"Fidget spinners are distractions, not focus tools."
"If kids are in an environment conducive to learning, students are provided choice, and the lesson is engaging, they won't get distracted!"
Time out. Wait. No.
First...we need to address this idea that distractions are a Very Bad Thing that Shouldn't Happen.
People (not only kids), but People have always and will always be distracted from learning. It's just how we work, even when we're working on something we've chosen, in an environment we choose, and on an activity we enjoy.
Lord of the Rings. Fantastic, beautiful, epic. I wanted to read it before seeing the movies. I wanted to see the movies in the theater. And I didn't want to hear spoilers, so I wanted to see it pretty soon after it opened. Having been an avid reader at the time, I looked at the length of The Fellowship of the Ring and figured "No problem, a week - tops - and I'll be ready."
You guys that first book is a SLOG. It's great. It's detailed, it sets up the rest of the trilogy beautifully. And it's exposition. Reading it was a chore. It was a chore I chose. It was one I was motivated to complete - on a deadline - but I had to put it down a LOT.
Hard work is...hard. In order to take it all in, I had to take time to let my brain simmer for a bit. I was...distracted...from the book. The book I was really, really motivated to read. I had to read in small segments, put the book down, get a snack (or call a friend, or go for a walk, or or or...) before I was mentally ready to dive in again.
Another example. I used to draw. A lot. Creating art was definitely a choice, something I could do where I felt comfortable, and something motivating. I can only do it for about 15 minutes at a time before I need a break, though, because it's hard work.
Done in 15 minute increments with...uh...lots of breaks. Pardon the low light and poor quality - my scanner broke :(
Adults can only last so long, even when engaged in highly preferred activities, before we start to mentally check out: check our phone, clean up a mess, text or call a friend, get a snack, etc. What are we saying when we suggest that kids should make it through a rigorous lesson without being distracted? We're assigning superhuman traits to children. We're holding them to expectations that we ourselves can't possibly meet.
Of course we do what we can to minimize distraction: incorporate movement, flexible seating, provide choice in activities, allow students to work alone or in groups, etc., etc., etc.
But attention is a variable, and while there are a variety of guidelines online (one minute per year of age! Child's age plus one minute! 2-5 minutes per year of age!), these are all guidelines. And every day is going to be different - is the student hungry? Sleepy? Arguing with friends? Even within the day a child's attention and behavior will vary. I remember telling more than one student that I saw in morning and afternoon classes that I noticed a difference and brainstormed ways to help keep focus during their trouble time.
Even a rockstar teacher who differentiates like a boss and provides optimal learning spaces and agency for their students can't fight this. One student might be really motivated in a subject and able to pay attention for ten full minutes, while the student next to them needs that brain break after five. I'm not talking about students with disabilities at this moment. I'm talking about natural variation from individual to individual.
We take these breaks as adults all the time. We expect it of ourselves. But apparently now we're expecting children to go distraction-free for the entirety of a lesson? Or for all students to lose attention at the same time (on our timetable)? Of course we really don't. We work with our kids every day and we see it. We understand that kids will daydream, or tap their pencil, or draw pictures. And if we expect children to participate with 100% engagement on all the variety of awesome lessons we teach in the 90 minutes between recess and lunch, then we're gonna have a Bad Time.
We can even plan for distraction. By all means ban the fidget spinner if you want to and don't feel guilty about it. Make the pencil tappers put away their pencils if that's That Thing You Can't Abide. The key thing is to teach kids How To Be Distracted. Get a drink of water. Go to the bathroom. Check e-mail. Do work for another subject for a few minutes. Clean out the backpack. Whatever it is, do it, then get back to work. This is how we operate as adults, it's adaptive, it's not punitive, and it works within reality.
Second...now that we've talked about the fact that everyone gets distracted, we need to talk about the implication that when kids are distracted, it's because of poor lesson design.
Maybe sometimes it is. Maybe a teacher is really frustrated that their kids are off-task more than they should be and they need ideas. By all means, if you have an idea that could help, share it! Share it in a supportive, encouraging way! We're all in this together, and hopefully we're operating from a place where we want what's best for our students.
So why that suggestion above, then? Why this suggestion that when kids do what people naturally do - get distracted - it's a poor reflection on the teacher? It's an easy set-up and attack, and it's the cheapest of shots because it happens even in the most engaging of classrooms. Here's the thing: we're already criticized by people who have no idea how difficult it is to run a classroom. So why do it to ourselves?
We can provide support, we can make suggestions, share ideas. We can commiserate if that's what someone is looking for. But we shouldn't turn and blame each other for our students engaging in natural human behavior.
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