Deep Learning through Deep Reading

In spring and summer of 2012, I facilitated two groups of faculty and staff at UD in reading and discussing Nicholas Carr’s book, “What is the Internet Doing to Our Brains: The Shallows.”  The book is a powerful look at how our minds are being influenced in subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways by the use of computers and the Internet.  In particular the act of reading using technology promotes skimming and a more cursory reflection of the texts meaning ("the shallows").

This is happening to all of us since we are immersed in a digital sea, but it should be a special concern when we realize that education relies heavily on reading.

Here are some suggestions that surfaced from the discussions within the reading groups that could help students master the ability to hold attention, become more reflective and to seek “delayed gratification”:

1. Talk to students about the impact technology has on improving communication and broadening access information – but it also can distract from reflection and deep learning
2. Promote student metacognition (thinking about thinking) to help self-regulate their learning approaches
3. Online searches promote the idea of quick discovery of information… but learning involves making connections through reflection (we should promote both skills)
4. “Surfing” promotes shallow reading… so look for ways to slow down for deeper reflection/learning
5. Carve-out time for quiet reading and reflection – by developing good habits for studying
6. Utilize writing activities as much as possible to create those moments of quiet and reflection
7. Be aware of social pressures and their consequences which marginalize reflection (including drinking, drugs, gaming, irregular sleeping habits etc.)
8. Practice “time-out” sessions disconnected from the net… and help your friends understand why (maybe they’ll do the same thing)
9. Promote the creation and use of quiet spaces for reflection
10. Understand the importance of environment in shaping our abilities to think (i.e. quiet places for deeper thinking)
11. Model the way… demonstrate what deep reading and reflection looks like in the classroom
12. Keep reminding students of all the above, since they are immersed in a culture rich with distractions (they must master the ability to hold attention and “delayed gratification”)
13. Carefully use the emerging artificial intelligence technologies – let them be aids, not replacements for making personal reflections and discoveries
14. Also take care not to rely on the Internet as an external memory – again, let it be an aid
15. Consider keeping a journal or blog (“commonplace book”) to enhance reflection and memory-making
16. Share the joy of deep reading and to “stretch” comfort zone to read long-form literature
17. Consider curricular and pedagogical reform that focus on skill-building for the information era (information literacies)
18. Help students become more conscious, reflective, and critical of the impact of new technologies
19. Utilize oral story-telling in class, as a means to create engagement for students, to build interpersonal skills, and to build skills in alternate means of communicating (not just electronic-based)