Homework & Multi-Tasking?

Ah homework! One of the mysteries of the Universe. Too much, not enough, pointless, practice...and so the argument goes on. In a recent health class we attempted to sort through the tangle of stress, anxiety and mental health… and HOMEWORK came up! How could it not in an era where students are absolutely convinced they have more than anyone in the history of the world?!?

We set to the task of laying out exactly what each student’s typical week schedule looks like--with one stipulation. Color code obligations versus choice. Several great discussions came up on what is an obligation or a choice, and could it be one for someone and the other for someone else? And where do we categorize homework?

What if you chose to socialize during your study hall which added an extra hour to your homework load at night? Wouldn’t that be a choice?

What if you chose to do your homework with your phone in front of you and attempted to multi-task? Might that cost an extra hour as well? And wouldn’t that be a choice?

In an exploration of multi-tasking, students were challenged to play a 12 card game of memory while counting backwards from 100. A partner was assigned to time & observe mistakes. In a second round students played only the game with a timer.

Which game took longer? You guessed it! The double task game. A vast majority of students took longer to the complete the first game. The students were not surprised; however, they were surprised at the number of and type of mistakes their peers made. Mistakes such as flipping cards randomly and missing matches while focusing on counting, as well as skipping numbers, losing count, or counting forwards rather than backwards while focusing on matching.

Amused students watched as their dazed & confused partners struggled through the game. Why dazed & confused? Consequently, while attempting to complete the game, players didn’t recognize when or even that they were making mistakes.

Research tells us that “multi-tasking” isn’t possible because the brain typically uses the same sections to perform different tasks. Therefore, it can actually only focus on one thing at a time and has to shift when obligated to perform multiple tasks. Furthermore, the research suggested that it can take up to 15 minutes to focus on the initial task once the brain has shifted to a different one. Trying to do two things at once can reduce efficiency by up to 40% in what is attempted. See Harvard Business Review for more information (https://hbr.org/2010/12/you-cant-multi-task-so-stop-tr).

So the next time you see your poor, dazed and confused teenager struggling with hours of homework, help him or her out! Promise to take care of the phone while he finishes up. If he protests, just remind him that you know a thing or two about caring for someone!