Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 12-07-2017
They have taken the world including South Africa by storm with many children and even adults seemingly crazed and obsessed by the latest gadget.
But what is it about the fidget spinner that distracts children from their school work and even some adults from their tasks?
Fidget spinners are the latest fad among schoolchildren and are marketed as aides for individuals with anxiety, autism and ADHD.
Some schools have banned the gadgets for being distracting.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Gershom Aitchison, headmaster of the Education Incorporated Boutique School says while the fidget spinner is a distraction, he has taken a unique approach and allowed it into the classroom with remarkable results.
“As soon as we said to the kids any of you take your fidget spinner into class and if it distracts you, the teacher will take it away or tell you to put it away. And I promise, within a week we haven’t seen a fidget spinner in the class, it just disappeared.”
Aitchison says while there is a lot of information on the internet about the fidget spinners and the possible benefits they may have, he is sceptical.
He says until science can prove how flashing, multi-coloured lights can aid concentration, fidget spinners are more of a ‘money-making gimmick’.
“If teachers want the kids to be more effective in the classroom, it shouldn’t be about fidget spinners, it should be getting the kids out of their seats and up to the board and engaging them in a more macro large muscle kind of way, and that’s what the research is pointing to at the moment.”
Aitchison says that parents should educate their children and set down rules and guidelines that fidget spinners if distracting, should be put away during family time, while at places of worship or at school.
Listen to the interview with Gershom Aitchison:
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