Some schools in England are replacing analog clocks with digital clocks because students complained they couldn’t read the time.
Malcolm Trobe with the ASCL head teachers’ union noted students are much more accustomed to seeing digital clocks on computers or mobile phones. He said schools may be trying to help students taking standardized tests be able to quickly see the time.
“To adults it might seem second nature to use a standard clock face,” Trobe told the BBC. “Young people find it a bit easier to use a digital clock – and if they’re timing themselves for questions, it might make it less likely that they’ll make mistakes.”
Cheryl Quine, a department head at Cockermouth School said her school found children were having trouble telling the time, the Telegraph reported.
True. We installed digital clocks in the exam hall …— Mrs Keenan (@MrsKeenan100) March 13, 2018
A study released last year in Oklahoma found only one in five children ages 6-12 knows how to read a watch, KFOR reported.