*2 years before schools and the educational system were impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic
Make no mistake, the reliance on screens and digital-based learning are part of human evolution—the digital world is also evolving and all of its amazing advancements serve the collection and spread of information. Infinite information at our fingertips… and our student’s fingertips. We are at a fork in the evolutionary road and future generations will feel and live the impact of our current decisions. As a child psychologist and MCPS parent I urge all of us to consider a 3 ingredient recipe for our students.
First, in terms of child development, our students are preprogrammed to go out seeking as much new information as “humanly” possible…. the more information obtained, the better the chances of survival. Students have an overactive emotional part of their brains—including the amygdala and other primitive brain structures.
Second, the very same student (under the age of 25 or 30) does not have fully developed executive functioning—managed by the pre frontal cortex. Executive Functioning is a great umbrella term and includes many high level cognitive skills including emotional regulation and judgement—so important in managing and processing the obtained information.
So we have students pre programmed to seek out as much information as they can—they are in school after all— combined with a relatively weak braking system of the brain which includes bad judgement and impulsivity with, yep, and, here is the third ingredient: endless, often amazing content on demand through chrome books and personal smartphones in nearly every classroom across the county.
Think about that. None of us had anything close to this learning environment when we were their age. Seriously, notifications and beeps and lights flashing and social connections and scandalous pictures everywhere you turn. And we are not here to stop the evolution but steer it to increase the chance of a balanced, focused education. Akin to clinical recommendations I make to families in my office, MCPS students and teachers need a clear, consistent set of guidelines that are enforceable—so we minimize setting up our students to fail.