Spotlight on Technology at Regents

Cal Newport, a professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and the author of multiple books about the intersection of technology and work, asserts that the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task is the gold currency of the modern workplace. He defines this ability as deep work.

As we talk about the role of technology at Regents School, I think it’s helpful to frame the discussion first and foremost about what we are for rather than what we are against. Rather than being anti-technology, Regents School instead is pro-deep work. We want to allow our students the space to develop the intellectual superpower of focus in a world of distraction, setting them apart from a generation reliant on modern technology to sustain attention.

Why Children Thrive in a Low-Technology Classroom

While screen-based learning can provide immediate feedback on math problems, differentiate difficulty based on student ability, track student progress, increase curricular offerings, and decrease the heaviness of backpacks, those tangible and immediate pros come with many profound long-term costs.

“The collective research shows that digital media have common features and user practices that can constrain learning. These include diminished concentration, an entertainment mindset, a propensity to multitask, lack of a fixed physical reference point, reduced use of annotation, and less frequent reviewing of what has been read, heard, or viewed,” said linguistics professor Naomi S. Baron, in How We Read Now.

Low-technology classrooms and pencil-and-paper learning have been shown to support the development of healthy brain function, increase student memory, and encourage enthusiasm in learning.

Why Children Thrive in a Low-Technology Social Environment

Classical education fundamentally relies on conversation - within the classroom, of course, but also outside of it. Upper school students at Regents are required to lock their cell phones into pouches at the beginning of the day (and no cell phones are allowed at all in the Grammar School), which establishes the school as a cell-phone-free zone. Students cannot access cell phones between classes or at lunchtime, which establishes a culture that values face-to-face interaction.

Jonathan Haidt writes in his book, The Anxious Generation, that “The phone-based life makes it difficult for people to be fully present with others when they are with others, and to sit silently with themselves when they are alone." Creating meaningful community in real time begins with our students walking around with their heads up, with an expectation of looking people in the eye. Having real life community is key to inoculating our children against the increased emotional and social problems created by prolonged screen time, which then equips them to navigate the digital world well and in moderation.

Technology After Regents

You may be wondering what the workplace looks like for Regents students after a low-technology education. With more than 50 alumni over the last 10 years, no alum has ever come back to us and reported being ill-prepared for the technology required of them in college or beyond. Students today grow up as digital natives outside of school - even in families that limit screen time - and as they hit their adolescent years, learn quickly how to navigate various technologies.

At the cusp of the AI era, the expectation is that AI will be disruptive to jobs with repetitive cognitive tasks. We do our children a tremendous service by focusing on critical thinking, compassion, and complex decision-making skills that will enable them to be the masters of technology - even if, in the short run, this training relies much more on pencil-and-paper than on screens.

Recommended Reading:

• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones by Clare Morell
• The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
• The Opt-Out Family by Erin Loechner