Learning in the Age of Smartphones

Smartphones have made information more 1—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely than ever before. With a few taps, students can look up a word, watch a video lesson, or ask a question in an online forum. For many learners, the phone has become a 2—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely study tool.

However, the same device can also be a major 3—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely. Messages and notifications keep 4—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely up on the screen, and each one pulls attention away from the task at hand. Even after a quick look, it can take several minutes to 5—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely focus. Many students admit that they check their phones 6—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely, sometimes without even realizing it.

One high school class decided to try an 7—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely. For two weeks, students put their phones in a box at the front of the room during self-study time. At first, some felt 8—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely and kept looking toward the box. By the second week, however, most said they could finish their homework faster and remember more of what they had read.

The lesson is not that smartphones are bad. Rather, it is that we should use them 9—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely. Turning off notifications or setting fixed times to check messages can help us stay in 10—A accessibleB anxiousC controlD distractionE experimentF frequentlyG poppingH powerfulI regainJ wisely of our own attention.