One of the things that concerns me the most regarding students of this day and age is the high level of distraction they are surrounded with, in particular, with cell phones.
I had ZERO phone distraction in grade school
When I was in high school, phones were just starting to really become popular. However, only a few kids had them – even though they were not supposed to bring them to school – and they were far less capable. You could only talk and text. There was no such thing as “apps” for phones, and the screens were monochrome.
These days, almost everyone has a phone, regardless of age. Internet access is most places, which allows us all to be connected to the world wide web at all times. Whereas I had to take the time to “dial up” and connect to the internet, we are in a time where to not be on the internet is a rarity.
How phones are hurting – and not helping – our kids learn math
I’m all for technological advancement; don’t get me wrong. I mean, I’m an engineer. However, the distraction potential that phones and other devices pose to our kids is astronomical. Most kids I talk to have their phones with them, and are using them, all of the time, from the time they wake up in the morning, through school and work, during dinner, and at bedtime. I’d venture to say that many kids are not getting good sleep because they use their phones throughout the night as well.
The ideal study environment for math or for any subject is one where a student can focus on the material at hand exclusively. It may be quiet, or at least if there’s background music, it’s calm and without words (imo). I’m a firm believer that focusing singly on study, versus studying and swiping, is the mode in which our brains work best, and I constantly encourage my students to not multitask and to consider putting their phones somewhere else while studying.
At Math Swap Tutoring, one thing I hope to instill in those we help is an independence from devices so that students can truly be the best they can be. Technology, when used intentionally, can be very helpful with learning math – there are a lot of great tools on the internet – but responsible device usage without it becoming distracting and detrimental is something we have to teach for sure.
I’m off of my soapbox now.
