Students Who Talk Themselves Out of Boredom Are Actually Less Bored

Boredom is a pretty common complaint from students, especially when they are in high school. Amanda Ripley dissects the research on student boredom in her New Republic article and offers some solutions for re-engaging students with class. She writes:

"The good news is that kids seem to have more control over boredom than they might think. In the 2010 Nett study, most of 976 German teenagers surveyed fell into one of two main groups: the 'evaders' were the kids who tended to avoid feeling bored by distracting themselves or talking to someone else, the kind who might be quick to Tweet or text at the first sign of monotony. Then there were the 'reappraisers' — the kids who coped with boredom by basically talking themselves out of it. They tried to remind themselves of the value of what they were doing and reframe the situation in their heads."

Thanks to Twitter, We Know Exactly How Bored Students AreI was 34 when I went back to high school. I returned as a reporter, visiting schools all over the country, and eventually the world, as I wrote about education. On my new beat, almost everything felt familiar: The cafeteria still smelled odd, not bad, not good.

via Newrepublic