NEW YORK — Most parents say their kids today are smarter than when they were children.
A survey of 2,000 parents with children between ages five and 14 looked at how moms and dads view the differences between their learning habits and their children’s. The poll finds that parents think kids today are luckier than they were growing up. In fact, 65 percent think learning was boring when they were kids for many reasons — including not having the option to learn from home (54%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of BYJU’s, researchers also found that 58 percent of parents think it was difficult for them to stay engaged while learning as a child because of how they were taught in school.
Are you smarter than your kid?
Today, parents are most likely to identify as visual or spatial learners (27%) or logical/mathematical learners (15%) and would’ve preferred learning methods that matched that. The most disliked methods of learning people remember from their childhood include memorizing information (38%), reading aloud (37%), and filling out worksheets or workbooks (28%).
Parents add the subjects they struggled with the most during their youth were math (49%), science (27%), and history (27%). In addition to having methods that didn’t suit their learning style (35%), parents also believe large class sizes (33%) contributed to their learning difficulties.
This may be why three in five respondents believe their children are having an easier time learning remotely; allowing parents to provide more one-on-one attention (39%). Parents also see value in at-home learning because their child has more time to learn the material (33%) and they don’t have to worry about their child’s safety (30%).
Tech’s role in today’s education
Most parents also believe that advances in technology and child psychology have a hand in improving the way today’s children learn (78%). Above any other subject, parents think kids will learn new computer skills the quickest (55%).
Other topics that may be simpler to pick up today include multiplication and division (38%), spelling (34%), and reading aloud (27%).
Additionally, seven in 10 parents believe education methods are more entertaining today, so children are more engaged and absorb key concepts faster than they did . Forty-five percent of parents are even open to their kids using computer games that would help them enjoy learning more. Another 38 percent favor educational shows and movies.
Nearly four in five (79%) believe their children would enjoy learning more if entertaining characters from their favorite shows or movies were the teachers.
The legacy of educational television
Seven in 10 moms and dads even admit that they learned a lot from educational shows as a child. The most popular educational shows that parents remember watching include “Sesame Street” (53%), “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” (38%), and “Reading Rainbow” (37%).
The majority of those who watched educational shows as children add these programs played a crucial role in helping them learn (79%), mainly because it gave them a boost in learning material before hearing it in school (72%).
“After a turbulent year for kids, teachers, and parents, now is the time to get students back on track,” says Teri Rousseau, Senior Director K3, BYJU’S, in a statement. “The study results suggest that having personalized learning options that are engaging, entertaining and even game-like in nature can help combat learning loss and close the achievement gap that’s widened tremendously over the past year.”