The New Childhood by Jordan Shapiro

THE NEW CHILDHOOD by Jordan Shapiro is subtitled “Raising Kids to Thrive in a Digitally Connected World” and will certainly get attention from the subset of parents who are troubled by this issue. That, in fact, is one of my concerns with this book: Shapiro includes many examples, but does he adequately profile all types of children and/or a wide set of parents? He writes in a rather conversational -- sometimes almost “preachy” and repetitive – style. For example, he points out “one of the first things kids learn during their school careers. They adjust to what it means to be ‘on the clock.’” By challenging my thinking about school bells as a factory metaphor versus a monastery setting, Shapiro actually prompted me to reflect on what about the “sacred” are we losing? Is the increased exposure to technology and constant alerts related to the idea that mindfulness is becoming more and more a part of the school day?

I did like how Shapiro structured this book – with chapters grouped under headings for Self, Home, School, and Society and with “takeaways” provided at the end of each chapter. Overall, I am respectful of this author’s perspective and experiences with Sesame Workshop, Brookings Institution, and Temple University, but I did not see any truly concrete suggestions – at least in the “school section” which was my focus.  Shapiro’s comments are provocative, though, and THE NEW CHILDHOOD could make for an interesting all school read. Here are a few quick quotes that merit reflection, especially about future logistics:

“Schools need more interdisciplinary activities that provide students with opportunities to extract information from mixed data sets and turn it into knowledge that becomes relevant in unexpected contexts.”

“Our current education system teaches kids to see themselves as rigid vessels. But the world demands that they be porous membranes.”

“Education can no longer focus on destinations, milestones or fence posts. Now, it’s all about bandwidth.  And, therefore, we need to assess children’s flow capacity rather than their retention.”

Again, I wish that THE NEW CHILDHOOD had provided some actual examples of these ideas being applied. He says, “We are preparing people to receive data, to decode it into information, and to exchange it as knowledge.”  Certainly thinking about Junior Theme, I feel that we do this now.  Could we do more? Yes, and we keep talking about ideas (e.g., how to exchange reactions amongst students to new research), but don’t our students also need a basic, foundational understanding, a commonly accepted set of terms and tools in the academic disciplines? That is the tension.

In Praise of Wasting Time by Alan Lightman

IN PRAISE OF WASTING TIME by Alan Lightman (Einstein’s Dreams) is a new offering in the TED Book series.  He addresses the key idea of slowing down and disconnecting, imparting a sense of urgency by comparing recent changes to global warming:  “The loss of slowness, of time for reflection and contemplation, of privacy and solitude, of silence, of the ability to sit quietly in a chair for fifteen minutes without external stimulation — all have happened quickly and almost invisibly. …. The situation is dire. Just as with global warming, we may already be near the point of no return. Invisibly, almost without notice, we are losing ourselves.”  Take the challenge of monitoring your actions for 24 hours: Even at night, is your phone readily accessible? Do you goof off and “waste time” or do you seek to fill a potential empty space with productive activity (checking email or social media, driving and listening to an audio book)? How often do you sit alone in a quiet room, letting your mind wander?  Have you made time for a “Shultz Hour” recently? That term refers to a practice of George Shultz reserving an hour a week for quiet reflection.  Lightman notes others (Mahler, Jung, Gertrude Stein, Einstein) who also found creative benefits, replenishment and unexpected connections from following similar practices. He proposes new habits of mind and screen-free zones; coincidentally, we are talking about no-screen advisories (our homerooms) next year.

Lightman references both Jean Twenge and Sherry Turkle whose books we have also reviewed. At only 128 pages his work is much shorter and contains vivid descriptors like the one of having dinner with his 20-something daughter and her friend who “placed their smartphones on the table, like miniature oxygen tanks carried everywhere by emphysema patients.” For more, read IN PRAISE OF WASTING TIME and Lightman’s post, “Why we owe it to ourselves to spend quiet time alone every day.”

iGen by Jean Twenge

iGEN by Jean M. Twenge

“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” is the rather provocative title of a very thoughtful and fascinating piece (see especially the charts) which is appearing in September's The Atlantic.  Author Jean Twenge is a Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and she discusses the “abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states” which she began to notice around 2012 (the time when American smartphone ownership surpassed 50%).  Specifically, she comments on screen time, driving habits, alcohol use and the rise in rates for depression and other mental health issues. 

Recently interviewed on pbs’ NewsHour (video embedded above), Twenge develops her arguments further in a recently released  book, iGen, which we will have available at the New Trier Library when school resumes in September. Twenge's subtitle is "Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy - and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood - and What That Means for the Rest of Us." Twenge uses data from the YRBSS (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System which our students complete) and other longitudinal national surveys in order to explore and document ten important trends such as internet use, individualism, and income inequality that impact iGen'ers.  She provides multiple charts to illustrate her observations about differences between generations and augments the survey data with quotes and anecdotes from personal interviews. This carefully researched text is full of information to digest and debate.  I have been recommending it widely and look forward to more discussion. 

I am also curious to look at a response to Twenge's article and another forthcoming book titled SCREEN SCHOOLED by Joe Clement and Matt Miles.