MESSAGE FROM THE
HEADMASTER Power in the Handwritten Word
I
N MOST ordinary high school classrooms,
At the younger ages, we’ve
you see one student with his laptop open, furi-
found that directed and focused
ously taking notes by typing away. You scan to
technological applications can be
the seat next to him and see another with his
very effective. But we’ve also found
notebook on his desk, intently writing down the
that unstructured and unsuper-
words spoken by the teacher.
vised access to technology can be
What’s the difference — if any, you ask? Recent studies shed light on the answer.
distracting and confusing. Even in a student’s 9th-grade
Psychologists Pam Mueller and Daniel
year — when we do issue each
Oppenheimer found that students who take
boy his “own” laptop for use at
notes on laptops mindlessly take down every-
school and at home — we strongly
thing a teacher says.
encourage faculty not to allow
Additionally, their study determined that 40 percent of college students using laptops during lectures had unrelated material on their screens. Students who take notes by hand, however,
students to have their laptops “on and open” during class. Rather, in Upper School, the use of laptops is largely confined to
can’t keep pace with the teacher’s voice and
homework tasks completed during
are forced to listen and decide what is most
free periods or to supervised and
important to write down, a process ultimately helping them to learn. Joseph Stromberg noted xin Vox that students who use laptops for note taking ultimately find that doing so interferes with their effective recall of that information. At Brunswick, we agree. And, as many of you may know, we don’t issue laptops to our students until they reach Upper School. While we do provide ample
directed projects
IN BUILDING YOUNG MEN OF STRONG CHARACTER, WE NEED TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO THINK AND ACT ON THEIR OWN AND TO INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.
in class. Perhaps ironically, powerful and versatile as a laptop may
and attention in so many endeavors becomes
be, it presents a literal and
increasingly prey to technology.
figurative obstacle between each
Hence, when it’s most prudent to do so, we
student and his teacher, as well
endeavor to keep the learning process as simple
as between him and others in
and pure as possible.
the class. To add to the irony, as
bury his head in a computer screen instead of
smaller and smaller, the chal-
interacting with other students and teachers?
lenge of managing their use meaningfully in an educational setting grows exponentially, as we never want “the tool” to
iPads, laptops, and even desk-
become “the master.” we need to do as much as possible to encourage
very specifically project oriented.
our students to think and act on their own and
an aid to learning as well as an impediment.
To us, none of this discussion is earthshattering. It’s really just common sense. And it will continue to be common practice at Brunswick.
In building young men of strong character,
access to computers during the academic day is Our firm belief is that technology can be both
Why not take full advantage of our enviable student/faculty ratio? Why allow a student to
powerful devices become
access to technology through tops in our Pre, Lower, and Middle Schools,
efficiently and wisely — especially as our time
to interact with each other. In tandem, we want to teach students how to harness electronics
Thomas W. Philip
WWW.BRUNSWICKSCHOOL .ORG
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