Deputy Principal

A busy time of year? Re-thinking busy in our efforts to learn.

Busy. Stressed. So much happening right now. These are common responses when asked ‘How are things with you?’ When we feel short of time, we often seek out ways to be more efficient by optimising activity within the constraints of time. However, this doesn’t always give us the desired outcome. The benefits of ‘thinking time’ is a terrific example of why our quest for efficiency can shortchange learning. We really need to turn the tables on the underlying assumption that is prevalent through most organisations, and especially schools, that doing more and doing it faster is better. 

An area called into question is multitasking: the attempt to attend fully to more than one thing at once. Sure, running while listening to music or cooking while watching TV are more than possible. When it comes to engaging in more complex mental functions such as processing information or paying deep attention, there is a requirement to switchback between activities. It’s the switching that causes the mental fatigue picking up the thread that was lost from the previous activity. 

Multitasking has an allure. Studies show that a third of eight to eighteen-year-olds multitask while doing homework. This ‘divided attention’ effects memory. It is the ‘lightbulb moment’ of encoding or taking on new information that matters most for retention of information to occur. When this happens, knowledge is embedded and able to be transferred in various situations or subjects.  When thinking is divided while encoding, students remember information less well or not at all. 

Stress is often linked to being pressed for time. So, we often manage our stress by managing our time. It is not always effective. The available hours in a day do not change. For our students to truly manage their stress, they need to manage their energy. Thinking in terms of energy expenditure – gains and renewals – may help them think differently about their daily schedules and make them less inclined to multitask as they go. 

Questions they could ask themselves include:

How am I spending my energy right now?

How should I be spending my energy now so that it is consistent with my values as a learner?

A way to respond to those questions is to code them:

Green:  I came out of that feeling energised. For the energy I put in, I got a net gain. Time well spent.

Amber: Neutral. It didn’t deplete but I didn’t gain.

Red: That took all my energy. I had to summon resources to get through that.

Naturally, students cannot always be in the green zone. Red will raise its head and most likely when it comes to the deep learning; in exam blocks and as students progress into senior years. So, it is important to build in recovery routines to recharge and renew. Time with friends and family; daydreaming; deep breathing and movement are just some examples.  These moments allow our students to reflect more positively on the time they have. Still busy, but in a far more manageable way boosting their confidence and wellbeing.

Our College models this in some practical ways. Our students in Years 11 and 12 are offered a study line, Elizabeth Hayes lesson on the timetable, to step away from teacher-direction and conduct a deep dive into what they have been learning. Our phone policy helps minimise distractions of multitasking. In our Year 8 Personal Best lessons, our Dean of Middle Years has been offering our students a variety of ways to study effectively in terms that are familiar to them: starting with a warm up by retrieving information and/or skills; conducting the exercise by practising the skills and deepening their understanding; and finishing with a warm down by reflecting and looking ahead. As a Year 8 PB Teacher, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these lessons!

If your daughter comes home from school with a sense of overwhelm with a range of deadlines to manage, help her switch the perceived lack of time to the best use of energy. Naturally, her network of care at Mt A is here for her and your family too. Please reach out.

Every blessing, 

Michelle Licina

Deputy Principal Student Development & Wellbeing

Works Cited

Richart, R. (2015). Creating Cultures of Thinking. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.