3) How do you set-up your room to control for distraction? (e.g. facilitate latecomers, external noises, seating style)
4) In what ways do you address the topic of distraction and techno-usage (e.g. inform. overload, multi-tasking, saturation, addiction, etc.) either as a topic of conversation, an assignment, or a means for reflection (e.g. media logs)
“I leave a desk/cluster of tables near door for “latecomers.” This way there is less distraction on other students. And I ask them to enter quietly and minimize distraction to others, framed as a problem with figure vs ground. Students are invited to leave class if they need the restroom, etc….I like my classroom to feel more like a salon. Interestingly, students wait for the break. I discuss food “issues” – nothing we can smell or hear you eat! I do allow snacks & drinks.”
“I refuse to each in classes that use small, squeaky desks that even I cannot fit in! This is a social justice issue, very humiliating & distracting. I refuse to subject my students to this. All faculty should protest such seating for students!”
Refuse to teach in places that are highly susceptible to distraction (i.e. Pigott because of the café or Administration because of the leaf blowers in the Spring time)
Dealing with latecomers:
“I’m generally in rooms where I can’t move the tables, or there are those awful seats students can’t get into.”
“There are three and four hour classes, where students need to get up move around, or others where you need a round table for discussion, and that makes it really difficult.”
“In my first class I get students to work in small groups where they talk about pet peeves, and there are some I throw out if they don’t; one of them is punctuality. Personally, I watch the clock to make sure that we start on time. At the beginning of every class I’ll say this person has apologized, they will have to arrive late or leave early, so that established expectation is that you need to let me know when you’ll be late. Using names and involving them in the process, is how I try to get the social glue going, which I see isn’t happening as much anymore. I try to engineer that as much as I can.”
“I tend to just ignore students walking in late, talk a little louder while they seat themselves. I don’t know if my students have thought it’s the best approach. I should ask them.”
“If someone is repeatedly late, there might be many other reasons—mental problems, problems with authority. I had a student tell me once that he just had a problem with authority, and that’s why he never came on time. I just told him that it’s disrespectful and distracting for the rest of the class. We all have to find what works for us.”
“I don’t know if what I’m doing is right half the time.”
Dealing with laptop use in classrooms:
“I would hate to bar the use of computers. A lot of people take notes with their computer. I know SU doesn’t have the money to make the rooms wireless free like other universities.”
“They’re taking notes, and you can’t look at their screen…”
“It felt clear to me that surfing was going on, but you can’t monitor it. On the other hand, people claim that they’re taking notes.”
“I suppose you could have everyone submit their notes to you if they bring a laptop.”
“If the chairs are arranged in such a way that you can walk around and check it out, that works well.” When I taught a U.S. History class a couple years ago, I walked around the room, and lectured, and one person I just stood behind, lecturing and looking, and the screen completely changed. These classes are pretty expensive to just waste on the computer. Damn, you might as well flush your money down the toilet.”
“It’s the same thing with students falling asleep during a movie or power point presentation. On the one hand, it’s like these are young adults and they can make the choice…”
“Well yes, but it’s not just their choice because it’s our classroom, and if its distracting other students we have the right to do something about it.”
“In my classes, if you have to use a laptop or recorder, you have to ask, and there are few cases where I’ll say yes, and few students actually ask. It forces you to take good notes, picking out what is salient what is trivial. Physically writing enhances your recall, in a way that typing does not.”
“Laptops bring extra temptation—let me help you avoid that temptation. Sometimes people need it, then I’m flexible but it’s so rarely the case, and other students seem to like that.”
On cell phones:
“With choir, people are too busy, so that doesn’t happen, but we have had people in the past bring it, and we were just like what are you doing? Put that away! With my music history class, I had it in the syllabus: just put the cell phone away, we have a break, and people were pretty respectful. Students just need boundaries.”
“If a student has a call they need to take, they tell me and I inform the rest of the class, and that helps with irritation.”
“New generations are not any more inclined toward authority, just more inclined to refuse it.”
“When something is based on common sense, like the phone going off being a disturbance, and it not going off helps everyone, and it’s not singling out somebody, it’s better for students to take.”
“I like Mara’s idea of being liberated from the outside world.” ( )
“Right, in a class, we’ve agreed to meet at this time to really focus on this, so let’s do that.”
On Distraction:
“With literature, I teach a form of distraction…”
“With photographers, it is inherently what we do—it’s communication.”
“Addressing this topic of distraction, there is a certain ritualization of preparing focus. There is this ritual of dumping your stuff getting on the risers and doing warm ups. I’m wondering if it’s something that can be worked into the practice of the class. Ritual is good. Something that is done or said that says okay, attend. Like in a classroom when the lights go down you hear the reaction because everyone is like, okay, it’s time to start. Something that’s like a stimulus response, flickering the lights or something.”
“What are the various forms of ritual? Like reflective writing at the start of class, deep breathing, yawning, stretching?”
“I think a review of the last major points is a nice ritual warm up, kept to a short amount of time, seems to get them settled into the focus. They don’t have to recall new materials, they can go back, look through their notes, and settle into the topic at hand.”
“Anything that’s done by the entire group is a good centering thing.”