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How Distractions Distract from Learning

In my last two posts, I discussed some common problems teachers are seeing in their classrooms. Based on a poll conducted, many teachers say that their students struggle with lack of motivation, distractions, and access to technology, among others. Today I’m going to jump into the problem of distractions.

Distractions have been around since the beginning of time. It’s not a new problem. I do, however, believe that it has become a bigger problem in recent years. Many students have so much going on in their lives that focusing on school is becoming more and more difficult. I also think that technology is playing a role in this increase in lack of attention and focus. Kids become so used to having instant gratification from their screens that focusing on anything for too long becomes difficult. 

There also seems to be a recent increase in the number of kids who struggle with ADD or ADHD. By themselves, these attention disorders make it difficult for students who struggle with them to stay focused and not get distracted. Couple these disorders with any other amount of input from screens or other sensory involved activities, and it seems like the perfect recipe for distractions a plenty! 

Not only does technology play a role in distracting students, but so does every day life. If there are hardships at home, trouble with friends, sports, other academic pursuits, challenges, or deadlines looming, medical concerns, or other extra curricular activities going on, those things can be a cause for distraction. There are a myriad of things that can be the reason behind why a student is distracted. 

A third grade teacher commented, “Many of my students have a hard time maintaining, focus and get distracted by a variety of activities, toys, other students, daydreaming etc.”

Lack of attention and focus can become a big problem for teachers. It’s hard enough to get an entire room of students on task and listening. Add in any outside distractions, and that task becomes even more difficult. Teachers have limited time with their students, and any amount of time spent redirecting and refocusing their students takes away from precious instruction and learning time. Obviously, all teachers plan for some amount of redirection and repeating of instructions, but when it starts to take away from what needs to be happening in a classroom, it becomes a bigger issue. 

One second grade teacher said, “I have noticed a HUGE increase in the amount of redirection I am having to give throughout my day. I truly think most of my time is spent on management and trying to get their attention where I need it. I think this stems from their inability to pay attention (distractions) mixed with a lack of motivation.” 

I won’t sugar coat it and say that you will have 100% of your class focused and on task 100% of the time, because the reality of it is, is that you won’t. There will likely be at least one or two students who will be distracted at any given moment (even if they look like they are paying attention). I think it’s just human nature to get distracted— for some, it doesn’t happen often, and for others, it’s a constant battle. 

What then, are teachers doing to help combat this problem in their classrooms? Redirection is a good strategy to help students get back on track. Some teachers use reward systems such as classroom dollars, table points, reward jars, and so on. 

A grade 7-9 teacher said she tries to make her lessons and assignments as relevant as possible so that students are more likely to stay focused and interested in what they are learning. 

A third grade teacher said, “In our school we’ve been doing mindfulness minutes during our day. We’ve also added in a yoga and mindfulness specialty. We have a wellness center where students can take breaks. In my classroom, I have a take 5 chair for smaller regulation needs.” These small breaks could be useful in helping students re-focus and stay attentive during class. 

Distractions aren’t going to go anywhere anytime soon. They really are just part of life. It’s how we learn to deal with them and re-focus ourselves that matters most. Teachers who experience this problem in their classrooms with their students know just how challenging it can be. But as we try new methods and lean on others for suggestions, we’re bound to find something that will help our students have the best possible chance of learning!

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Lack of Motivation: A Common Struggle in Today’s Classrooms

In my last post, I introduced a poll I conducted, wherein I gathered information regarding common challenges students today are facing. As a reminder, eleven teachers were polled, and 100% of them indicated that lack of motivation was one of the top struggles they see their students face. 81% of them named both distractions and access to technology as other top problems. Teachers were asked to share how they see these problems present in their classrooms, and what they are doing to help their students combat the issues. 

Today, I’ll dive into the number one most common problem: lack of motivation. 

When I created the poll, I was expecting to have lack of motivation be a concern for secondary teachers. What I was surprised to learn, however, is that elementary teachers are experiencing the same problems with their students, too. 

One first grade teacher said, “There are so many students that don’t buy into learning, and they don’t care to learn what they are being taught. I find that this typically either comes because students struggle with a subject or because they are so good at it that they feel bored- even though there is usually still something they need to practice in the lessons.”

A second grade teacher described her experience: “I feel like a lot of students try to pick and choose what they want to care about. If it isn’t a fun activity, it is really hard to get them to participate and pay attention even if it is a necessary skill for them to learn and to be successful.”

Secondary students also struggle with being motivated. One teacher, who teaches grades 7, 8, and 9, remarked, “I see students that are coming to school to earn a grade, rather than coming to school to learn. Very few students see the purpose of learning to grow.”

What is causing this massive lack of motivation among students today? Perhaps many of these students are experiencing difficulties in other areas of their lives, and school has become something they dread rather than look forward to. Maybe students today are so used to getting instant gratification from their various devices that traditional methods of learning just aren’t as exciting for them anymore. Could it even be that students’ schedules are so full that school has become just one more thing on their “I don’t want to do this but have to do this” list? 

Lack of motivation could stem from any number of reasons. But one thing is for certain: motivation is something that students will need to use for the rest of their lives. They have to figure out what drives them and pushes them to learn and get things done… even if it’s doing something they don’t really want to do. I often tell my own children that, “sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do, and that’s ok!”

As a teacher, having students who just aren’t motivated to learn and/or work can be very frustrating. You can’t force a student to learn, and external motivators and rewards will only get you so far. So what do you do, then, when a student loses their motivation? 

The teachers that were polled are doing great things to try and combat lack of motivation in their classrooms. One second grade teacher said, “I try to make my lessons as engaging as I can, but with all new curriculum that is very scripted, it is really hard! I try to talk to them in a more “adult” way and explain why they should care about a certain activity or how I am still using a certain skill in my life as an adult and how they would need it too. I have taken a class on gamification and I have also received my technology endorsement so I try to implement and utilize technology in a meaningful way that engages, but most importantly, helps teach and reinforce. I have a lot of different management tools I implement (class jars, class money, table points, secret students, etc.) to help them stay focused and on task.”

Another teacher, who teaches grades 10-12 shared, “I scaffold or model the tasks and encourage them to develop the skills to learn how to manage these issues for themselves.”

A sixth grade teacher explained, “With the… motivation issues, I push my kids hard and hold them to high expectations… If they choose to sit around at school and waste the time, the assignment doesn’t just disappear. I’m trying to help them see the satisfaction in finishing and doing a good job!”

These are all great ideas! While the ultimate solution has to come from within each student, teachers and other adults and help students see the value in a job well done. Teachers have an incredibly awesome opportunity to help students understand just how powerful their minds can be. Once a student makes up their mind to be motivated and can truly see the value of learning and trying, amazing things start to happen, and the whole world opens up!

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Students and the Challenges They Face

It isn’t a secret that today’s students face many challenges. Many of these challenges are unique to this generation, while others are the same kinds of challenges that students have faced for years. Regardless the challenge, students need support and guidance on how to navigate these problems. I polled eleven teachers over a variety of grade levels to get an idea of what they are seeing in their classrooms, and how they are helping their students face these trying issues. Over the next few posts, I’m going to dive into the results of that poll and share what current teachers are doing in their classrooms to combat these challenges. 

First, a little background on the poll, questions asked, and the basic results.

In my poll, I gave teachers a list of challenges kids today might face, and asked them to check the box next to anything on that list that they see in their classrooms. That list included time management, family hardships, mental health, access to technology (too much or too little), financial strain, inadequate resources, test anxiety, distractions, lack of motivation, procrastination, lack of support at home or school, and inadequate physical care (food insecurity, lack of medical care, poor hygiene, etc.). Teachers were also given space to write any challenges they have seen that were not on my list. 

Then, from the boxes that they checked, I asked teachers to list the top three challenges they see in their classrooms, and explain what specifically they see happening. I then asked teachers to explain what is being done in general (by state, district, school, etc.) to combat these problems, and what they are specifically doing with their own students to alleviate these challenges. 

It was interesting to see the results of the poll. Problems I assumed would be more common turned out to not really even be a concern to most teachers, and problems I assumed wouldn’t be a big deal turned out to be bigger problems than I thought. I learned that certain issues aren’t confined to one particular age demographic, and that students of all grades and ages are experiencing many of the same challenges. 

So what did the teachers say? 

Of the teachers polled, an astounding 100% of them listed lack of motivation as one of the top challenges students today face! Coming in tied for second place, was 81% of teachers indicating that their students struggled with distractions and access to technology. 

Come along as I explore these results a little deeper and figure out what can be done to help today’s kids rise above and face these challenges!

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2024 Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: Elia Woods

We’re reached the end of our 2024 scholarship winner spotlights. You can find out more about our other winners by clicking on their names: Jack, Thrisha, Sahana, and Josephine. Last, but certainly not least, we have Elia Woods, who created The Recycling Project, which is aimed to provide better water accessibility to homeless and other underserved populations. 

Elia described what made this project come about, “One day, when my mom and I were volunteering at Paz de Cristo, a local homeless charity, we noticed a problem.  While dinner was being served, we noticed that many of those in need were using old Circle K cups or crinkled plastic water bottles for their drinking water. They were then coming back to the water dispenser several times to refill small styro-foam coffee cups and old disposable bottles. They clearly did not have a durable solution to store/drink water outside of the shelter.” 

When she realized it was a problem at one homeless shelter, Elia realized it was likely a problem at other shelters as well, and that she could do something to help. Her solution for this was to place donation bins in various businesses in the community. There, people could donate new or used reusable water bottles. Elia would then collect the water bottles, wash them, then donate them to those in need. 

These donations would help to alleviate the problem of poor quality water containers while also reducing the use of single use plastic water bottles. In 2022, Elia was able to collect and donate 678 reusable water bottles, and in 2023, she was able to collect over 1,500! What an amazing impact this project has had.

You can find Elia’s website here to read more.

Way to go, Elia!

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2024 Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: Josephine Gardiner

We’re continuing our spotlights of our 2024 scholarship winners. You can read our other spotlight posts here, here, and here. 

Today’s spotlight is on Josephine Gardiner, whose aim is to provide free swim lessons to underprivileged and underserved children. Josephine grew up swimming and on swim teams, and feels very comfortable in and around the water. As she watched her classmates and others swim, she realized that not everyone was as confident in water as she was. 

Thus, her project, “Pool Panthers” was born. Josephine’s overall goal was to “improve water safety and wellbeing for youth and teens in under-resourced communities.” To achieve this goal, she plans to teaching basic floating and swimming skills, teaching children how to use swim equipment, helping children understand water safety skills, educating parents and guardians how to be effective water watchers, and promoting a fun water environment while also encouraging children to love water while being safe in it. 

Josephine planned to hold lessons at low-income housing complexes, alleviating the problem of how children would travel to their swim lessons. She used Red Cross trained volunteer instructors and life guards, and would hold multiple lessons at the same location so as to reach as many kids as possible. She also made sure to cater to all skills and comfort levels. 

By providing these free lessons, Josephine has been able to promote a safe relationship with water while still allowing for children to have fun and get use out of their community pools. 

You can find her on Instagram @poolpanthersswim

Great work, Josephine!

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2024 Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: Sahana Gupta

Today we continue our spotlights on our 2024 scholarship recipients. You can read about our other winners here and here.

Our spotlight today is on Sahana Gupta. Sahana came to realize that while many children in foster care had their basic needs taken care of, extra “wants” were often overlooked. She set out to create a positive birthday memory for children in the Charlottesville Attention Foster Family by baking, decorating, and delivering personalized birthday cakes. 

Her goals include to expand her project beyond the foster care system to serving other children in need, as well as creating partnerships with bakeries and children’s organizations to maximize the reach of her project. 

Sahana had all the resources at her own home, and was able to get cakes made and delivered easily, which allowed for her to get her idea up and going quickly and effectively. You can check out her website Hani’s Heroes for more information. 

As someone who has had a cousin and a niece adopted into my family out of foster care, I absolutely love this project and the thought and consideration Sahana put into the children who are in foster care. It’s an important work, for sure!

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2024 Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: Thrisha Kalpatthi

Every year, we award five $10,000 scholarships to graduation seniors who have created and put into action a program of some kind to give back to and help their community. Our 2024 winners worked hard to do just that. You can check out our top winner here. We’d also like to take the opportunity to spotlight the other four winners! 

Today’s spotlight is on Thrisha Kalpatthi, who launched Pittsburgh Metro Math.

From her early grade school years, Thrisha has been involved in competitive math. As she got older, she noticed a lack of diversity in those competitions. She began to see that most competitions were geared toward students who had more experience and who had sharpened their math skills with the use of coaches and other prepatory materials. Students who did not have access to those extra resources often left competitions without awards and feeling discouraged. This outcome would sometimes lead to those students losing confidence and interest in math. Thrisha realized that it would be incredibly beneficial to create “an inclusive environment that would foster talent among all aspiring mathematicians.”

Using her own experience and knowledge about mathematic competitions and creative problem solving, Thrisha set out to find a way to help these aspiring mathematicians. Together with her sister, she designed, organized, and launched the Pittsburgh Metro Math Competition. In order to make this happen, she secured scholarships, created competition questions, and gathered volunteers. She held two competitions with great success, and even raised $1500 for the Brashear Association, a non-profit organization in her community. She is also working on launching weekly math classes, hoping to equip students with the knowledge needed to compete and excel in higher level competitions. 

Good work, Thrisha! I love this project and the positive impact it has had on students and the interest in mathematics that it has generated for students in her area.