No Tech Lesson Days a Hit

Not a computer in sight, just pens and pencils moving across the paper. That was education back in the day, right?

Third quarter Kenwood wanted to implement what they’re calling “no tech days” where for the day or at least that class period for the day students would complete the lesson without any technology. The “no tech teach days”, or “no tech” days, is an initiative implemented by Kenwood’s leadership team to reduce reliance on devices and boost student engagement. It’s focus is on purposeful movement, encouraging students to get up and move around the classroom. These days are designed to energize students and act as a form of selfcare during stressful, high-intensity times of the school year which is often the end of the school year with testing.

Senior Jackie shared how she wasn’t a fan of the full switch to everything on the devices years ago after the pandemic when that became the trend. “I enjoyed the break to do things on papers or complete more hands on projects,” she shared.

No tech teach days provide hands-on-learning experiences, and lessons that are designed to be interactive, using materials like pen and paper or other project materials. During these days students do not use school-issued devices or any other technology during the class periods, such as phones or ipads. These days can also present opportunities for students to move around the classroom and be a little more active during the class period.

Mr. Woodward, who is the longest tenured teacher here at Kenwood, remembers a time when computers weren’t heavily used in classes. “The theory is that we write slower than we type but that slower process has proven to lead to more fully developed thought. Working on paper for a change can help students with other necessary skills such as annotating and interacting more with the texts in order to be more productive in class discussions,” shares Woodward.

Having days in class without tech helps students improve academically but also for situations they’ll face later in life, especially in jobs that wouldn’t require being in front of a screen all day. “In the real world, like workplaces, people must interact face to face with customers and must communicate on paper,” shares student C Taylor who supports the school’s goal of no tech days. “No technology days allow for students to practice these skills in a safe environment.”

Technology is addictive to kids and adults nowadays and any way to disconnect from it is beneficial to take breaks from it and ground ourselves in ways that don’t involve technology. “I think that any chance students have to disconnect from tech is a good thing,” agrees school counselor Ms. Kovacs.

Senior English teacher and journalism teacher, Ms. Glenn, loves the idea of no tech lesson days. “I think they’re a great idea to give students a break from the monotony of the same old thing.” English teacher, Ms. Single, agrees. “We keep seeing research about the negative impact of too much screen time and how handwriting helps to engage different pieces of your brain, so we’re trying to see how we can adapt to work around that.”

For third quarter teachers were given a time frame to have a “no tech” day lesson with their classes. This time frame fell during March but the consensus seems to be that both teachers and students like it so they’re hoping for another one to be set fourth quarter!

Most believe it to be an opportunity for students to get off their phones and do something more productive and physically engaging or even relaxing. These no tech days help students realize there are more important and productive things they can do rather than being on their phones or devices. Others also may see it as a reminder that it’s important to work on the subject itself, not letting the tech side of weigh the learning process down.