What is the research that supports this? And more importantly, when was this research conducted?Īt this point, I do allow my students to listen to music. I was also curious where this conclusion came from. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week. Click the link to learn more.Īlso, if you haven’t done so already, please join us. PS – My new book Inspire is now available. Your school and fellow teachers may be failing your students, but that doesn’t mean you have to. So Monday, or whenever you next see your students, even if you’re the only one at your school, take a stand. What is your concern, and your job, is to provide a world-class education. How they feel about it, however, isn’t your concern. But they will respect you and appreciate you in the long run. Your students may not appreciate you now. Explain to your students why it hurts them and then enforce it. They have no intention of doing their best or focusing on their work. The truth is, most students listen to music to escape your class. And that’s just for those who are actually trying to learn. It cuts their comprehension and performance dramatically. Hiding a bud in one ear or behind a cascade of hair becomes more rampant.Īllowing students to listen to music while trying to concentrate is terrible for them. This is happening predominantly at the high school level, but is also trickling down to lower grades.Īnd as more and more teachers allow it, the pushback grows stronger. Even with rules, students listen to music anyway and dare teachers to follow through. They don’t want to confront students or take away their cell phones and airpods. They try to be the cool teacher who lets students listen to Cardi B or Snoop Dog. Well, some give in to just about anything in an attempt to appease students into better behavior. It can’t be done, at least not very well.Īnother consideration is the content many students are listening to, which promote-and some studies link to-violence, alcohol and drug use, and sexual behavior. Think of trying to read or do even basic math computations while a friend shares a gossipy story. Add lyrics, which further impairs cognitive ability, and you have a powerful one-two punch. They’re meant to tell a story and elicit emotion.Īccording to research, multitasking alone (i.e., switching back and forth between two or more tasks) can decrease IQ by ten points. Lyrics are meant to speak to the listener. It drowns out distraction and heightens focus on the object of attention.īut students aren’t listening to Chopin or Beethoven. Classical music provides a background complement rather than a competing stimulus. When you feel good and energetic, you learn better. It does this by lowering blood pressure and improving mood. Classical music, for example, has been shown to enhance concentration. The brain can’t concentrate on more than one thing at a time. Well, it’s well established that the notion of multitasking is a myth. Now students are beginning to see it as a right, as if it’s bequeathed to them by the gods of technology. But the trend has only grown in the past year. It’s odd to me, to be honest, that anyone would think this is okay. But once students are let go to work independently, in go the earbuds. PRESENTER: Listen to the music.More and more teachers are allowing students to listen to music in class. And when you hear the spooky music – show a spooky face! And when you hear the sad music show a sad face. When you hear happy music show a happy face. How does this music make you feel? What words would you use to describe it?ĬHILDREN: It sounds sad / Like someone unhappy.ĬHILDREN: It’s happy music / Jolly / It makes me smile.ĬHILDREN: It sounds spooky / Like ghosts and haunted houses. PRESENTER: Listen – do the notes in this music go up…or do they go down? PRESENTER: Which music had the high notes – the first or the second?ĬHILDREN: The first! That had really high notes! Which has the high notes – the first or the second? PRESENTER: Now listen to these two difference pieces of music. Is this music high or low?ĬHILDREN: It’s high. PRESENTER: Which music was faster – the first or the second? Which is faster – the first or the second? PRESENTER: Now listen to these two different pieces of music. PRESENTER: Listen again – is this music fast or slow? PRESENTER: Listen – do you know what makes this sound?
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