Media and Technology Philosophy

River Valley Waldorf School believes a child’s time outside school is best spent exploring the world around them, playing, assisting with household tasks and helping to prepare meals. Current research indicates adverse effects on cognitive development from the use of screens in childhood. River Valley Waldorf School families are asked to provide screen-free environments for their children in support of healthy child development throughout the grades. This may be a significant change for some families, and a challenge as children enter different developmental phases. River Valley can offer support and suggestions, including reading materials and moral support, for families striving to meet this recommendation. This recommendation is typical for Waldorf schools and is not made frivolously, but in support of healthy childhood development

If a student’s screen use is perceived to be contributing to difficulty in the classroom, the teacher will bring the matter to the attention of the parents and work with them to support a solution.

Additional Recommended Reading:

Jane Healy – Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think and What We Can Do About It
Jane Healy – Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds
Joseph Chilton Pearce – Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence
Keith Buzzell – The Children of the Cyclops: The Influence of Television Viewing on theDeveloping Human Brain
Martin Large – Who’s Bringing Them Up? How to Break the TV Habit
Martin Large – Set-Free Childhood