(Kist) Multitasking

 

What is multitasking and why do we do it?

As Dr. Kist states in The Socially Networked Classroom, it is the ability to “perform more than one task simultaneously” (40). So why do we multitask? Let’s take a look at society for a moment. How many things do we need to complete in one day? I could probably list hundreds of small things that comprise my day. If we took the inventory of our daily tasks and completed them sequentially rather than simultaneously, one day would not be nearly long enough. Has this been the sole responsible party for our drive to multitask? Probably not.

Students today are trying to get homework done, talk to friends, check their Facebook, and plan the coming weekend at the same time. How does this affect their schoolwork? While they are trying to do all of those things, their attention is not entirely on homework. Perhaps some students can listen to music and do homework at a proficient level, but are they getting everything they can from it? Probably not.

One study on multitasking states the following:

“The first study using magnetic resonance images of brain activity to compare what happens in people's heads when they do one complex task, as opposed to two tasks at a time, reveals a disquieting fact: The brain appears to have a finite amount of space for tasks requiring attention.

When people try to drive in heavy traffic and talk, researchers say, brain activity does not double. It decreases. People performing two demanding tasks simultaneously do neither one as well as they do each one alone.”

Brain Rules, a blog by John Medina, has the following video:

John Medina’s video on multitasking

In the same blog is this information:

“Studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a task. Not only that, he or she makes up to 50 percent more errors.”

(I encourage you to explore his website: Brain Rules)

Let’s ask the big question: what does this mean for teachers?

In his paragraph on multitasking, Kist says that “During the time I’ve been writing this paragraph, I’ve been loading tunes into my iTunes, responding to an e-mail message, and checking my twitter stream” (40). It’s interesting when omeone who is writing about multitasking in a more-negative-than-neutral manner is multitasking heavily. During class, our students are going to be multitasking. When doing homework, they are going to be multitasking. We need to keep this in mind and find ways to keep students focused on the task at hand. While it may be more interesting at times to have music playing, some students working on a project while others recite lines from Shakespeare, it can be very distracting.

According to North Dakota State University, adolescents have a 30-40 minute attention span. For most schools, this is slightly under the time of one teaching period. Those with block scheduling have twice that amount of time in one class period. It will be up to teachers to keep class interesting and help students narrow their focus to learning. This is even harder when students go home at night. Teachers cannot control how students do homework once they leave the classroom. What are ways to keep students interested?

Perhaps having homework that asks more than “answer the question” or “finish the problem” can alleviate some of the boredom students feel with homework. WebQuests, nings, blogs and wikis are fantastic ways to keep students connected to the world they feel so drawn to, while still keeping them focused on homework.

Let’s jump back to Kist’s description of his own multitasking. Two of the four things he was doing were related to interactive communication. Checking/ responding to emails and refreshing Twitter are very common things students are engaged in while doing homework. If teachers can find ways to incorporate this drive toward interaction, communication and the internet, then perhaps they can be more effective in all areas of teaching.

Use the bad habits of students against them; they won’t be expecting it!