How Blues Clues and Opportunities to Respond Can Make You A Better Teacher

According to Malcolm Gladwell, the researchers and writers behind Blues Clues believed that the more intellectually and physically children were when watching something, the more memorable and meaningful the content became. Throughout a Blue’s Clues episode, the hosts asks students questions to help them solve a problem (e.g., What’s Blue’s favorite food? ). As the viewers participate with the host, they are intellectually and behaviorally engaged. Not only did providing opportunities to respond increase viewer ratings, but it also led to improved cognitive development for viewers . While there were undoubtedly other factors related (e.g., repetition of content) to improved viewer engagement and development, providing opportunities for the viewers to respond was a crucial part of the show’s success.