I am surrounded all the time by textbooks being a tutor and teacher at Mohawk Valley Community College. Students buy them for classes and we keep the new editions in our tutoring center; however, it seems like many students only use them to find the homework problems. I run the math lab which provides tutoring for students taking math classes, and many times I have heard "Well why didn't it just say that?". Textbooks can be very difficult to understand and follow, but sometimes I feel that there is something else that they are not getting from the text itself. I try to show them how to read and understand their book so they feel like they haven't wasted their money purchasing their book, but many times they end up looking elsewhere.
According to Gillen and Barton (2010), "A user of the screen who has several windows open at the same time – attending to chat, surfing the internet, listening to sound-as-music, is engaged in forms of ‘attention’ management entirely unlike the withdrawing, reflective modes of reading traditional written text, a mode still encouraged and rewarded in schools." (p.7). I see many of our students engaging in this sort of behavior when working on schoolwork, and so I believe that reading a textbook doesn't have that same comfort. Students can choose what music to play in the background, what sections of educational videos they need to replay to understand a concept, and many other things that make them feel like they are in control of their learning. A textbook is very static and non-conforming, which sometimes even makes me look elsewhere for a better explanation for a student. Students feel more engaged in the material when they feel ownership and can manipulate or control some aspect of it, and a textbook doesn't always allow that. Even ebooks allow you to change the font, background color and number of columns presented. When a student is allowed more freedom, they may feel more inclined to participate in class, and it all begins with the textbook.
References:
Gillen, J., & Barton, D. (2010). Digital literacies: Research briefing for the TLRP-TEL (Teaching and Learning Research Programme - Technology Enhanced Learning). London: ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme.
Hello Breanne.
ReplyDeleteI agree that using newer technology to study and learn is much more stimulating than simply reading in straight text form. I admit I am guilty of having multiple windows open simultaneously while studying. It allows me to keep my mind fresh, as often when simply reading a dense and complicated text one can experience a type of "burnout", and wind up having to read and re-read in order to fully understand the material. Some may say that this current generation is "overstimulated", and having multiple windows open while studying (social media, news, sports, various music streaming sites, etc.) is contributing to this "over-stimulation". I feel that this take is somewhat antiquated, since the current generation is so tech-savvy. We either have to change with the times or stay stuck in the past, wouldn't you agree? I know I see students in my district doing several things at once, including socializing on various social media sites, texting with their parents, reading, and doing schoolwork all at the same time, and it is no issue for them! Amazing how far we've come with new technologies and how quickly the younger generation can adapt to it.
Hi Shawn,
DeleteI too find myself having multiple things going on when I am doing school work or grading papers. I am used to having a lot of activity happening around me, so when it gets quiet I either become bored or tired. I find that sometimes it is easier for me to recall things that I was working on based on songs that I was listening to in the background. I think instead of just assuming that students are not learning, we need to see how this ability to multi-task can be either helping or hindering them and work with it.
Breanne,
ReplyDeleteThat is a very interesting point about how certain songs you were listening to helped you recall previous work. Reading that immediately reminded me of a scene in the show Breaking Bad, the character Gus mentions to the main character Walt about how tasting and smelling certain food triggers memories as far back as childhood. Walt goes on to explain the science behind this phenomenon, how a certain smell or taste sets off sensors in the brain which dig up old memories stored away, not ever thought of until one of these stimuli triggers them. That would be a fascinating thing to study, and we can relate it to our experiences as educators. I'm sure students have used this to recall topics they discussed in class or studied in readings and homework, especially with the use of music as you talked about. Very interesting indeed!