even if they didn’t use technology themselves<\/strong>. Presumably, their classmates’ technology use distracted them.<\/p>\nThis study suggests several conclusions. (I’ll mention a particularly counter-intuitive one at the end of this post.)<\/p>\n
Most People Don’t Judge Their Own Learning Well<\/h2>\n
Because we’re teachers, we are–relatively speaking–experts on learning. Especially if you’re reading this blog (and attending Learning and the Brain conferences), you probably know a lot more about the complexities of learning than most people do.<\/p>\n
And, you know more about learning than your students do.<\/p>\n
That’s a (surprisingly) controversial statement. But, consider the students’ perspective in Glass and Kang’s psychology lecture.<\/p>\n
They might reasonably say:<\/p>\n
“Look: I scored equally well on the daily quizzes whether or not I was using technology. Clearly I understand material just fine when I’m texting my friends.<\/p>\n
Have a little faith in me as a learner. I know when the professor is saying important things, and I focus then. And, I know when she’s gone off on a cute-but-unessential anecdote, and I use that time to check in with my people.”<\/p>\n
Everything in that hypothetical statement is accurate, or at least plausible.<\/p>\n
However, it lacks the long-term perspective. Their\u00a0performance<\/strong> on short-term<\/em> quizzes does not predict their long-term<\/em> learning and understanding<\/strong>.<\/p>\nBecause we have G&K’s research, and see the longer perspective, we know that their texting had a subtle, harmful effect on retention. However well they did right away, students just didn’t learn that information deeply.<\/p>\n
For this reason–among many others–I think teachers should be confident in claiming our expertise. When our students say “I know I learn better this<\/em> way,” we can use our best judgment in evaluating that claim.<\/p>\nAt times–especially if they have a particular diagnosis–they might well be right.<\/p>\n
At other times–especially if they want to watch YouTube while doing homework, or claim that their learning style requires that they do X instead of Y–you can offer strong guidance based on cognitive science research.<\/p>\n
Counter-Intuitive Conclusion<\/h2>\n
I promised above I’d offer a surprising interpretation of Glass and Kang’s study. Here goes:<\/p>\n
Because students did worse in the no-ban classes\u00a0whether or not they used technology<\/strong>, the obvious conclusion is that we should utterly ban technology from our classrooms.<\/p>\nHowever, that conclusion misses an essential part of G&K’s methodology. They didn’t exactly ban technology use. In fact, they\u00a0required<\/strong> technology use.<\/p>\nYou read that right.<\/p>\n
Those “immediate quizzes” you’ve been reading about? Students had to take them on some kind of electronic device<\/em>: a laptop or a cell phone.<\/p>\nSo, the study does NOT compare performance in a ban vs. a no-ban condition. It DOES compare performance in classes where technology was required at times (to take quizzes), and where it was used however students liked (as well as taking quizzes).<\/p>\n
In other words: the problem wasn’t USE of technology. It was MISUSE of technology.<\/p>\n
Here again, I think this insight brings us back to teacher judgment.<\/p>\n
Should you ban technology from your classroom?<\/p>\n
If the topic you’re covering doesn’t benefit from technology, then you have plenty of reasons to do so.<\/p>\n
But, if you’ve got some great way to enhance instruction with technology–and you can monitor their technology use as G&K did<\/strong>–then you might get the same benefits that Glass and Kang’s students did when they took those quizzes on laptops.<\/p>\nResearch guidance can shape our thinking. And, we should always blend it with our own experience and classroom skill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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