How Does Multitasking Affect the Way Kids Learn?
I recently read this great article from MindShift and wanted to share some thoughts. About a year ago I watched a documentary during my summer vacation about University students and their perceptions on their effectiveness when they were multitasking on their laptops during their classes and while doing their coursework. So, this article piqued my curiosity. I am interested in learning more about studies relating to this topic. Do students perceive themselves as learning content? Are they really able to absorb information or is the multitasking getting in the way of deeper learning? These are just some of the interesting questions I wonder about as technology becomes more pervasive. And, most importantly, how can I decide as a teacher when to allow my students to use their devices to enhance their learning and when do I ask them to switch them off?
How quickly do students start going "off-task"?
In one study where students knew they were being observed:
"Students’ “on-task behavior” started declining around the two-minute mark as they began responding to arriving texts or checking their Facebook feeds."
How deep is their learning when they multi-task?
"But evidence from psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience suggests that when students multitask while doing schoolwork, their learning is far spottier and shallower than if the work had their full attention. They understand and remember less, and they have greater difficulty transferring their learning to new contexts."
Can the Brain Multi-task?
David Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan who’s studied the effects of divided attention on learning, takes a firm line on the brain’s ability to multitask:
“Under most conditions, the brain simply cannot do two complex tasks at the same time. It can happen only when the two tasks are both very simple and when they don’t compete with each other for the same mental resources. An example would be folding laundry and listening to the weather report on the radio. That’s fine. But listening to a lecture while texting, or doing homework and being on Facebook—each of these tasks is very demanding, and each of them uses the same area of the brain, the prefrontal cortex.”
What happens when students multitask while doing homework?
1. The assignment takes longer to complete.
2. The student suffers mental fatigue because they are constantly switching between tasks.
3. Because their attention is divided, the memory of what they are working on is also impaired.
4. When we are distracted, our brains process and store information differently and in less useful ways.
How can we help students prioritize?
1. Limit the use of devices for studying purposes.
2. Encourage tech breaks following by time to check their social media sites.
3. Teach students the value of concentrating on one thing at a time.
I recently read this great article from MindShift and wanted to share some thoughts. About a year ago I watched a documentary during my summer vacation about University students and their perceptions on their effectiveness when they were multitasking on their laptops during their classes and while doing their coursework. So, this article piqued my curiosity. I am interested in learning more about studies relating to this topic. Do students perceive themselves as learning content? Are they really able to absorb information or is the multitasking getting in the way of deeper learning? These are just some of the interesting questions I wonder about as technology becomes more pervasive. And, most importantly, how can I decide as a teacher when to allow my students to use their devices to enhance their learning and when do I ask them to switch them off?
How quickly do students start going "off-task"?
In one study where students knew they were being observed:
"Students’ “on-task behavior” started declining around the two-minute mark as they began responding to arriving texts or checking their Facebook feeds."
How deep is their learning when they multi-task?
"But evidence from psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience suggests that when students multitask while doing schoolwork, their learning is far spottier and shallower than if the work had their full attention. They understand and remember less, and they have greater difficulty transferring their learning to new contexts."
Can the Brain Multi-task?
David Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan who’s studied the effects of divided attention on learning, takes a firm line on the brain’s ability to multitask:
“Under most conditions, the brain simply cannot do two complex tasks at the same time. It can happen only when the two tasks are both very simple and when they don’t compete with each other for the same mental resources. An example would be folding laundry and listening to the weather report on the radio. That’s fine. But listening to a lecture while texting, or doing homework and being on Facebook—each of these tasks is very demanding, and each of them uses the same area of the brain, the prefrontal cortex.”
What happens when students multitask while doing homework?
1. The assignment takes longer to complete.
2. The student suffers mental fatigue because they are constantly switching between tasks.
3. Because their attention is divided, the memory of what they are working on is also impaired.
4. When we are distracted, our brains process and store information differently and in less useful ways.
How can we help students prioritize?
1. Limit the use of devices for studying purposes.
2. Encourage tech breaks following by time to check their social media sites.
3. Teach students the value of concentrating on one thing at a time.
