Ipods in Class

Walking home from the bus stop yesterday, I happened across the following essay, author unknown:

Ipods in Class

We should be able to listen to ipods in class because music
helps me focus. Most teachers say that it's very disruptful, but I have a
solution.

When a teacher is explaining things or going over classwork we
don't listen to our Ipods, but when it comes time for us to work quietly on
things, that's when we should be able to. In order for me to work &
stay on task, I need music. I don't know what that's about , but it helps
south [sic] my brain & focus on what's in front of me not around
me.

Teachers should be understanding of that. Students shuld
[sic] be able to explain that when a teacher asks about why you have your ipod
out. And instead of students getting smart, they should tell why
respectfully why they do. That can help. If a student got smart with
me I wouldn't let them listen to their Ipod, but if they explained why I
would. That comes with respecting adults.

As a response to this, I began researching the topic. While I can sympathize with the desires of our school aged friend, recent research seems to side with "Author's" teachers.

Author's proposal does, admittedly, sound like a decent compromise between the interests of the teacher and the students. While the teacher tosses forth pearls of wisdom, the eager young minds will sit at attention, quietly taking in the information and storing it away to assist them in their journeys to fulfill their positions as beacons of hope for the future. During the quiet, individual work times, however, they would be free to exist in their own bubble of solitude, isolating themselves in their minds with walls of sound to comfort them and coccoon them from the harsh outside world.

Unfortunately, research has found that the effects of such an arrangement would most likely be detrimental. A 1997 study by A. Furnham and A. Bradley*, as published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, found that pop music played during memory tests and reading comprehension tests affected the outcomes in a negative way, moreso on introverted individuals. An additional study by Ardeshir Sadehkhou** found that all music had a negative effect on reading comprehension scores, although acknowledged that playing music that the subject was familiar with and enjoyed affected the scores less than music that was chosen by the testers.

Therefore, while Author's compromise seems to be a fair and even middle ground, the effects upon the minds of our little bundles of hope are far too negative to be allowed. Maybe Author should spend a little more time studying and researching, allowing him or herself to build arguments upon concrete foundations, and a little less time listening to that darn pop music.

* http://www.musicandlearning.com/research_background.cfm

**http://www.articlesbase.com/science-articles/testing-for-the-effects-of-music-on-reading-comprehension-skills-under-different-music-environments-885358.html