Complex thinking and
single-tasking are definitely skills that needs to be taught to this generation
of students. Kids seem to naturally learn how to multi-task and change
mindsets very quickly. You could say that the digital world teaches by
modeling, but it appears as a natural "caught" process.
Single-tasking takes a bit more effort these days. Students are used to
having many stimuli coming their way all throughout the day. However, if we want students to achieve
mastery at critical thinking, we need to teach how to focus on one task at a
time.
Nevertheless,
unbothered focus can be a difficult task to teach. Most students these days do not naturally
engage with complex thinking—they need to be coaxed into it. That is why the open-ended questioning
techniques before reading allow for a purpose and focus for students. Also, as we know, activating prior knowledge
can help spark their brains to what the text is on. Giving a context can help students make sense
of the complex text as they are reading.
One major difficulty with
single-tasking is that in our students’ worlds there is little purpose or
experience with deep, uninterrupted thinking time. Teaching, scaffolding and practicing this
skill will help students achieve success.
We can provide this opportunity within our own classrooms. Thankfully technology can provide wonderful
avenues for communication and deliberation on topics, however we want to be
sure we are providing enough time for students to think of ideas on their
own—not just copy their peer’s opinions.
I agree with all of your comments. Our students do not often have periods of deep uninterrupted thinking and therefore tend to rebel against it unless coaxed into it. I also agree that well crafted, open ended questions are a good way to try to get them to think about the topic on a deeper level.
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