Helping students and educators minimize digital distraction and maximize learning

It’s easy to become distracted in a classroom setting when a tempting digital device is within sight.

This distraction permeates all areas of modern life — at home, at work, in the classroom and out in the world — and it’s challenging to learn to manage technology use to stay focused and productive. Even though this kind of distraction is relatively new in the grand scheme of things, there’s already plenty of scientific data that shows distraction due to technology use can have consequences on educational, social and emotional development.

In 2018–2019, Sarah Barclay, Middle Division ICT integrator and design teacher, and Lara Jensen, former ICT Integrator and design teacher, wanted to learn more about the issue to see if they could help improve concentration and engaged learning in the classroom setting. 

The Principal’s Innovation Fund supported Barclay and Jensen’s proposal. The first step was to assess the level of distraction currently experienced by teachers and students. Barclay and Jensen surveyed almost all Prep faculty and all students from Year 4 to Year 7 (44 Prep faculty and a total of 256 students). 

Barclay says of the survey results, “There wasn't just one single takeaway. Both teachers and students noted that a lack of self-control was a major contributing factor, but for other people, engaging work and email were also high contributors. Our biggest learning was that teachers and students needed to be educated about strategies for managing distractions in the classroom.”

To address these concerns, Barclay and Jensen sourced and promoted a screen-monitoring tool that teachers could use to follow what their students were doing on their computers while in the classroom. The program tracks which tabs are active, so when an educator discovers that a student is off-course in the digital world, they can help redirect the student to stay focused. As Barclay notes, “It's a tough skill to learn!”

Barclay and Jensen also developed infographics to help teachers and students with new patterns of behaviour to try and stay focused and avoid device distraction:

 

The infographics incorporate relevant information gathered through the surveys and include easy-to-understand recommendations for staying on task. These infographics are still in circulation at UCC today.

Developing self-management skills is a lifelong journey that can benefit all areas of life, and Barclay and Jensen’s research into device distraction goes a long way in helping UCC students and teachers stay focused on productivity, efficiency and performance at school and out in the world.