Julian Herzog)
I'll be content if the kids learn left and right.
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