- Implement mandatory deep work blocks (20-30 minutes) requiring single-task, uninterrupted focus.
- Teach sustained attention as a metacognitive muscle through explicit reflection prompts.
- Design assessments that prioritize analytical summarization over simple fact recall to train working memory.
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00:00:17 --> 00:00:23 Grundmeyer Leader Services, where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 Now, get ready to amplify your day with your morning boost.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 All right, welcome back to your morning boost, everybody. Today,
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 we're going to continue our monthly dive into the Fitting 5 newsletter from
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Happy Tuesday, everybody. Happy Tuesday, November 4th.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:45 And today's essential reading comes from Ed Week. The reading is,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:50 Kids' Social Media Use Linked to Lower Reading and Memory Scores.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:55 For us as school leaders, this research hits incredibly close to home,
00:00:55 --> 00:01:00 as we just constantly grapple with student engagement and attention spans.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 The evidence suggests that the fragmented, fast-paced nature of social media
00:01:05 --> 00:01:10 is fundamentally rewiring how young brains process information,
00:01:10 --> 00:01:15 impacting their ability to sustain deep focus required for complex reading and
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 long-term memory formation.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:21 This isn't just about distractions in the classroom.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:26 It's about a neurological shift and one that we must address in our instructional
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 and support strategies as a community.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:35 Hi, I'm Dr. Lisa Hill, a longtime educator of nearly 40 years as a teacher,
00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 counselor, professor, and vice principal. And I've seen just about everything
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 public schools can throw at you.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:46 And now I'm sharing my tales on my comedy podcast, Vice Principal Unofficed.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:51 It's where school leadership meets laugh out loud stories from underwear required
00:01:51 --> 00:01:52 parent teacher conferences.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:57 Yes, really. To staff lounge confessions and more. You won't believe I'm telling
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 it all with humor and a whole lot of heart.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:04 I also tackle the serious stuff, too, like what schools really need to change
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 and those behind the scenes moments no one talks about.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 So if you're ready to laugh, learn, and maybe even cry a little,
00:02:10 --> 00:02:15 but mostly laugh, join me and my 90-year-old mom, my unofficial co-host,
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 on Vice Principal Unofficed.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:23 New episodes drop bi-weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast bits.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 Trust me, this is one detention you'll actually look forward to.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:33 Now, the challenge is real. Social media trains the brain to seek constant,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:38 shallow novelty, eroding the sustained attention needed for reading complex
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 texts or forming durable memories.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:47 As leaders, we cannot simply ban these tools. We must become explicit trainers
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 of the skill that social media is depleting.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:55 Our shared goal is to counter the fragmentation effect by building cognitive
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 endurance across our schools.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:03 Now, we have a solution here, and this comes in instructional counter-programming.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:07 The intervention must be systemic, built into the instructional practice across
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 all grade levels and content areas.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 The first piece of advice here is that we need to actively counter-program their
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 attention by introducing deep work blocks.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:23 This means implementing mandatory protected 20- to 30-minute blocks in core
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 subjects, especially literacy.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 These should require single-task focus.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:34 During this time, all digital devices are put away, and the activity requires
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 deep, uninterrupted concentration.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:42 Maybe things like silent reading, complex problem-solving, or long-form writing.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:47 But crucially here, the expectation should be that we celebrate the act of sustained
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 focus, not just the outcome.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 Next, we can't just expect them to focus. We have to teach the skill.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 Advice here is to teach like the metacognitive muscle.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:03 We need to explicitly show students what deep attention feels like and why it is valuable.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 After a sustained focus session, we should use short, reflective prompts.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:14 What did your brain do in the first five minutes? When did you feel the urge to check your phone?
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 How did you pull your attention back?
00:04:17 --> 00:04:24 This moves focus from a passive state to an active skill they understand and can control.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 Finally, let's adjust how we assess them.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:32 We should prioritize analytical summarization over simple fact recall.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:36 My advice is to design assessments for synthesis and analysis,
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 rather than just mere rote memorization.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:44 For example, instead of a quiz on definitions, students should write a three-sentence
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 summary of the main argument of the chapter without checking the text.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:54 This forces their working memory to organize and hold complex information,
00:04:54 --> 00:04:59 which is a direct countermeasure to the shallow processing caused by fragmented media.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:04 School-wide adjustments like these can help our students understand that while
00:05:04 --> 00:05:09 they must navigate the digital world, they can deliberately cultivate the cognitive
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 capacity necessary to achieve complex academic goals.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:24 All right, now we've talked about the significant challenge posed by the digital
00:05:24 --> 00:05:28 age, how to train our students' brains for deep work when the outside world
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 constantly rewards the shallow attention.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:35 The key takeaway is that we can no longer assume students know how to focus.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:41 We must explicitly teach sustained attention through practices like deep work
00:05:41 --> 00:05:47 blocks, metacognitive reflection, and tasks that demand analytical summarization.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:54 Our mission here is to create analog skills and environments within our digital heavy schools.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:59 Have a chance to check out this article in the Fitting 5 newsletter, I would advise.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 So it's a really impressive article here to talk about this strategy in more depth.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 So if you don't get that newsletter already, reach out to us here at AWB Education.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:11 We'd be happy to get that to you. But otherwise, join us again tomorrow when
00:06:11 --> 00:06:16 we shift gears to leadership strategy, discussing the Harvard GSE article,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 why the best defense in educational leadership is a good offense.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 Thank you for listening, everybody. Have a wonderful Tuesday.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 We will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 That concludes another episode of Your Morning Boost.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:36 We hope today's daily dose of professional development helps you amplify knowledge,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 widen reach, and broaden impact.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:44 Your Morning Boost is an AWB education production brought to you with the generous
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 support of Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:51 Join us again tomorrow for more. Until then, keep boosting your impact.