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Do Standardized Tests Do More Harm Than Good? | Origin of Everything | PBS LearningMedia

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Do standardized test help or harm students? And is the United States actually over testing students when compared with other nations? In this episode of Origin of Everything, we ask the big question about why do some American students take an average of 112 standardized tests between Kindergarten and Grade 12?

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Standardized Testing: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

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Standardized testing is examined and analyzed through its pros and cons. Standardized testing has its place in education, and that cannot be argued. However, along with the good of standardized testing, comes many negative effects. There is not doubt that standardized testing is a necessary component to improving education and closing the achievement gap for all students.

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HANOVER COUNTY, Va. - The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of football. It is a dream of most high school football players to make it there, but according to NCAA statistics, only eight in 10,000 college football players will even be drafted by an NFL team.

Even so, Atlee High School Head Football Coach Matt Gray will tell you football, or any high school sport for that matter, can make a big difference in a student.

"I think that if you talk to just about any coach, they're going to tell you being part of a team, you become something that's bigger than yourself," Coach Gray said.

Participating in sports can also help with academics. A national education study finds the grade point average of a high school athlete was slightly higher than those not involved in athletics.

They also missed fewer school days.

"We'll have guys on our team that are going to play in college. We always tell them, the first thing a coach does when he comes through to recruit is, he's going to ask, what are his grades?" Gray said.

Another study from Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise found student-athletes performed 10% better in core subjects like math, science, social studies, and language arts.

In a Building Better Minds report from last year, we showed you how the Atlee team helped a student with mental challenges overcome his shyness, making him a team manager.

"There's a lot of relationships built in the weight room, on the practice field, and the locker room. That socialization is a huge piece," Gray said. "You talk about relationships? You look at Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. That relationship never happens if it's not for football."

Again, most young football players will never make it to football's biggest game.

But they can win big in life by building relationships, building confidence... and Building Better Minds.

Mondays: CBS 6 Gives

Thursdays: Beyond the Roster

Fridays: I Have a Story

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How high school sports can make a big impact on students

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HANOVER COUNTY, Va. - The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of football. It is a dream of most high school football players to make it there, but according to NCAA statistics, only eight in 10,000 college football players will even be drafted by an NFL team.

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To Test or Not to Test: Questions on Standardized Testing

Since No Child Left Behind in 2001, standardized testing has become increasingly excessive in our school system. The high stakes and high costs have parents and educators wondering if we're focused too much on testing and not enough on teaching. In 2011, a cheating scandal was exposed involving 178 Atlanta Public Schools' teachers and principals. While admittedly one of the largest, it was not the first nor the last in response to the increasing pressure placed on schools by standardized tests. So... to test, or not to test? That is the question.

[Tweet "Since No Child Left Behind in 2001, standardized testing has become increasingly excessive in our school system."]

The High Stakes of Standardized Testing:

school funding

teacher pay and employment

grade promotion

graduation

college admission

The High Cost of Standardized Testing:

cost of standardized tests in all states combined:

2001 before No Child Left Behind: $423 million

By 2008: $1.1 billion

narrowing of curriculum/"teaching to the test"

larger negative effects on disadvantaged students

test anxiety

low teacher morale

cheating and policy change to increase scores

History of Standardized Testing

Mid-19th century: Access to education was expanded beyond the American elite to the general public. Standardized testing was used to:

efficiently and uniformly test students

classify students

evaluate progress of students and schools

1845: First reported use of a written examination was administered by policymakers in Boston public schools and the surrounding areas for comparison. Policymakers used the low test scores to shame and fire educators.

1938: Kaplan Inc. was founded as a tutoring service for tests. At the time, the SAT was unfairly used to exclude Jewish applicants from some colleges. Stanley Kaplan, son of Jewish immigrants, cracked the code on the SAT and coached his students on the ideology behind the test, giving them a better chance at a higher education.

1967: Hobson v. Hansen was filed on behalf of a group of Black students in Washington, DC. The court ruled that the policy of using tests to assign students to tracks was racially biased because the tests were standardized to a White, middle class group.

2001: President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. This tied federal funding of schools to standardized test performance and annual academic progress.

April 2014: Hundreds of principals, teachers, parents, and students protested the state standardized tests on the streets of New York City.

May 2014: A group of teachers filed a law suit against the Houston Independent School District over a policy tying pay and employment to standardized test results.

The Declining SAT Scores

Founded in 1926, the SAT is a measure of college readiness that serves as one of the leading considerations for a student's admission to college. As nation-wide SAT scores continue to decline, research calls into question the efficacy of high-stakes testing.
Averages SAT Scores of College-Bound Seniors, 2003 - 2013: *In these years the SAT was on a 1600 point scale. We scaled them up to the current 2400 point scale for comparison.
The Racial Bias of the SAT

Research shows that the SAT might unfairly put minority students at a disadvantage.

Every year on the SAT there are a group of experimental questions that don't get scored. Instead, they are analyzed to determine if they will be included in the next year's questions:

If the question results change the SAT bell curve, the question is discarded.

If the question maintains the SAT bell curve, it is included in the next year's test. The SAT has had the same bell curve since 1926 [example of the bell curve here: http://www.testmasters.net/satabout/scoring-scale].

Since over 50% of SAT takers are White [see chart below], this methodology ensures that each year's tests will have even more questions that Whites answer better.

In 2012, an analysis of 2 years worth of experimental questions revealed that none of the 156 questions that were included in the SATs were questions in which Blacks answered better than Whites - even though Blacks did answer better than Whites on many experimental questions. When Whites didn't perform well on these questions, they had a greater effect on the bell curve, and the questions were therefore discarded.

This resulted in:

very few questions that are neutral (all demographics answer it consistently good or bad).

many questions that are biased (different demographics answer it differently).

Whites having an advantage since they affect the bell curve the most:

SAT Averages and Percentages of College-Bound Seniors by Race/Ethnicity, 2013:
The Economic Bias of the SAT

There is a strong correlation between family income and SAT scores. Possible causes:

access to test preparation materials

condition and quality of schools

educational attainment of parents

SAT Averages of College-Bound Seniors by Family Income, 2013:
The Gender Bias of the SAT

High school GPA is usually the best predictor of college performance. Women have a higher GPA in high school than men, and they also have a higher college graduation rate. However, women score lower than men on the SAT:

The Movement from Standard to Optional

Over 800 four-year colleges and universities have instituted "test score optional" policies in response to the research on standardized tests.

There is no significant difference of college GPAs and graduation rates between those that submit standardized test scores and those that choose not to:

Non-submitters earned GPAs only 0.05 lower than submitters.

Non-submitters have graduation rates only 0.6% lower than submitters.

Currently, 571 organizations and 18,955 individuals have signed a National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing. They are calling on policymakers to reduce testing mandates and reexamine public school accountability in order to improve the quality of learning in the classroom and reduce the negative effects on students, teachers, and campuses.

It's time to take a time out from high-stakes testing!

Sources

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To Test or Not to Test: Questions on Standardized Testing

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Share this infographic on your site! Since No Child Left Behind in 2001, standardized testing has become increasingly excessive in our school system. The high stakes and high costs have parents and educators wondering if we're focused too much on testing and not enough on teaching.

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25 Coding Apps For Kids Under 8

How To Teach Cursive Handwriting To Children Infographic

The Science Behind Imaginative Play Infographic

Pros and Cons of Homework Infographic

No homework policy has been implemented in several countries, however, some experts still argue on its benefits for student learning.

The Pros

Homework helps students consolidate what was taught during the school day.

It lets parents learn what their kids are doing at school.

Development of self-discipline, time management and research skills.

Homework facilitates rote learning

The Cons

Homework can be very stressful for students.

It drains pupils' free time for playing, sports and hobbies.

Students feel their family time is reduced.

Hatred for a subject can be developed due to the workload.

There in no doubt that homework in elementary schools should be as light as possible. Teachers should always try and make it fun by using learning apps like the ones on School Jotter to increase pupils engagement.

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Pros and Cons of Homework Infographic - e-Learning Infographics

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25 Coding Apps For Kids Under 8 How To Teach Cursive Handwriting To Children Infographic The Science Behind Imaginative Play Infographic No homework policy has been implemented in several countries, however, some experts still argue on its benefits for student learning. The Pros Homework helps students consolidate what was taught during the school day.

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Should Homework be Banned? | Is Homework Beneficial? | Should students have homework?

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Are Later Start Times Right for Westfield High School? Support Growing

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Proponents cite the benefits of tailoring high school starts to teenagers' natural circadian rhythms.

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Pros and Cons of School Uniforms | Infographic - BeSafe - School and Workplace Safety

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a school uniform policy? We break it down in our latest infographic.

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Teens May Like Later School Start Times But Some Parent's Don't

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The Benefits of Gaming Infographic - e-Learning Infographics

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The Benefits of Gaming Infographic goes over some really positive things video games are responsible for.

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Study Finds Video Games Are Good for Kids - IGN News

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- Alex LaGrand stared at the scrawl on the worksheet, trying and failing to discern meaning from the jumble of letters on the page. Her head throbbed. Why was this so hard?

That's when she realized she couldn't read.

It had only been a few weeks since LaGrand's fourth recorded concussion - the worst the 17-year-old soccer goalkeeper had experienced. LaGrand was poised in front of the net at a Coastal Carolina recruiting camp in October 2012, when a player fired the ball at the goal. It smacked LaGrand between the eyes.

Dazed, but she'd be fine, she figured. Getting hit in the head was a regular part of playing goalie - on the ground, against a post, by the ball or an attacker's shoe. LaGrand had grown used to it.

But then she looked down at her glove, and she only saw blood.

"OK, someone sub in for me so I can go check this out," she told a fellow goalie nearby.

Concussion. The athletic trainer knew right away, because the pupils in LaGrand's eyes were shaking. Concussions come from severe head injuries that temporarily impair brain functioning, but recovery typically takes a week. There was no way to predict that LaGrand's concussion would last five months, or that it would rob her of her ability to read. The problem was repetition. LaGrand doesn't know how many concussions she had that went untreated. Doctors estimated she seriously hit her head about four times per year when she played soccer - 36 times total.

Soccer was supposed to be her chance. Nobody told her that soccer, with its promise of a college scholarship, could become the villain, that the sport that shaped her identity could also damage her brain.

The pressure to get an athletic scholarship for college or play professionally burdens younger and younger athletes. Youth sports' heightened intensity carries dangerous health implications. As athletes are pushed toward the expectation of excellence, they risk overexertion.

But what happens when their body can't take it anymore?

LaGrand joined a recreational soccer team when she was 9 - her first and last time playing soccer only one season of the year. By the time she was 10, she was playing in the fall and spring, and by seventh grade, she was playing year-round. It was the only sport LaGrand played competitively.

The choice to specialize is common among athletes, but specialization also drastically increases injury risk, because athletes risk overusing muscles. High school athletes who specialize are 70 percent more likely to suffer a serious injury, according to a study by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

"(If an) athlete specializes in one particular sport, you're doing the same movements over, and over and over again," said Adam Wall, Clayton High School's head athletic trainer. "So that definitely creates the mechanism for more catastrophic injuries to occur."

But for most athletes, the chances of seeing specialization pay off are low. Only 2 percent of high school athletes receive a college scholarship, and only 2 percent of those athletes play professionally in the major league of their respective sport, according to the NCAA. The health risks are high for such a narrow chance of those dreams becoming a reality.

Joseph Collins' junior year on the Clayton High School football team was going well, for the most part, even though his shoulder couldn't seem to stay in its socket.

Clayton High School's head athletic trainer, Adam Wall, recommended physical therapy for Collins' shoulder to strengthen his tissue muscle. He warned Collins that without physical therapy, the dislocations could worsen.

But Collins wasn't worried. It was only a minor inconvenience, a few seconds of pain before popping his shoulder back into place, so he was inconsistent with physical therapy. The false sense of invincibility is common in high school athletes, said Dr. Heath Thornton, medical director of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's high school athletic training program.

When Clayton played Garner High School on Oct. 10, 2016, Collins was caught in the moment. Clayton was losing badly when Garner's running back broke free at the 20-yard line. Collins was the only defender quick enough to catch him and stop the touchdown.

He grabbed the running back a few yards away from the end zone and dragged him down, but Collins landed at an awkward angle. Then Garner's running back rolled on top of his shoulder, and Collins felt a rush of pain.

"I was just laying there, trying to get up," Collins said. "But I couldn't get up, 'cause my bone was out of place, and I felt numb. And I was just sitting there crying."

Wall helped Collins off the field and got his shoulder back into place. But Collins later learned that he chipped his bone and tore a ligament in his shoulder. He needed surgery.

Serious injuries in young athletes are not uncommon. More than 1.35 million children visit the emergency room for a sports related injury in 2012, according to a report by Safe Kids Worldwide. The most common types of injury are sprains or strains, fractures, bruises or scrapes and concussions. Dr. Janet Simon, an Ohio University assistant professor who researches athletes' health, said even a sprained ankle can cause chronic pain long-term when repeatedly re-injured.

In the four years Wall has worked at Clayton High School, three to six athletes per year have needed surgery for a severe sports injury, and he said he has treated five to 10 concussions per season. In the fall 2017 season, Wall treated 11 Clayton athletes for concussions - six football players, four soccer players and one cheerleader. And in each of the past two years, an athlete has been forced to medically retire because of concussions.

Despite the prominence of high school injuries, most schools are poorly equipped to treat them.

One study found 70 percent of public schools and 58 percent of private schools offer students access to athletic training, and only 37 percent of public schools and 28 percent of private schools have an athletic trainer working full time, as Wall does. Melissa Kay, a UNC-Chapel Hill sports medicine Ph.D. student, said the disparity is worse in lower socioeconomic status schools and in rural areas.

Athletic trainers who do serve at the high school level are constantly busy. One trainer is in charge of every team in the school. How does one person manage that?

"That's a great question," Wall said, laughing. "I don't know how I do it either. It's really just time management."

Wall spends practice with the football team, because those athletes are injured most frequently, but he also visits other teams' practices. He does rehab with athletes during the school day and even finds time to incorporate "prehab," which Wall defines as "rehab before the injury occurs."

And Wall has to keep in mind that for many of his athletes, a high school team is only one piece of an athlete's activity.

"You have club teams, you have rec teams, you have high school teams, and none of those people talk to each other..." Kay said. "When you specialize in one sport, you're putting all of the stress on one part of your body, and nobody's regulating how much stress you're actually putting on it."

A lot of the athletes Wall works with hire personal trainers to help them reach collegiate or professional level of play. But Wall said many of those personal trainers are not properly trained, and athletes risk injury while working with them. He estimated that 6 percent of Clayton High School's athletes have been injured during personal training.

When an athletic scholarship is at stake, the trainer's job is even harder. Often, athletes rush recovery or play with residual injury.

"They're willing to do whatever they can to try to get a scholarship," Wall said. "Whether it's sacrificing their health, they're willing to do it, unfortunately."

Collins wanted to run in college, but his injury made it painful to push off the starting block, so Collins' times slowed his junior year. If he didn't restore his speed, he risked losing college's attention, and his chance at a track scholarship. But if he pushed too hard, he risked re-injury. As Collins recovered from shoulder surgery, he had to strike this balance.

Collins dutifully followed Wall's physical therapy regimen, and in March 2017, he won the 200-meter race in 23 seconds flat - a time impressive to recruiters that qualified him for a regional meet. Now a senior, he switched to offense in football to avoid re-injury, and he said his shoulder is 90 percent healthy. He is optimistic that it will continue to improve with rehab and strengthening.

"I trust my shoulder," Collins said. "I know it won't break on me or anything, because I've been working my tail off to get it where it's supposed to be."

LaGrand sat down with a Shakespeare sonnet and played audio of the poem in hand. She would listen to the sonnet over and over while studying the writing until she understood each word's meaning - no matter how long that took. She repeated the routine until she could read.

"I figured if I could read Shakespeare, I could read anything," she said.

Five months after her concussion, LaGrand's doctor cleared her to play soccer again. Her junior year, she led her soccer team as the captain and goalie. After four concussions, LaGrand's recruiting prospects were more limited, but she still received offers. She accepted a scholarship to play at Western Carolina.

But every day after practice that spring, LaGrand came home with pulsing pain in her head. She would retreat to her room and sleep for an hour. Could she really keep living like this?

"I loved the game so much," she said. "But it became a thing that would break my heart to go to, because I knew it would hurt me."

In September 2013, LaGrand officially retired from soccer. She was at peace with her choice, but that didn't make it any less painful. Now that she left soccer behind, who was she?

Kaufman said athletes who specialize are particularly vulnerable to feeling this loss of identity with medical retirement, because their sport dominates their world.

"It's a grieving," Kaufman said. "And then, you know, moving forward, what do you want to put your energy into to redefine yourself?"

Wall reminds athletes that retirement spares them from long-term health problems. Simon found that on average, former college athletes have a lower quality of life, sleep less than non-athletes and suffer more chronic pain. She attributes these differences to youth sports injuries.

Some health care providers question the implications of Simon's research. Health care today is better than when the athletes Simon studies competed. But Simon noted older athletes did not specialize and train year-round like athletes today. Since specialization is relatively new, it's hard to predict the consequences.

LaGrand was told she has a higher risk for Alzheimer's - terrifying news for anyone, let alone a 17-year-old. Now a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, she still does concussion therapy twice daily during the week and three times daily on weekends. During the 10-minute sessions, she stares at a stick in front of her while shaking her head.

"For a normal person... anyone can to that," LaGrand said. "But for me, I feel like I'm in a car going 100 miles an hour when I'm going back and forth. Because my brain's just like, 'dude, what are you doing?'"

She gets carsick more frequently, and running hurts her head. She got glasses because the concussions and frequent reading damaged her eyes. Loud noise hurts her head, so she avoids concerts, clubs and rowdy parties; she rarely goes to movies because of the flashing lights. She cannot do homework for more than an hour at a time, and must take breaks to recover after classes. LaGrand meticulously plans her day and has developed OCD because of her need for routine.

And LaGrand's concussions erased almost all of her memories before fourth grade. She pieces together her childhood from family stories and the occasional foggy flashback.

A senior honors student, LaGrand is double majoring in English and Dramatic Art with a minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, specializing in Shakespeare. She is excelling in school, far beyond what any doctor would have expected.

Since leaving soccer, LaGrand has fallen in love with theater. She has researched at the Folger Shakespeare Theater and designed sets for UNC performances, and she is planning to pursue MFA in dramaturgy or scenic design.

LaGrand suffered two more concussions this year from hitting her head on a low ceiling over a staircase and on a closing door. After the concussions, she grew depressed at the vulnerability of her brain. But like she has in every moment of adversity she's faced, LaGrand grew even more determined. She won't let her injuries hold her back.

"My mom sat me down, and she was like, 'it's just a thing that you're going to have to live with,'" LaGrand said. "Because it's guaranteed I'll get another concussion at some point in my life."

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Rising pressure of high school sports carries long-term health risks

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Alex LaGrand stared at the scrawl on the worksheet, trying and failing to discern meaning from the jumble of letters on the page. Her head throbbed. Why was this so hard? That's when she realized she couldn't read. It had only been a few weeks since LaGrand's fourth recorded concussion - the worst the 17-year-old soccer goalkeeper had experienced.

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Youth sports leagues infographic | YMCA of Greater Brandywine

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® FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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Ebru Today - Dr. James Peterson - Budget Cuts in the Arts

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Parents' Perceptions of Impact of Later School Start Times for Teens

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Parents' Perceptions of Impact of Later School Start Times for Teens

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Teens May Do Better When School Starts Later

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Teens aren't wired to wake up so early, so middle and high schools should start later, sleep experts say.

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In the technological age that we all live in, most of us are familiar with the terms "technology addiction" and "internet addiction," but are you familiar with " gaming disorder"? First, let's take a look at internet/technology addiction, then move on to gaming disorder.

According to a 2015 study conducted by Yunqi Zhu, Hong Zhang, and Mei Tian, "Internet addiction is usually defined as an inability of individuals to control their internet use, resulting in marked psychological, social, and/or work difficulties" (p. 1).

Well, as the internet continued to expand and improve rapidly, so did video games, and excessive video game use can result in an addiction that is very similar to internet addiction. Children all over the world spend hours playing their favorite video games on their favorite video game consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. With that said, this recent wave of video game popularity has led to a new phenomenon known as "gaming disorder."

For the sake of simplicity, we will refer to gaming disorder as gaming addiction. It is essential for us to be aware of gaming addiction, the role of gaming addiction on psychological patterns and development, and how we can create healthy gaming patterns that we can build on.

Most of us do not actually understand gaming addiction and internet addiction because the term "addiction" is typically associated with drug use. So for this example, we're going to compare internet addiction and drug addiction...

When your body is under the influence of drugs, your brain produces a "happy" chemical known as dopamine that enters the brain's pleasure center. The result is a "high" or euphoric feeling that you experience. In this case, the drugs are the medium that creates the addiction.

The concept is very similar when assessing internet addiction. When you use the internet, your brain produces dopamine when you get notifications, messages, or whatever peaks your interest. So in this case, the internet is the drug that creates an addiction. According to a 2012 study conducted by Daria Kuss and Mark Griffiths, "As habituation to use and compulsion develops, brain activity changes in that the dorsal regions of the striatum (DS) become increasingly activated via dopaminergic innervation" (p. 348).

Gaming addiction, in turn, is developed in the same way that internet addiction is. When you play your favorite game for excessive amounts of time, your brain eventually develops a reliance on it.

According to The World Health Organization, "For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behavior pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months."

With the rise of video game popularity, studies concerning psychological gaming disorder have become more and more common.

Zaheer Hussain and Mark Griffiths conducted a study in 2009 that involved 71 participants who were online gamers from 11 different countries. We found that this study was particularly useful because it included both male and female participants that ranged in age from 18 years to 54 years. It was an extensive, overarching study that can be used as an educational tool in the future.

Before we move on, several statistics stood out to us:

Online Gaming, Excessive Play, & Addiction

Hussain and Griffiths (2009) went on to say, "The virtual world was seen as a place to waste time, which led to excessive playing for some gamers. The online community also facilitated excessive play" (p. 749). Not only are video games a place where gamers can waste time, but it is also a place where game specifics give gamers a thrill that they just cannot pass up. Hussain and Griffiths elaborated, "Gamers talked about the raiding, leveling up, and belonging to a guild as factors that caused excessive playing" (p. 751).

To pull things together, when gamers raid and level up, their brains are being filled with dopamine. As the game or adventure builds up, gamers felt a sense of urgency to complete the quest. Only 19% of the participants, however, admitted to seeing online gaming as potentially addictive. The inability to realize the addictive properties of online gaming highlights an even more significant problem; which is spreading awareness to people of all ages that video games are utterly addictive.

​Dissociation & Time Loss

35% experience time loss due to video games. One participant (male, age 22, USA), in specific, said, "I have neglected hygiene, eating, sleep, work, and school because of it. It causes restlessness anytime. I'm not playing."

Time loss points to the design of video games. Hussain and Griffiths (2009) point out, "Gamers experienced time loss, which was associated with particular structural characteristics of video games, such as their multiplayer interaction, multiple levels, and their complexity. Further research on both time loss and its link with particular structural characteristics is needed" (p. 752).

​Psychosocial Impact Of Online Gaming

While 70% of the participants spoke about the positives of online gaming, 63% of the participants commented on the negatives of online gaming.

Several participants said that they lost friends and reported other extremely negative things that online gaming has led them to. For example, one participant (female, age 21, Norway) said, "I've lost my IRL (in real life) friends because I couldn't find the time to be with them, I quit school. Whenever someone asks me to do something on the weekends, I always think 'ooh, but we're raiding, I really shouldn't go out,' and that's a way of thinking which I really dislike."

Hussain and Griffiths (2009) pointed out, "These quotes highlighted the potentially adverse effects that were associated with online gaming. Most notably, the experience of losing friends to online gaming is an issue that would appear to require further research" (p. 750).

​The Positives To Healthy Gaming

Now that we have examined the negative effects of online gaming, let's take a look at the positive effects...

Online gamers meet new people online, learn about new cultures, learn about teamwork, and even build new online friendships. Furthermore, online gaming is an excellent place for people to blow off steam and resort to when they are experiencing negative feelings. 30% of the participants spoke about how they resort to online gaming to relieve loneliness, boredom, and to alleviate frustration.

According to Hussain and Griffiths (2009), "Online games were used to relieve everyday stresses and annoyances. Here, online gaming had a therapeutic capability and could perhaps be used in psychotherapy by allowing patients to play online video games in order to relieve negative feelings. Hence, online line games appear to have the capability to bring about positive behavioral changes, as noted in past video game research in psychotherapeutic settings" (p. 752).

​It is extremely important that we teach healthy gaming patterns to avoid the harmful effects of gaming addiction, so we curated a list of several ways that you can healthily game. Check them out below...

Keep Your Priorities Straight

If you struggle with gaming disorder, try to make a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Make it a point to take care of your priorities during the day, then reward yourself with some video game time in the evening.

Limit Your Consumption

Once you get the hang of sticking to a schedule every day, limit the time you spend on video games every night. Reward yourself with an hour and a half of video games the first night. The next night, cut it down a half an hour. Work incrementally
to trim the time you spend playing video games.

Play On An Easy or Medium Difficulty

It is easier to get hooked on a game when you max out the difficulty level. The harder it is, the longer it will take for you to complete the game, and in turn, your desire to complete it will increase. Try playing on easy or medium, and then
move on to the next game.

Set Incremental Game Completion Goals

Instead of bingeing an entire game at once, set incremental game completion goals for yourself. Make it a part of your schedule, and do your absolute best to stick with it!

​Try Playing Different Games

​If you play video games on Xbox One, PS4, Wii, or PC (you get the picture), download game apps on your phone. Often times, these games are good for mental sharpness and serve educational purposes. It will help satisfy your urge to play other video games! Check out some of the best and most popular game apps for Android and iPhone here.

By now, we hope that you see the prevalence of gaming disorder, and that, in many cases, it can get out of control.

We hope that you found this article informative and helpful, as it can be used as a teaching tool to spread awareness for gaming disorder. If you are addicted to gaming, know that you are not alone and that you can take steps to break the disorder or addiction.

Thanks for reading!

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Gaming Disorders & How To Game Healthy [Infographic] " HDDMag

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In the technological age that we all live in, most of us are familiar with the terms "technology addiction" and "internet addiction," but are you familiar with " gaming disorder"? First, let's take a look at internet/technology addiction, then move on to gaming disorder.

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The funny thing about video games and all of these electronic game that kids are doing these days is that neurologists and brain development experts are finding out that, in many ways, they are really good for kids. They teach them to think faster and make decisions faster, especially the systems that use the whole body instead of just the thumbs, they are really good that. Having said that, video games, electronic systems, and all of these things are absolutely addictive. If you don't have some control over it, the kid will lose himself in that for 12 hours a day. When their childhood is over, all they are going to remember is Mario Brothers and Halo. Yes, get in there. How much should you ration it? Exactly as much as you feel is right in negotiation with the kid. Am I saying that you should just go up and nag the kid to get off of the game? Wouldn't it be better to take the kid outside, out for an adventure, engage them in real life? The funny thing is, they will fight when you try to do that, they might even complain about it, but deep down, they'll really appreciate it.

Watch Douglas Green, MFT's video on Pros and cons of video games...

The funny thing about video games and all of these electronic game that kids are doing these days is that neurologists and brain development experts are finding out that, in many ways, they are really good for kids. They teach them to think faster and make decisions faster, especially the systems that use the whole body instead of just the thumbs, they are really good that. Having said that, video games, electronic systems, and all of these things are absolutely addictive. If you don't have some control over it, the kid will lose himself in that for 12 hours a day. When their childhood is over, all they are going to remember is Mario Brothers and Halo. Yes, get in there. How much should you ration it? Exactly as much as you feel is right in negotiation with the kid. Am I saying that you should just go up and nag the kid to get off of the game? Wouldn't it be better to take the kid outside, out for an adventure, engage them in real life? The funny thing is, they will fight when you try to do that, they might even complain about it, but deep down, they'll really appreciate it.

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Kidsinthehouse.com - Pros and cons of video games

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The funny thing about video games and all of these electronic game that kids are doing these days is that neurologists and brain development experts are finding out that, in many ways, they are really good for kids.

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Posted on September 12th, 2018

Why wear a school uniform? There are many benefits which we've captured in this infographic.

For more information about the school uniform service we offer and / or a free, no obligation consultation please contact our sales team on 01773 837379 or complete the contact form with your details.
Download infographic

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The benefits of school uniform - infographic

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Posted on September 12th, 2018 Why wear a school uniform? There are many benefits which we've captured in this infographic. For more information about the school uniform service we offer and / or a free, no obligation consultation please contact our sales team on 01773 837379 or complete the contact form with your details.

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Are school uniforms helping or hindering?

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As they return to school this year, students are likelier than ever to arrive in uniforms. Educational psychologist Michele Borba and developmental specialist Robyn Silverman discuss the pros and cons of school uniforms.

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Capture Billing | Medical Billing Services

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Injuries in Youth Sports

It's about that time again! Football season and school are just about back in session. 30 million adolescents and children participate in sports, and over half of sports injuries can be prevented. Take a look at our latest infographic for stats and ways to prevent your student from acquiring these injures and having a great sports season.

Manny Oliverez

+Manny Oliverez is a 20 year veteran of healthcare having managed medical practices. He advises medical practices, physicians and practice administrators on how to run their practice and manage their medical billing and revenue cycle management. Manny speaks, blogs and makes videos at www.CaptureBilling.com, a blog that is tops in the medical billing and coding field. READ MORE

I would recommend Capture Billing to anyone who needs a billing company they can trust.

In a six month period Capture Billing increased our Practice's income by over $100,000.

Capture Billing goes over and beyond the call of duty for their clients to maximizing reimbursement.

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It's about that time again! Football season and school are just about back in session. 30 million adolescents and children participate in sports, and over half of sports injuries can be prevented. Take a look at our latest infographic for stats and ways to prevent your student from acquiring these injures and having a great sports season.