Prioritize Learning

How many things can you do at one time? Fewer than you think. Therefore, I suggest that we must learn to prioritize and always prioritize learning.

Time is limited, no one gets to create more of it. 

To determine what an individual, family, group, or organization values, you only need to look at two things: how they spend their money and how they spend their time. I would argue that time is the more valuable measure of our priorities. Time is limited, no one gets to create more of it. 

What Do You Value?

If someone were to follow you throughout a day or week, what would they learn about your values. Our choices, even if we aren’t happy with them, send a message about what we deem is important and worthwhile.

As an educator, I wanted to give time to discussion, questions, and exploration, but there was so much curriculum to cover and so little time. I understood the value of actively engaging in learning, as opposed to just acquiring and filing away the facts. Too often, we devote class time to noninteractive activities: listening to lectures, doing seat work, completing worksheets. It is easy to prioritize getting something done over learning something of value.

Multitasking

When we feel short of time, we often seek to become more efficient in maximizing our activity and production, getting something done. Doing more and doing it faster is not always better. Increasingly, research is showing this is particularly true as it relates to the concept of multitasking, in other words, the attempt to attend to more than one thing at a time. 

Yes, the brain can carry on more than one activity at a time, such as running and listening to music. However, when it comes to engaging in slightly more complex mental functions, such as processing information or paying attention, the brain actually switches back and forth between activities. This back-and-forth causes mental fatigue; we lose information and make errors. In fact, studies show distraction causes a person to take 50 percent longer to accomplish a task (Ritchhart, 105).

The promise of multitasking is alluring. Students from elementary to high school multitask when doing homework. Astonishingly, up to 80 percent of university students use social media while in class. The result is a negative impact on task completion and memory attainment. 

Deep Learning

Individuals tend to believe they are being just as effective when multitasking. This might be true when it comes to learning for the test. But, we sacrifice “transfer,” a key capacity for learning. Understanding and deep learning are negatively affected. Learners are less likely to be able to extend and extrapolate new knowledge to novel contexts, which is exactly what we want. The generally accepted goal is for learners to be able to apply new skill and knowledge, not just to give back information on a test.

Setting aside time for thinking and reflection is important if students are to learn and grow. This is true for all learners, even adults trying to grow spiritually. In our busy world, there are many distractions, but what we spend our time on says a lot about our values.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:33”

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Growth Mindset.