Friday, February 18, 2011

Multitasking - Fact or Fiction

In our fast-paced, often overloaded society, it seems that one's ability to multitask is a vital skill.  I have generally seen this skill most often demonstrated by mothers, haven't you?  Let's face it, just getting started in the morning has Mom juggling wakeup times, breakfast preparation and supervision, ensuring the children have dressed themselves (unless Mom had to do that, too) appropriately and made their beds, answering that first phone call of the day, and thinking of the tasks that must be accomplished and appointments that must be kept during the day....and that's just the general stuff!

John Medina, in his book Brain Rules, definitively states that the brain cannot multitask.  What?! That was my response when reading the statement, so I naturally had to read on in an attempt to find a weakness in his defense of the statement.  While Medina notes that at one level the brain can multitask - noting that we can walk and talk at the same time, that pianists can play two different arrangements with their left and right hands, that your heart continues to beat while you read a book, etc. - he clarifies his definition of multitasking by stating that "we are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously."  Hmmmm ... now I have to focus on processing this information.

Medina demonstrates his point with the example of a teenager who is determined to write a paper while keeping his cellphone and instant messenger open to receive messages from friends.  Look at the steps that the brain follows in this effort:
  1. Shift alert - as the student sits down to write the paper the brain signals an attention shift.
  2. Rule activation for task - the brain sends out a search query to find the neurons capable of providing the information needed to write the paper, and then activates those neurons.
  3. Disengagement - receives audible alert of an IM (instant message) from a friend.  Since different neurons are required for interacting with that friend, the brain signals a shift of attention.
  4. Rule activation for task - the brain sends out a search query to find the neurons capable of writing to that friend and activates them.
These 4 steps must occur in sequence each time the student switches from one activity to another.  Have you ever counted how many IMs and cell messages can be exchanged between just two friends in a given hour - and my teens often carried on conversations with multiple friends at the same time?  No wonder that school assignment or paper did not get accomplished very efficiently!  Note to self after reading this chapter:  establish periods of time during the school day when the IM and cell phone are shut off so that my student can better focus on one task, and then try not to be another source of distraction for him while he is working.

But I can still hear the gears turning in many of your minds - ha!  I've gotten your attention focused!  You are likely thinking that you see many people multitasking with apparent efficiency.  How does that work?  Medina says that those who appear to be good at multitasking actually have good working memories which are capable of paying attention to several inputs at once.  They still need to process each of these inputs and determine what action is warranted for each.  If the inputs involve tasks with which the person is familiar, then switching between related inputs and tasks can be done more efficiently.  Yet, let's face it, we each have our limits, and whatever your capabilities may be ... your brain still needs a break!

Yes, we can be successful in processing multiple inputs and performing accordingly, but we can't function that way in all circumstances.  Help your children understand this important aspect of brain function and their need to establish opportunities to focus on one topic, and you should find your homeschooling efforts will be more efficient and less stressful.

Kelly