James Lang, author of Small Teaching and Small Teaching Online has published a new book, Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It. While reading this book may make you miss the days of teaching in person, the book does offer ideas that are transferable to teaching online (listen to Lang’s interview on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast for how to apply his research to online learning).
A classroom policy on student use of technology is a wicked problem; the research is clear that technology such as texting leads to lower test scores1, more distraction for surrounding students2, and, well, as teachers we just kind of feel that it’s a bit icky. It is hard to define the problem because of all the variables which makes solving it seem impossible.
The book makes a bigger case for why a policy regarding technology is necessary, as does the The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World by Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen (so read that book if you really want to understand how distraction can erode learning). To reconcile with the technology dilemma, Lang discusses four different approaches in chapter 3, “The Tech Ban Debate”.
The Laissez-Faire Approach
In this paradigm there is no policy. An unapologetic attitude that favors student autonomy over “the ways in which our digital devices have been so effectively engineered to hijack our attention”. It’s also arbitrarily selective – there are other, similar behaviors that educators do actively enforce (for example, having conversations when someone is presenting, listening to music loudly in class).
The Total Ban
A blanket policy of no technology has three big problems:
- Students may have accommodation letters that allow students to use technology – but this “presents its own ethical problem: any student who has a laptop in the room has been outed to her peers as having an accommodation, something she might have preferred to keep private.”
- A ban on technology may interfere with rich educational experiences (such as working with real-time data, robust resources, and interactive adventures. It is also out of sync with most workplaces where employees leverage technology.
- Some students prefer (or need) electronic versions of course materials. Lang says, “cost-strapped students can often save money on textbooks by buying electronic versions, and those textbooks might contain links or other resources that are not as easily available to students with non-digital copies.”
Student-Generated Policies
Perhaps, Lang suggests, it is worthy to have the class collectively generate a policy. Feed the students some research that shows how multitasking erodes the educational experience, and have the students make suggestions for the classroom community. Daniel Pink talks about this in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – “fundamental drivers of intrinsic motivation – or motivation that comes from within, rather than being imposed and controlled by punishments or rewards – are autonomy, mastery, and purpose”.
A big challenge with this attitude is marshaling the endeavor. Lang points to Cathy Davidson who suggests sharing a generic “class constitution” and having students comment on it and revise it. In this model, there are constraints and specific guidelines that students can consider.
The Context-Specific Policy
Lang currently uses this model; just as he picks up a phone to talk to his daughter in college but doesn’t need to when communicating with his fifteen year old sons who live at home, Lang advises using technology when it’s appropriate.
First, it has helped me think more strategically about what students are doing in my classroom and why… second, it has led to greater transparency in my teaching. I am convinced that many problems with students arise because they misunderstand the purpose of so much of what happens in the classroom .
Dr. James Lang, Distracted (2020)
Dr. Rosen suggests yet another option – let students have a tech break every now and then3. Even a one minute break every fifteen or twenty minutes might be enough to let students check in with family, ameliorate the mystery of unread texts, and allow the brain to refocus.
All this is great, but none of this is a definitive answer. And it’s complicated by the current state of remote classes where the distraction is amplified by unfettered access to technology, less than ideal learning conditions, and perhaps new routines (for example: new jobs, more free time, new puppies).
The best we can do is understand the problem and hope to iterate on our policies as we look to being back in the classroom.
1 Rosen, L. D., Lim, A. F., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2011). An empirical examination of the educational impact of text message-induced task switching in the classroom: Educational implications and strategies to enhance learning. Educational Psychology, 17(2), 163-177.
2 Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24-31.
3 Barshay, J. (2011, November 8). How a “tech break” can help students refocus. Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://hechingerreport.org/how-a-tech-break-can-help-students-refocus/
Image by giovannacco via Pixabay
