With the whole world moving in the direction of everything digital, kids are missing out on the chance to learn how to use analog clocks. The problem is, plain and simple, the modernization of the world is making it harder for kids to learn analog, simply because digital is right at their fingertips.
United States schools are taking analog clocks down and replacing them with digital, similar to what teachers in the United Kingdom have already done. The reason? Students are getting distracted by them. They are spending too much time trying to figure out how much longer they have until class is over or worrying that they don’t have sufficient time to finish an exam. This distraction is making it challenging for them to concentrate on their tasks. This alone is causing many students to struggle academically, because of the lack of ability to concentrate on school work, since they can’t figure out how much time they have left to finish assignments or exams.
Back in the day, kids knew how to read analog clocks because they were taught to use them properly. However, this is no longer a useful skill as digital clocks have gained more popularity. The pervasive presence of the digital world nowadays makes it harder to teach children how to read an analog clock. Even if you have an analog clock, there always seems to be a digital option within reach which will provide a quicker answer of “what time is it?”
Sadly, it’s not just the younger children who are having trouble telling time; even the ability of high school-aged kids to read an analog clock has decreased over the years. Students are complaining about having trouble keeping track of how much time they have left when taking an exam or rushing through their exams to ensure they don’t run out of time due to their inability to read an analog clock.
Time management has become a significant issue in schools because students can’t properly read analog clocks. The use of digital clocks is allowed to help students improve their academic performance. Allowing digital clocks in schools was a measure taken to benefit the students’ learning abilities and help them feel more relaxed during exams and other timed assignments. Teachers also benefit from it, as they receive the students’ full attention instead of them constantly looking at the clock trying to figure it out.
There is optimism in the educational system that they can continue to teach students not to rely solely on digital clocks and to learn how to use analog clocks throughout their schooling. This will continue to be an ongoing obstacle in schools worldwide as digital becomes more and more popular and accessible to people of all ages.
