#64: Diving Into Developmental Psych: Going Low-Tech

One of the most common misconceptions that I hear about blended learning is that it is the same thing as virtual or online learning. In reality, there are many days in which my students don't even crack their Chromebooks! Instead, I try to include a variety of learning activities that include both online and offline learning. One of the things that I love about the blended learning model is the flexibility it gives me to differentiate my lessons based on the individual needs of my students-or even based on the needs of a certain class. As we all know, what works for one group of students one year (or even one section of students in the same year) might not work for all of our students. In this post, I'd like to share two lessons with you that can be no-tech or low-tech based on the needs of your students and the resources that you have available to you!

There has been a great deal of research regarding the use of too much technology in the classroom. A 2014 research study by Pamela Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer demonstrated that when students take notes on laptops versus by hand they actually retain less information. There are a number of possible contributing factors responsible for this result, including:

• Students are terrible at multitasking. In fact, we all are! They cannot effectively divide their attention between listening and typing at the same time.
• Speaking of multitasking, merely having a device open divides their attention. They most likely have multiple tabs open and the distractions are plentiful - even for adult learners like me!
• Students can type faster than they write. This means that they are more likely to transcribe their notes and less likely to engage in the summarizing and paraphrasing necessary for deeper processing and increased retention.

Are you interested in learning more about what the research says about these topics? I've posted links at the end of this post.

Based on this research, I made the following changes to my own instruction a few years ago.

• I require my students to complete weekly textbook readings and their notes must be handwritten. I love to use the Cornell note-taking format because it requires the students to engage with their notes by summarizing the information, drawing connections between the concepts, and asking questions to deepen their understanding of the material. It also requires them to revisit their notes on an on-going basis.
• I provide my students with an outline of my lecture notes in the Cornell notes format and ask them to put their devices away during direct instruction. This helps limit potential distractions and provides a model for note taking that they can use in college.
• I require them to submit their notes and assignments electronically on our LMS. This has helped me stay more organized and has eliminated the "I thought I turned that in" discussions. It also helps the students stay more organized. I love seeing them use their Canvas calendars to see what and when assignments are due. 

In addition to taking notes by hand, I love to incorporate low-tech and no-tech lessons into my daily lessons! When the students are in the classroom with me, I want to see their faces. I don't want them buried behind a Chromebook! In addition, a wide variety of activities encourages social interaction between students which, from my perspective, was sorely lacking during remote instruction. I would love to share some low-tech activities that I am including in my unit on Developmental Psychology this year. 

Harlow's Monkey Story Board
For this assignment, I ask the students to read a brief summary of Harry Harlow's experiments on attachment. I use an excerpt from the book 40 Studies that Changed Psychology called "Discovering Love." After reading the summary, I provide them with a 6 panel storyboard and ask them to divide the experiment into sections. For each section, the students are asked to create a title, write a short summary, and provide an illustration about the experiment. The students are given 45 minutes to complete the assignment. We then use what they learned as a springboard for our discussion about attachment the following day.

You can find a copy of my assignment here.
Historical Background Source: Harry Harlow and the Nature of Affection

Moral Dilemmas
The following activity can be completed in class or online, individually or in small groups. For this assignment, I ask the students to grapple with some classic moral dilemmas, including the Trolley Problem and the Heinz Dilemma, as well as current dilemmas that they might face as high school students. I have incorporated an optional tech component to this assignment in the form of a google form so we can compare their responses as a class the next day. This lesson serves as an introduction to Lawerence Kohlberg's theory of moral development. This is a great asynchronous assignment for those of you facing school-closures due to winter weather or other unexpected events.

You can find a copy of this assignment here.

This weekend, I was thrilled to see a follow up to the research that I shared above pop up in my email. As always, the psychology of learning is constantly evolving and Daniel Oppenheimer shared an update and some clarifications regarding his research about note-taking and laptops. You can find his most recent article here. There are in fact many shades of gray in terms of using technology in the classroom. Technology is not bad or good. It all depends on how and why we are using it. Context and purpose matter! You are in control of how you use technology in your classroom. Don't let technology dictate how and when you are teaching. It is merely one tool of many in our teaching toolbox.

I'd love to hear how you balance the use of technology in your own classroom! Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Cori

References

Gonzalez, J. (2018, September 9). Note-Taking: A Research Round Up [web log]. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/note-taking/.

May, C. (2014, June 3). A learning secret: Don't take Notes with a laptop. Scientific American. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/

Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581