Three of factors limiting tenacity in students are: Fatigue, Personal Expectations and Social Media.
How are you seeing a lack of tenacity and optimism impacting your students?
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Three of factors limiting tenacity in students are: Fatigue, Personal Expectations and Social Media.
How are you seeing a lack of tenacity and optimism impacting your students?
The lack of tenacity/resilience in our students is impacting their learning. The need for constant positive feedback, ‘likes ‘ on social media and the continual need to have others verify their existence daily through social media has, in many cases had a detrimental effect on many individuals within the classroom. Those who are not ‘liked’ in this setting struggle within the classroom and often are reluctant to contribute and show their skill. It is also interesting to look at those students who consistently arrive late to school, missing vital content within the classroom and disrupting the continuity of their learning. Late nights are often the cause and these students are often tired and cannot concentrate fully during lessons.
A late start to school has a HUGE impact on their day- why would they try if they missed so much already! I agree that this is a big factor to lack of motivation/resilience and tenacity.
The lack of resilience in our students is of real concern. Their inability to deal with every day setbacks either at school or in the social?home life without the need to get support immediately from their peers through social media or direct contact is a worry.
For some children this lack of resilience can be something as simple as “I don’t want to play today with you”. Then we see meltdown behaviour from the child and sometimes even the parent. Parents don’t held with the constant tendency to swoop in and fix, instead of letting children sort it out for awhile and develop some skills/resilience.
The lack of Tenacity is impacting our students by the constant need for approval or to be ‘liked’. This has been discussed with some of the students attending school at the moment. I asked them if they were completing more work now than when all students were at school, they answered after thought that they didn’t have to ‘perform’ in front of their peers to gain attention etc. So their own personal expectations were questioned, and I think this was a good reflective conversation to have. We will see soon how many students and adults are optimistic and hopefully this time of isolation will teach more tenacity to our students.
During remote learning we saw students who don’t demonstrate tenacity or focus when f2f do fabulous things at home, online, with self direction and intrinsic motivation… how can we transfer this into our daily school settings?
Some students feel they can’t do something after just one attempt and see this as a fixed and permanent thing. When I sit and re-explain a task and take them through a step-by-step process they might be reluctant to engage but may eventually see the value of effort and intrinsic reward when pushed. Students often wont even check their understanding of what is expected and therefore feel failures without attempting the actual task. There is a lot of effort on the part of the teacher required!
Many students will submit work of a low standard, with the hope that the time-poor teacher will ignore the task and move on to something else. Tenacity is certainly a thing of the past for many students.
I think a lack of tenacity and optimism can make it difficult for some students to ‘get going’. There can be that belief that everything is too hard and so why bother. I also think that many students lack the ability to see a challenge as a chance to improve themselves. Instead they imagine the negative results that might come from facing a challenge as opposed to what they could gain by challenging themselves. Social media has a lot to answer for! It has set our kids up to believe they have to live up to unrealistic expectations. They should be taught that what is important in life is making the best of yourself, and discouraged from comparing everything they say, do and have to some manufactured idea of happiness and fulfillment.
Some students are optimistic and have the tenacity to see setbacks as an opportunity to grow and learn and actually have an inspiring way of effecting other students around them to do better. I think there is always a proportion of students who ‘catastrophise’ every thing, they blame themselves or the people around them for the circumstances they are experiencing. These students need coaching and mentoring to be able to change their way of thinking, something that may not happen in the time you are teaching that student. Ceasing a moment when a student is demonstrating quality traits and using them as an example is essential and needs to be done from an early age so that we can increase the chances of assisting students to model and develop the qualities of tenacity and optimism.
I agree, Alex. I believe it is important for us as teachers to set an example for students by displaying optimism and tenacity ourselves. It is also important to notice when students do display these traits themselves and to encourage and support them to continue to do so.
Great point Laura. And that teachers can get something wrong and we are modelling how we can move on from that.
I always say to students who have made poor choices with their behaviour that everyone makes mistakes but it is how you deal with the consequences that is important. I liked the description of how optimists deal with setbacks too. It is important to see most setbacks a temporary and then to move on.
Giving up before starting, sometimes before knowing what is even required. Sometimes I feel that students are there to be entertained and that it is the responsibility of the teacher or parent to take on. When it comes to their part to play they are too tired, or just don’t think it will help them, so what’s the point. Fatigue is playing a huge part in their inability to persist and my feeling is that goes the same for parents as well.
I agree David, fatigue is having a huge impact on education and students struggle to concentrate and engage in lessons as a result. Switching off devices at a reasonable hour and ensuring that they are out of reach for the remainder of the evening would only have a positive impact on students currently struggling. The entertainment factor of our job would maybe not be as important in trying to engage our students.
An ability to self-sooth, and sometimes self regulate is becoming poor. Students seek self-help groups from their peers who are experiencing similar concerns and then they perpetuate and exacerbate the issue. A lack of self awareness at times impacts their tenacity, but especially their optimism. Wellbeing Teams and that “one teacher” many students have a connection with have play an important role in bolstering students and making them feel valued.
You’re totally right, connection is crucial in helping to bolster students, and ensuring that their outlook and expectations of work and life is realistic.
it will be interesting to see how many students are optimistic our students are once they return to school after covid virus
It certainly will be, Mick. It can be very difficult to maintain optimism when it feels like the world is collapsing around you. Perhaps this will have to be something we work through as teacher and students in the coming months!
It certainly will. It will truly teat the resilience and mindset.
I was thinking the same thing about students and staff.
I’m already noticing an impact with my 17 year old son. He sees his universe as the friends he has in school, not his schoolwork or his outcomes. Being made to stay home and not interact with his peers has created depression, complete lack of motivation, and antipathy about school work.
I am sure they will have a different mindset about life and their future – hopefully stronger for it.
We held 2 year meetings via zoom yesterday. The difference was startling. year 12 was focused, positive, grateful and ready to give everything a go. Year 11 saw it as a game changer, no point in trying, just muck up. it was amazing to see the difference a year makes.
Yes. I think students will have had practice at home to be optimistic, dealing with boredom and disappointment. I am hopefully that they will see that “it will pass” and can move on.
After our first week back I was pleasantly surprised how well our students returned. I think they were happy for an aspect of their lives to be normal. I thought their may be a change in their resilience and grit. So proud of them all- what a challenging time
I would like to see the internet deactivated for students at !0.00 pm.Then we would see a change with students getting quality sleep. Maybe there could be an age limit as to when you can own a mobile phone.
I agree
me too it would be great, they would then get more sleep hopefully.
This is a great idea which I tried to do with my teenagers. They quickly found ways around this, creative lot they are!!
Having a way to stop them accessing the internet at night would be a god send I have tried over the years to get parents to lock up their devices after bed time
Although a great idea Steve I doubt that this is something that will occur with many students. Parents often struggle in enforcing this type of thing and, as Heidi said, they find ways around this. It is probably a more important thing to try to educate the students around time away from technology which can allow them to focus on other areas.
Not only has social media set people up for unrealistic expectations leading to a sense of worthlessness and doubt, but in recent years there has been a trend that romanticises depression. I see the impact not only in how often memes relate to depression, but how often people joke about these things, and there has become a strange idea that it is cool to be depressed online.
The point made about students on their devices until late is very true, I remember doing it myself at high school and I am sure the issue is only getting worse. Where you go to sleep because you can’t physically stay awake any longer. Sleep is so important like he said, but it is not given the importance it needs.
There are many students in any classroom turn up with nothing in their fuel tank for the day because they have nothing in their belly since last night, possibly Maccas. They are so tired by lunchtime and not prepared at all for learning.
You’re so right, they’re running on empty and the bare minimum is beyond them because of it.
I find myself watching some students who enter my classroom looking cranky or just plain lay their heads on the desk. I wonder how we as educators and as parents encourage balanced time management in our teenagers’ commitments to their education, casual work, sporting commitments etc. Many kids are definitely not getting enough sleep and we need to redress this.
You’re right, but it seems like they don’t want to get enough sleep. They complain about being tired and not having enough time to do things but I wonder how many of them sit down and scrutinise their schedule, taking into account the amount of time they waste.
Fatigue is definitely a big issue here. So many students will admit to staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning (even later sometimes) playing games or just on their phones. It is astounding that they are able to function at all on so little slep and certainly explains in large part why they are often so lethargic and unfocused in class.
I have heard comments from students that they played their XBox or …. or…. until 2 o,clock last night. How could you possibly operate effectively for learning.
large number of our students try to overcome fatigue using energy drinks
I have too had many conversations with my students around the long hours into the morning they have been gaming and on social media.
Young children are also suffering from fatigue due to late night screen time.
Very true Barton, it seems to be the new norm doesn’t it? I was talking to a friend whose parents confiscate all devices at 9pm and the kids have tried so many things to get them back and complain that “they are the only parents who do this and it’s so unfair”. I think as parents we need to get more tough and ensure that we are removing devices so that fatigue is not an issue because of the devices.
I feel I am continually saying “have another go”, try again”. It’s a constant struggle to get them to try a second or third time, they just want the right answer. And they are very happy to copy from the board, because its easy and not challenging.
Definitely, its crazy how many students just want to uncritically copy notes off the board instead of engaging in any sort of higher-order thinking. Very concerning implications for how they will be able to critically digest and respond to media as adults.
I agree Kelly and Barton. Many kids (not all) but many will copy from the board because it’s ‘busy work’ requiring little actual enquiry as to the information they’re copying. This is not their fault but there are so many factors this course is touching on that makes sense of this behaviour. Whenever I can, I teach Orwell’s Animal Farm and try to encourage kids to not be ‘sheep’ but actually critically examine power structures that affect us all.
They don’t want to fail and they are very lazy to attempt something that they might get wrong.
Fatigue plays a huge role. When students fall asleep in class, I ask them what time they went to bed. Often, they’re staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning gaming or on their phones. With so much research into the way that blue light affects our eyes, it’s not wonder they can’t stay awake in class! Another gut reaction for many students is, “I can’t do this.” They see other students achieving, and they assume that it comes naturally. But they don’t know that perhaps those students are practicing the skill at home, and perhaps that is why is seems so effortless.
I’ve seen that too, students just decide they can’t do it. I’ve even taught fixed and growth mindset explicitly and then had students in Maths say, I just can’t do it.
I agree, fatigue is huge, and the inability to see the hard work behind students who can perform with seeming effortlessness. I wonder if its linked to the unrealistic expectations of life based on only seeing the heavily curated representation of peoples social media, and not the ‘outtakes’. Possibly suggestive of a cultural shift towards surface level rather than in-depth thinking.
I have seen a lack of tenacity and optimism all too often! Many lack the want to push themselves further. “Near enough is good enough’ attitude as well as the ‘its boring’. I guess the high visual stimulus used today is not helping the situation. Social media plays a huge part as discussed in the video.
i have found that some students claim they “can’t’ do something after just one attempt and see this as a fixed and permanent thing. When I sit and re-explain a task and take them through a step-by-step process they might be reluctant to engage but may eventually see the value of effort and intrinsic reward when pushed. There is a lot of effort on the part of the teacher required!
Definitely. I think a lot of it has to do with what he said in the video: the idea that if everybody else seems capable, but I can’t do it…then there must be something wrong with me. But what they might not realise is that students may be practicing this skill at home, but because they can’t see this, they assume something is wrong with them, and it’s sometimes difficult to get them to even TRY.
The constant use of devices by students and the fear they express when it may be removed has led to a dependence on social gratification in an instant from their friends and indeed total strangers. Their ability to accept when “life happens” becomes flawed as their”friends” on social media reaffirm to them that it is not their fault…this does not build tenacity or indeed resilience.
Yes the comments they make to each other is often very supportive, how good they look, or it wasn’t their fault and then issues become very polarised, you take one side or the other. It’s hard to accept that life happens when friends are backing you up and saying it wasn’t your fault.
I agree, having to constantly check for affirmation from friends and strangers is destroying their resilience
Fatigue seems to be a major concern- lack of concentration, falling asleep in class, general depressive states. Lack of optimism hampers a growth mindset
Agree – even some younger children do not seem to getting enough sleep and are on devices from a young age – unsupervised and until late at night. There is a general apathy and lack of ;alertness in these students which is quite alarming to me.
Totally agree Jowen. It is very sad to see the amount of students in a sleepy, depressive state. Sleep is the key and the ‘fear of missing’ something keeps them from shutting down. Students need to start enjoying their own company, love themselves so they can form great relationships, hold empathy and thus develop more of a growth mindset.
The use of mobile phones seems to be responsible for most of the issues identified here. The phones are constantly at hand providing regular and immediate hits or affirmation on social media. At the same time keeping kids up late indulging in their pleasures and making them tired.
However, it has not really affected their tenacity. As any parent who has tried to remove that phone can attest.
A great point on one aspect of tenacity, Steve!
A lack of tenacity and optimism is impacting student’s drive to persist when things are challenging. I am hearing comments from parents such as “he just doesn’t enjoy learning. I don’t understand, we weren’t like this as kids”. Often is is due to a fixed mind set, where the student views setbacks as a personal failure.
With the cohort of students I am currently teaching, social media has had a huge impact on students’ tenacity. I think that instant gratification is huge in this current generation – with social media, they align their self worth with the reactions from their peers, instead of recognising their own potential. This overflows to their school work as well – they are less likely to persist with their work if they are finding it challenging. I have been amazed to see the number of students who are using social media even though they are below the legal age limit (13) to do so.
Yes, along with the idea that nothing is of value unless it has been shared on social media and has been validated by 20+ other people. I myself have been guilty of this at times, where I often think ‘Why am I posting this? Why does it matter to me for other people to see my perfectly poached egg?’
I feel there needs to be some restrictions and monitoring put in place by parents, considering students are accessing social media platforms when they are not yet at the legal age.
I bet your eggs are pretty good though Lily
That’s right and how many times does a parent say ” I just cant get them off their phones, I’ve tried and it just results in an argument.”
Oh you mean the phone you probably bought them and pay the plan for and Wi Fi etc. Just take it from them…. technically its probably yours.
Steven, great point! I am so bamboozled sometimes by parents who won’t confiscate the phone or actually ring their children in class!
Agree Fiona. The use of social media in children under the legal age is of concern. The creates a need for extrinsic reward in the developing brain and dampens intrinsic motivation to achieve without the feedback/reward loop being triggered all the time.
I think parents are also aware of the negative impact social media has but perhaps they are finding it hard to manage on the home front. It’s easier to give a device then to have continual friction and fighting when a students friends are all using social media and devices, a ‘have not’ mentality can complicate the situation. We then see the negative impact it has at school through students negative language and interactions, a difficult problem to deal with that is becoming more common.
Fatigue plays a large roll on students tenacity as they are always on the go. They don’t have that down time that other generations had. Personal expectations also has a large impact on their learning and overall wellbeing. I believe most students don’t have high exceptions of themselves or their work, which impacts on their ability to complete work to their full potential. Social media plays a massive impact on students learning as it takes time away from learning and influences them negatively.
In another way, what this generation expects of themselves, and sees as the norm is unrealistic and the expectations then stop them from having a go.
Sport can be such a great tool to help people persevere and take risks. You should know that you have to work hard and it is not easy at the right level. It is ruined by not keeping score and giving out trophies. Baseball is a great sport that teaches life lessons where you will fail more than you succeed and the individual needs to be at their best to help their team. You will fail probably 70% of the time but it is how you respond to the challenges and overcome the mental hurdles that make the little bit of success that much better.
Totally agree with your comment Joshua! Another point with team sports, is parents who allow their children to give up when they don’t like it any more. A good response should be to ‘stick it out for the season as it is not about you, you decided to join the team – you can’t let them down!’
To listen to kids talk about devices as though it is the air they breathe makes me shudder. What impact is this happen to the brains of six year olds? Their reality is no longer real and neither are their personal expectations. Perfectionism is stifling, but perfectionism is what they are bombarded with daily.
Great point Liz. I agree. I think social media is having a big impact and is contributing to perfectionist traits in students which then causing students to consistently compare and be less likely to take risk as they have this fear of failing.
I couldn’t agree more with this comment. People give small children a portal to the world and then let them try and work it out for themselves.
Fatigue is a huge issue when it comes to mindset and learning. Who can function and think straight when they are tired all the time? I know I can’t! Using gaming and social media without clear boundaries is an issue facing children at a young age. Children become bored easily and very tired as they get addicted to these things and bed time gets later and later. They then have trouble facing challenges in class and are just too tired to reach their learning potential.
Definitely, but sadly I see it within myself. I became addicted to news updates and coronavirus statistics during the holidays. All this information was fed to me through my phone, and I became attached to it. What a terrible example to set!
Your phone now allows you to see how many times you have picked it up and used it across the day, and I was astounded by my figures over the holidays spent indoors. I have to say, I can’t blame our students for becoming addicted to social media and simultaneously becoming fatigued. When often their adult role models are struggling with the same problem.
The fact that students are struggling to hold onto something properly is astounding. Children with a lack of tenacity are failing to adapt, do not have the tools or skills to be persistent. Because aspects of their life are told to be a certain way ie. on Instagram and in advertisements. Children are constantly comparing their lives to those who look perfect and display their highlight reel and In turn failing to self-motivate. Perseverance is something that does not come natural to young children as they are not taught or put in situations where they can experience these skills.
Very true- the idea of behind the scenes vs highlight reel is excellent. Teaching perseverance can be hard- one student asked if after every ‘critical’ edit on her work i could put a smile face…so she didn’t take it personally
Using devices and social media have become such a large part of young people’s social world. I think that the glamorous portrayal of life on social media sets up unrealistic expectations about how life should be. It encourages people to compete against each other and compare themselves against a false ideal. It also makes people feel that they should always be available, that the world never stops and they never take a break. I think this is one of the reasons why kids stay up at night on devices, because they feel like they need to be involved and connected all the time.
Yes, I absolutely agree. Kids see the “perfect” lives of their peers projected on social media, but they don’t realise that a lot of it is either false, or the result of a lot of hard work. I’m so thankfut that cell phones didn’t exist when I was in school!
As a year 5 teacher new to stage 3, I was surprised to see the amount of students using social media. The amount of issues this was causing was concerning. Students were wanting social media as many of their peers have it. This is extremely worrying as students do not understand the negative consequences of social media and are consistently comparing themselves to each other. I also do agree with the comments linking screen time with fatigue.
I agree Tara. I also found it very surprising at the amount of my students using social media.
I strongly agree that with older students, social media has a strong impact on tenacity, which then impacts their fatigue. The down time that older generations once had is now taken over by screen time. They do tend to give up when things get tough. There are few students that strive for their personal best with persistence.
I agree that many students do tend to give up when things get tough. Resilience is an extremely important skill and it is essential that students get taught the skills and strategies to help them bounce back when they experience set backs.
Well said Sky. I think it’s sad that our student don’t have any down time and given up when anything gets tough.
I’m seeing a consistent lack of tenacity from the same students. While most students are self-motivated and optimistic, there are definitely a small group who are consistently fatigued. As a result, these students have a lack of tenacity and optimism. I don’t think they’re aware of the impact this has on their learning.
Yes Ben, it is quite sad how many children come to school tired and fatigued at the start of the day.
I agree with you Ben. The number one thing I noticed when returning to the classroom after 11 years was the amount of children with mental health issues. And so many of them stand out as fatigued. And then there are the achievers who have boundless energy and positivity.
A lot of articles have been written about the pioneering IT workers in Silicon Valley in the US that send their children to low technology schools. They want play-based learning not on a screen and argue that they make the technology so easy to use that they don’t need to learn about it as young children. Finland has multiple opportunities to play outside each day and were some of my favourite memories of growing up. Protecting our children so much from risky play needs to come back. We warn of the dangers of online gaming and social media, but are less likely to prevent them from using it. Gaming and social media can be great and I enjoy both but how do we manage it effectively so that it does not burden our students in other areas. The recent isolation has lead to my daughter riding her bike more than ever which reminded me of my childhood. I hope this remains as we return to a more regular world.
Definitely having a balance between gaming/social media and some physical activities can be beneficial for children. I don’t think children should miss out but be shown the positives and negatives.
I think for our students to embrace their learning with tenacity and optimism they first need to understand that they contribute to their own success. By owning and taking control of their learning with the guidance of their families and school they can have a greater impact on their own learning journey. Using technology and devices as tools rather than toys can help instill that personal motivation going forward.
It follows along with the messages when we ask students who is responsible for your behaviour and many know the answer is them but won’t be motivated all the time to do so. It is tough to break bad habits and ingrained culture, it needs to be encouraged as a key priority that students take responsibility for their learning. Great point that technology is a tool and what they can achieve with it is amazing.
I agree. Students need to be taught the skills to persevere and take control of their own learning. They need tailored tools to promote personal motivation at school.
I agree with this Scott…we need to use the devices with our students as a means to accomplishing tasks…not just as a distraction/escape from reality. That way we are acknowledging their use but in a measured way.
Fatigue is such a huge issue. Students are always tired. When asked why they have been watching TV or playing games. Social media with the older students again leads to that fatigue, where they just won’t or can’t get off their devices and have a rest or go to bed. The personal expectation of “life wasn’t meant to be easy” is what I grew up with and now that expectation of “life is meant to be easy” can create a huge difference in how we see the world , our lives and what we achieve.
That’s right Lisa! Nothing in life is guaranteed and it certainly wont be easy. No one wants to see generations of students being set up to fail.
Really good points, Lisa. It seems students don’t have the level of self-control needed to put their devices down at night or limit their screen time.
I am always surprised by the number of students who are fatigued at school, whether that be from late (or no) bedtimes, an overload of activities after school or who do not have a reason why they feel tired, but “just are”!
I strongly believe that all three factors limiting tenacity in students being: fatigue, personal expectations and social media are all linked with one another. So much time is being spent by children on social media. In saying this, often children find themselves lacking sleep as they would rather be on social media than getting rest. Due to students often being up late on social media or gaming, it is leading to fatigue in the classroom. This is becoming a big issue as students often switch off during class time, stating that they’re too tired due to lack of sleep.
Yes Tania, I agree that social media can effect our students and even in the primary school. It is not just the high schoolers.
Well said, Tania. Children lack the awareness needed to limit themselves.
In particular I am seeing the significant impact of fatigue on students and their learning and daily coping mechanisms. As early as 9.30 some students are yawning & taking breaks to rest their heads on their desks and are verbalising “I’m so tired.”. It is usually because they do not have a specific routine to get a good nights sleep or due to having devices like ipads beside them in their bedroom which lures them into the temptation of using it when they should be sleeping. Such a difficult issue in which I largely feel powerless over as a teacher yet I am confronted with daily learning/coping issues associated with fatigue.
It is amazing how late bedtimes are nowadays. I remember being tired by 7:30 pm and usually well asleep by 8 and 8:30 was allowed on Friday. I have seen it myself when I use the iPad and time flies by without me realising. Too many kids are experiencing such late nights regularly. How can they be so tired and it prevents them from learning effectively at school, technology seems to be a great babysitter. The technology is their way of socialising which is so removed from what I would deem as socialising. Witnessing the amount of messages on my daughter’s tech devices I don’t know how she keeps up. No wonder they feel down when comparing to others.
Great points Belinda. I totally agree with you. Students are coming to school complaining about the lack of sleep they got the previous night. I think it is important that as teachers, we encourage these particular students that success is based around how you deal with these issues and how to continue on with the day doing the best they possible can.
I like your point about routine Belinda! The sooner kids are working in structured and disciplined routines can only enhance the learning experience.
With 21st century learners, when it comes to academic achievement, ability is not merely enough. Strategies and mindsets for overcoming obstacles and learning and growing over the long-term is also required. I believe that many students who have the capacity to achieve at high levels are unable to do so as they lack these levels of tenacity and optimism. Personal expectations and social media play a major role in the mindsets and lack of tenacity that our students possess. When students experience difficulty grasping a concept or they get something wrong, many of them take a pessimistic approach and will put it down to a personal failure or flaw. Students don’t have the patience and don’t persevere in taking the time to figure out what went wrong, how it went wrong and how they can fix it, yet rather opt to take the easy road out.
Encouraging students to be more patient and persevere is embedded into daily classroom lessons. They can be very difficult values to teach.
Absolutely. Children can often have amazing academic abilities, however lack skills in which cannot be read in a book or directly taught by a teacher. Some skills need to be learnt personally through exposure and experience.
The students I work with this year have not fully entered the world of social media, however, play online games with their peers and shadow in their parents use of the technology. They often use associated lingo and jargon and will often try to replicate online gaming in the playground or creative play opportunities.
Working with younger grades the world of social media is not such a huge problem as it is for older students. However I agree that playing online games certainly impacts their concentration and focus
It is very common and getting younger and younger. In line with this is fatigue as students are tired from staying up late on their screens and often don’t have set boundaries. It can impact negatively on their daily learning and their social skills.
I think it is really difficult to balance the need for children to become confident and competent users of technology, with the need to limit screen time. We don’t understand how technology will shape our future yet, but we are trying to help children build the skills they will need in this unknown future.
Limiting phone use seems to be an uphill battle. Parents have no control obviously if kids phones are on and under their pillow overnight. Parents are also giving phones/devices to kids at a younger age which is a worry. We might have to think laterally to overcome the fatigue and social media issues as phones are such an integral part of young peoples lives, I can’t see them putting the phones down anytime soon.
I agree Carla- these issues with phones/social media & fatigue are largely parenting issues and responsibilities. Yet we are expected to educate these students & support & stretch them to reach their potential. It is literally a daily battle !!
Limiting phone use with children starts with the parents. Parents must model less screen time in their own house as the first step in this “uphill battle”.
So true, Carla. They seem to have a permanent connection. Unfortunately, it is not just the younger generation, though. Look around the staff room and people’s dependence on their devices.
You’re right Carla, many parents find it easier to say yes than to discipline and regulate the use of mobile phones. The children that do have rules around their screen time are usually the ones that are more focused during the school day.
I did a course on the difference between Optimism and Positivity and Pessimism and Negativity. I’m positive I left it somewhere safe, I’ll find it eventually. Just as Micheal said they see needing effort as personal failure. Very difficult to engage the pessimistic, giving up non-engageable student as they see every attempt as more evidence of their characters’ failings. The key may be persistence and showing you care.
Yes. Relationships, relationships, relationships. And ongoing modelling of tenacity, resilience and grit through our own tiredness, challenges and learning…
So true Jacqui. It is a marathon that we need to invest in , in order to chip away at the fixed mindset and pessimistic attitude. Relationship, the nature of our interactions with these students and abounding kindness and perseverance is critical. Then we celebrate the small changes we see along the way with these students!
Yes! I definitely think our constant awarding for participation or celebrating completing the bare minimum has an impact on students’ view of effort as failure. Just because something is difficult, does not mean that it is incorrect!
Fatigue and Social Media are definitely linked. Students come to school very tired, yawning and some will openly admit they have been gaming or on social media most of the night. Students have fallen asleep in class. They have the instant gratification mentality that technology and social media give them and many find school dull and boring and complain that content is not relevant to their lives.
Completely addicted to the stream of feedback from peers and frightened of missing out. Interesting what they think when they start working eg Coles and can’t have ph until after their shift ends.
That will change now with the COVID app – everyone is supposed to have their phone on them or it won’t work. Its an uphill battle when the govt is telling everyone to use their phone constantly.
Mobile phones have a lot to answer for, I think it would be worth our while to trial a ban on mobile phones during school hours to see if students have a more positive outlook and approach to school work. If parents were able to step up to the plate and set parameters at home (like no phones after 10pm) we could limit all 3 of the factors that impact their tenacity.
I wonder whether there is already data on this somewhere..? There are schools that have banned mobile phones. It would be interesting to know the outcome.
Lack of tenacity and optimism within some students is definitely impacted by fatigue, personal expectations and social media. As technology has advanced to the point where almost every student has a personal device connected to the internet, social media in particular has taken hold of our students attention and as a consequence their motivation towards other endevours such as school are put aside as they struggle to disconnect. More often, I am identifying students who are physically and mentally fatigued by either mobile phone use or gaming.
Absolutely Chris.When you think about it schools can be a really powerful influence to help students develop real relationships with actual real human beings (when we get back to teaching face to face that is!) as so much of their lives are online.
I agree, Chris. We see it differently in the younger years, but in high school it is an inescapable fact that teachers are constantly dealing with.
Personal expectation has a large impact on a students tenacity and outlook of their own learning and personal growth. They are often too reliant on others around them and don’t take responsibility for their learning. Social Media and time on devices also plays a large role in the way a student approaches their work and their mindset. They don’t see the rewards of improvement of their work as much as winning an online game etc. I expect with the rise of technology, this is only going to become worse.
I agree that students want you to hold their hand through everything they do that is new or challenging and that they are reluctant to take on responsibilities for fear of failing
As a result of late night phone usage and gaming, many students are certainly fatigued. This is often seen through a lack of motivation and enagement as well as yawning. Tiredness results in a lack of persistence and perserverance just as negative personal expectations result in a lack of self determination and interest .
Great point Sally, you have certainly summed up what a lot of our students are like.
the other side of this is when they do get to school and can not concentrate on work because their game is set to needing continual playing and they lose points or levels because they are not playing. This should be illegal for game developers. I believe it is in South Korea.
Well said Sally. What you have stated is evident everyday as students enter the school gates yawning and already complaining about how tired they are. This all comes down to students not having a set routine of a possible bed time and staying up late on social media or gaming. It is important as teachers to remind students how important sleep is as well as how crucial it is to push through the day doing the best they can.
A lack of tenacity is teamed with shortsightedness. Children want results or rewards immediately or fail to see the point in doing so. Highlighting the positive attitudes really assist in students seeing how challenges can be faced in a different way, especially when done by a fellow peer.
That’s true. Students need to understand that with high reward come high risk.
Fatigue and social media are incredibly linked. Students are entering the social media world so young and spending vasts amounts of time on their social media accounts. This has to be affecting the amount of time they are getting rest.
Very true. It would be interesting to see how much ‘screen time’ and average primary school student gets now compared to 20 years ago.
I agree, even before they start using Facebook and Instagram, very young students are playing online games like Roblox without understanding the risks, and often with very little supervision. I do understand that children create social connections through online gaming, but I think they need to understand how to limit their use and be more careful in their online interactions.
Students who are pessimistic often blame others for their failures instead of taking personal responsibility for their actions. We as teachers still need to be as patient as we can with students who do give up easily and give them encouragement to persevere.
We need help students to be optimistic learners rather than pessimistic learners.
Patience and perseverance. Two key features we need to keep at the forefront of our mind as educators.
High school students are definitely impacted by mobile phone use and the “wrapped in cotton wool” personal expectations that have been ingrained in their formative years . This has created a culture of “entitlement” and mobiles have become a barrier to a child’s education, as they flatly refuse to hand them in or to stop using them (quite rudely at times).
They come to school with bags under their eyes, talking about what was happening on social media, and become disengaged so quickly when entering classrooms as their phones come out to “check up on what’s been happening”.
Mobiles need to be banned full stop.