TACKLING TECHNOLOGY-INDUCED DISTRACTION: IMPLEMENTING CONCENTRATION

STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM

McCormack 1

Tackling Technology-Induced Distraction: Implementing Concentration Strategies in the High

School Classroom

Alison McCormack

Manhattan College Department of Education

TACKLING TECHNOLOGY-INDUCED DISTRACTION: IMPLEMENTING CONCENTRATION
STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM
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ABSTRACT

On multiple occasions, an eleventh grade English Language Arts class at a private school

in the Bronx was observed. There was an abundance of distraction in the classroom brought

about by constant use of technology. However, technology, the root of the diversion, was an

essential part of this classroom as it is to many classrooms universally. This paper proposes 2

different techniques that can easily be implemented into different class sessions to inhibit

technology-induced student distraction.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Throughout the entirety of my fieldwork, I’ve contemplated the extent in which students

seemed to be paying attention to the content being taught. As a student, I can verify that it is not

uncommon to lose concentration every now and then. Whether it be due to a lack of interest in

the topic, fatigue from the long school day, or simply daydreaming, zoning out is commonplace;

especially in an adolescent classroom. Be that as it may, specifically in my current observation of

an eleventh grade English class, I’ve noticed a specific distraction that leads to the lack of

concentration: technology.

This concern is tricky because despite technology being distracting, there are also many

benefits. Students are able to take notes faster, share files efficiently, and communicate with one

another (and the teacher) about assignments outside of class. Therefore, assuming that laptops

are necessary for the class, the following question is posed: How can I grasp students’ attention

to keep them from being distracted by their computers?

DATA
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STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM
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In this particular class, laptops are necessary for many assignments. Students do a lot of

their work through google classroom which allows the teacher to access their work easily and

give quick feedback. However, I notice a lot of students on websites unrelated to class content or

playing games on their computers. One girl in particular I note every week playing sudoku. I

even observed one student working on an essay for another class. These classes are large in size

so it is impossible for the teacher to monitor every student’s laptop at once, especially while

teaching a lesson. I did notice however, that these students were not being engaged by the

teacher in the lesson because a lot of the time they were not prompted to interact in the lesson.

This data started to produce my plan.

EVIDENCE: WHAT HAVE OTHERS FOUND?

Though my observations definitely support the fact that technology can be a distraction to

students from an outsider’s point of view, I was eager to know if the student’s themselves are

aware of this. In his article “The Distraction of Technology in the Classroom,” Sam Goundar set

out to find the extent and purposes for which students are using information and communications

technology during lectures and whether this creates barriers to learning in class (both for

themselves and their classmates). However, he doesn’t just mean this from an outsider/teacher’s

perspective; he requires the students to question their own awareness of the issue. The process of

this study consisted of a survey questionnaire that underwent five rounds of editing in order to

make the questions neutral and remove any bias. The questionnaire was sent out to 115

adolescent students and was completed by 55 of them. The research results “raise serious

concerns about the use of information and communication devices in the classroom” (Goundar

2014). The survey responses find that students admit to spending a substantial amount of time

during lectures using devices for reasons other than learning. The feedback suggests that

technology interferes with student's abilities to pay attention and retain material. Based on these
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STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM
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findings, Goundar suggests that “changes in teaching style will become one of the ways to

manage information and communication device distractions in the classroom,” because “The

devices are in the hands of students and will remain there” ( Goundar 2014). I respect his

suggestion greatly due to the fact that he looks at the teacher for a solution rather than

concluding to punish/scold students. This idea of making changes to teaching style influenced

my plan for my own research.

Technology has shown itself to cause student distraction in the classroom from both

teachers and students’ points of view. So, the question remains, what do we do to gain student

concentration? According to a 2012 study called “Impact of Cold- Calling on Student Voluntary

Participation,” teachers should cold-call on students (Dallimore, Hertenstein, & Platt, 2012).

Cold-calling is simply calling on a student whose hand is not raised, which brings a sense of

responsibility to the classroom. In this study, 632 students were both given a survey and

observed on the basis of cold-calling. The results show that a significantly larger amount of

students participate in a class where the teacher cold-calls a lot. Cold-calling lets the student

know that they are expected to participate, and if they are distracted on their computers, they will

not be able to do that.

The second strategy that works to grasp student attention is providing guided notes.

These are teacher-prepared handouts that leave blanks for students to fill in important facts and

concepts. This ensures that every student is getting the important information they need while

requiring them to pay attention the entire time. A 2009 study done by John Campana called “The

Effectiveness of Using Guided Notes In a High School Classroom” supports the idea that

students perform focus and perform better academically when using guided notes. In his (2009)

study, Campana gave one group of high school students guided notes and gave a second group
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STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM
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completed notes. They were then given three quizzes each week and the results were compared.

Overall, guided notes had a positive effect on the student’s academic performance and they

became “focused and interested” (Campana 34) in the lesson being taught.

DEVISING A PLAN

As the studies show, students are greatly distracted by their own devices (literally) and

they are aware of it. Though teachers are also aware of the distraction, technology has proven

itself to be necessary in the classroom. Therefore, we must turn to the teacher and different

strategies to engage students. It is important to note that it is not effective to simply punish

students for covertly using their laptops to do work that does not belong inside the classroom. As

previously stated, it is not even possible for the teacher to catch each and every student in the act.

Additionally, in my past fieldwork (and in my own high school experience) I have witnessed

students being scolded and punished for incorrect use of technology, and that hardly ever

discourages them from doing it again. Therefore, the goal for this proposal is to be able to grasp

student attention effectively with different methods. These methods will not include punishment

and will not take away class time for those other students who are paying attention.

For this research, I proposed two strategies to implement in order to keep students

attentive while a lesson is being taught that requires laptops. It is crucial to note that the methods

that will be proposed do not focus plainly on technology. This is because not every single student

in the class is being distracted by technology. There are some students who I have observed that

are not on unrelated websites or assignments. For this reason it would be unjust and a poor use of

valuable class time to focus these strategies on only half the class. Rather, they focus on keeping

the attention of all students while still preventing and putting a stop to technology-induced

distraction. The two strategies are as follows:

1. Cold Calling
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2. Guided Notes

Considering there are 2 strategies, the study will take place on two separate days. The

first trial will be wild cold-calling and the second will be with guided-notes. They could occur

concurrently, one day after another although they do not have to. However, it is important that

they are not tested on the same day for proper observation. The goal is to observe each plan

implemented while taking notes on which one works more effectively. Effectiveness will be

based on both verbal participation during the lesson and whether or not they have the appropriate

content on their computer screen. After observing whether or not the strategies are effective or

not, the teacher may decide which strategies they want to continue using.

CONCLUSION

These strategies enable the students to pay attention in order to participate, which keeps

them from wandering on different websites or doing different assignments. They are empirically

supported and intended to actively engage students in their lesson. No class time is wasted

because these strategies can benefit all students while still preventing technology-induced

distraction. None of these strategies call out a specific student which prevents embarrassment or

the feeling that the teacher is singling anyone out. Additionally, all of these strategies promote

comprehension and critical thinking which are necessary skills that need to be employed in an

ELA classroom.

The next step would be to continue to use the most effective method(s) for a longer

period of time. It would be useful to analyze whether this method is consistently successful or if

it is only successful when initially introduced. Additionally, repeating this test on different

classes and students would solidify the results. Moreover, seeing these strategies employed

across different content-areas would also be very useful. The more classes and students that these

methods are tested on will strengthen the legitimacy of these methods.

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STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM
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References

Campana, J. N. (2009). The Effectiveness of Using Guided Notes In a High School Classroom.
St. John Fisher College, 2–39.
Goundar, S. (2014). The distraction of technology in the classroom. Journal of Education &
Human Development, 3(1), 211-229.
Dallimore, E. J., Hertenstein, J. H., & Platt, M. B. (2012). Impact of Cold- Calling on Student
Voluntary Participation . Journal of Management Education, 2–30.