A common concern amongst educators is off-task behavior and students who are easily distracted. Educators spend a great deal of time preparing lessons for students. It is normal to become frustrated when students do not remained focused on the activities that we have planned for them.

The Modern Student

Today’s students live in an on-demand culture. Rather than needing to wait each week to see an episode of their favorite sitcom, entire seasons are released on video streaming services at one time. Students can easily change from one song or video to another on a playlist. They scroll through social media feeds quickly until something of interest catches their eye. Is technology to blame? Are students less able to focus than they were in past generations?

Regardless of whether or not students are more distracted than they were in the past, and whether or not technology is to blame, our goal is to do all we can to promote student learning. I encourage educators to take a proactive approach. If we anticipate that student distraction will be a barrier to learning, we can plan ahead to address these challenges.

Honor Variability

Educators often expect all students to engage in a learning environment in the same way. And yet, learners are variable. Just as I would never expect all educators to teach in an identical manner, we validate students when we allow for options in engagement. These strategies may serve to lessen distraction.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) reminds us that we activate the affective networks of the brain when we allow for multiple means of engagement. I spoke with an instructional coach recently. In observing a classroom, this coach discovered that one of his former students got up many times during the lesson to get colored pencils. The teacher being observed continuously redirected the student, asking him to sit down and “pay attention”. To an outsider, the student appeared distracted, unable to focus for an extended period of time. Some may argue that this is due in part to the fact that on media, he can change content at will and lacks attention span. However, the coach indicated that the previous year, this student was allowed to doodle on post-its during instruction. His desk would be covered with post-its, some of which appeared to loosely connect to the content being presented. The coach told me that every time he asked this student questions about the content, the answers were insightful and thorough. Though the student had been doodling on post-its throughout the learning experience, he effectively accessed and comprehended the content of the lesson.

Are the Devices the Distraction?

The aforementioned example reveals the fact that the concept of distraction may be subjective. This is true even of adults in professional learning sessions. This week I sat through an educational collaboration meeting with colleagues. As the presenter was speaking, I found my mind wandering. To combat this, I opened my laptop and began exploring materials that were relevant to the content being presented. For me, this was effective. Fortunately, I was in a professional learning environment that did not ban electronic devices. As an adult student in situations as such, I have found that I am able to be more present, more engaged with content, if I am able to synthesize learning and make connections using an electronic device.

This is not the case with all individuals. For some, devices are a distraction. I was in a classroom last week in which one student has learned that when he has a mobile phone and/or chromebook nearby, he struggles to stay focused. Self-reflection prompts facilitated by the student’s teacher have led to this conclusion. However, some students in the class use their mobile phones to clarify vocabulary, take pictures of content to refer to at home when studying, and/or use translation apps to increase accessibility to information. As we seek to support students by minimizing threats and distractions, it is vital that we attend to the variability of our learners. We must reject a one-sized fits all approach to UDL guideline 7.3

Seating and Collaboration Arrangements

I have discovered that flexible seating, while at first thought may seem to promote chaos and distraction, can support students (and adults!) who work more effectively at a standing desk, prefer a stool to a chair, enjoy sitting on the floor while reading, or are better able to focus when they sit on an exercise ball. My son came home from middle school one day and told me his teacher had reprimanded him for standing at his desk. He was completing his classwork all the while. Does it matter where or how students choose to engage with content if they are able to express that they have learned? Imagine a student who hears “sit down” or “get back to your desk” throughout the school day. The environment exudes negativity.

Invite Students to Learn

I spoke with a teacher who indicated she had begun her career in education asking students to adhere to seating arrangements and specific behavioral guidelines during the class day. The teacher indicated that she changed her mindset this year and that it has made a difference in the entire culture of her classroom. This teacher has a student who is notorious for not wanting to collaborate with peers and refusing to complete schoolwork. The teacher told me, “It was exhausting to redirect him again and again throughout the day.” She made a change when the student told her one day, “Sometimes I need to be alone. I get irritated with people and I don’t want to say something mean.” The amazing part about this story is that the student is attempting to self-regulate. The student’s motivation for disengaging with peers is not to disobey the teacher, but to prevent conflict with classmates. Now, the teacher has changed her approach. She has placed the student at a single desk where he feels safe apart from his peers. Rather than expressing impatience when the student does not follow her guidance to collaborate with others, she invites the student to participate. She tells me, “When he feels ready, he joins in. I want to create a welcoming environment. And the constant battle was draining.”

Perhaps our digital world is partly to blame for student attention span, perhaps not. Regardless, our focus should be on designing an environment that promotes learning for the students we are called to reach. It is counterproductive to complain about “kids these days”. Rather, let us design learning experiences that meet the needs of the students in our classrooms today. We teach students, not content. Our students’ needs should be at the forefront of our planning, not as an afterthought.