Bored Students or ADHD?

Typically, the articles that I get to “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” are related to technology in higher education.  As ZITE learns my tastes, those seem to be what I enjoy reading.  But about 1/3 of the articles are based on K-12 education.  Like the one I was sent recently about ADHD, differentiated instruction, and boredom in schools…

As the parent of a 4 year old, I certainly know about attention deficits.  It has been quite fascinating watching my little girl learn to focus longer year after year.  And it has been equally frustrating (at times) when I just want to watch a basketball game (…ok, in fairness, a TWO hour basketball game), but she isn’t interested in playing by herself for that long.  So, about midway through the second quarter, I stop to “talk dolls” or pretend that I can’t find her as she hides under a blanket.  But I digress.

However, I must admit, I had no idea what ADHD has become in recent years.  In College, I worked at a psychiatric care facility in northern Colorado and I knew about Ritalin, ADD (back then there was no ‘H’), and other aspects of the disorder.  But I had no idea how much ADHD has spread over the years.  As well, I did not realize how many people were on either side of the fence.  There are those who fervently oppose the diagnosis (NYTimes) as well as those who defend it with zeal (NYTimes2).  And as I clicked from link to link in the article, I found some big names talking about.  From Oprah to the Surgeon General to my education/creativity hero, Ken Robinsonwho makes that point that the diagnosis of ADHD increases significantly in the United States as you head east, a lot of people have big opinions on the subject.  Even doctors seem polarized on the subject.

But the most compelling notion that I ran into time and again was specific to differentiated instruction.  For many who believe that ADHD is either a misdiagnosis or at least diagnosed too often, the answer seems to lie in an instructors ability to present students with multiple options throughout the day so as to promote engagement and learning on various levels thereby keeping the child motivated and interested.  Fair enough.  I certainly buy into the notion of differentiation (and not just for elementary students, but at all levels!).  I know the studies dating back to Bloom and having been replicated dozens of times which show our propensity to teach at the “lowest” levels for human cognition.  The bottom line is that in spite what we know about learning, we still teach with methods that don’t work very well – especially when they are the only methods we employ.

So, intrigued and formulating opinions, I explained the articles and ran some of my thoughts by a teacher whom I greatly respect.  She is an elementary school teacher and she is one of those people who is loved by parents, children, and even the other teachers.  You know…Mary Poppins in jeans.  She is one of those people who eloquently straddles the theoretical with the practical, taking a pragmatic approach to teaching.  Her classroom is fun but no-nonsense.  Her first graders thrive.  So, when I asked about her thoughts on the matter, I must admit….I was suprised with the  answer she gave me.  (I’ll call her KTT as I did not get her permission to use her name.)

KTT: Sure, in a perfect world, that is exactly what we should do.  But the problem is we don’t live in a perfect world.  People have been talking about education reform – especifically differentiation – for 6 or 7 decades.  But here we still are.  So you tell me, would you rather take a stand and allow your kid who is bored in school to stay bored, stay unfocused, and likely get in trouble, flunk out, or worse?  Or, to at least give them a shot, should they get medicated so that they can deal with the reality of underwhelming instruction, but get grades solid enough to give them a chance in life.  To give them a chance at college or a decent job they are going to need an education, regardless of the kind of teaching they receive. 

But at the end of the day, the entire conversation left me puzzled.  There is likely an answer here, but is it really too big for us to achieve?  Does political gridlock, too many opinions, and not enough accountability make it impossible to fix education?  Should we “give up” and accept reality, or constantly strive to fix it?  And most importantly for me…what happens if, in 3 or 4 years, our daughter’s school comes to us and suggests that she has an inability to focus?  What then?

About Jeff Borden

VP of Instruction & Academic Strategy at Pearson eCollege, Dr. Jeff Borden has a Master’s in Rhetoric/Human Communication and his Doctorate in Education Leadership. Wearing several hats, Dr. Borden is also the Director of the Center for Online Learning, an Enriched Lecturer with Chaminade University, and an educational consultant. Jeff has created, taught, and administered several upper and lower division Communication and Computer courses for several Universities and Community Colleges around the country since 1998. Additionally, he has assisted faculty, administrators, and trainers from diverse fields in conceptualizing and designing both on-ground and online courses as well as given direction to schools for total program success. Finally, Jeff speaks around the world giving keynote addresses, presenting his “Master Teacher” workshops, performing stand-up comedy, giving creativity seminars, and continues to publish within his field of study. Jeff has spoken to the U.S. Congress’ Education Committee, helped International governments establish effective practices for teaching, retention, and growth, keynoted several thousand audience member conferences domestically and abroad, spoke in the 2nd Life NMC Symposium for the Future, and been asked to determine the “Academic Vision” for Pearson Learning Technologies Group (LTG). Follow Jeff on this blog to hear about the MOOC he is building, the research he is performing, the faculty he is working with, or the ideas he is sharing!

View all posts by Jeff Borden →