Dealing with Boredom in the Classroom

From the Marshall Memo #456

In this Education Week article, Sarah Sparks reports on a study in the October issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science on student boredom in the classroom (about 65 percent of students say they are bored in school at least once a day). “I think teachers should always try to be relevant and interesting,” says lead author John Eastwood of York University in Toronto, “but beyond that, there are other places to look. By definition, to be in the state of boredom is to say the world sucks out there in some way. But often that’s not the case; often it’s an interior problem…” 

In other words, being “bored” might be a proxy for other things – finding the work too difficult, thinking about a fight with Mom last night, being distracted by a loud air conditioner, ADHD, or thinking about that D in math last year. All these can interfere with the brain’s executive function, which resides in the prefrontal cortex just behind the student’s furrowed brow, allowing the emotional center, the amygdala, to take over – hence the feeling of being tired, anxious, or depressed or the desire to act out or zone out. Students who feel bored may doze off and then try to keep themselves alert by doodling (which is actually helpful).

What should teachers do to minimize student boredom? A study conducted in Germany by Ulrike Nett of the University of Konstanz compared coping strategies used by grade 5-10 students confronted with a math problem that was difficult and potentially boring:

• Avoiding the task by studying a different subject or talking with friends;
• Criticizing the task and asking for more interesting material;
• Reappraising the situation, thinking about how to make it relevant, and fighting boredom.

The third approach produced more enjoyment, less stress, higher academic achievement, and less boredom down the road. 

“Although teachers try to create interesting lessons, they must be aware that despite their best intentions, some students may still perceive interesting lessons as boring,” says Nett. “What is imperative to underscore at this point is that both teachers and students must take some responsibility for boredom, and both must be involved in finding an adequate way to reduce this emotion in their classrooms.” 

“Researchers Argue Boredom May Be ‘A Flavor of Stress’” by Sarah Sparks in Education Week, Oct. 10, 2012 (Vol. 32, #7, p. 1, 16), http://bit.ly/RjyjPF