放下手機，聊聊吧

文/Paul+Barnwell+譯/祝莉麗

Recently I stood in front of my class， observing an all-too-familiar scene. Most of my students were covertly—or so they thought—pecking1） away at their smartphones under their desks， checking their Facebook feeds and texts.

As I called their attention， students heads slowly lifted， their eyes reluctantly glancing forward. I then cheerfully explained that their next project would practice a skill they all desperately needed： holding a conversation.

Several students looked perplexed. Others fidgeted2） in their seats， waiting for me to stop watching the class so they could return to their phones. Finally， one student raised his hand. “How is this going to work？” he asked.

My junior English class had spent time researching different education issues. We had held whole-class discussions surrounding school reform issues and also practiced one-on-one discussions. Next， they would create podcasts in small groups， demonstrating their ability to communicate about the topics—the project represented a culminating assessment of their ability to speak about the issues in real time.

Even with plenty of practice， the task proved daunting to students. I watched trial runs of their podcasts frequently fall silent. Unless the student facilitator asked a question， most kids were unable to converse effectively. Instead of chiming in3） or following up on comments， they conducted rigid interviews. They shuffled papers and looked down at their hands. Some even reached for their phones—an automatic impulse and the last thing they should be doing.

As I watched my class struggle， I came to realize that conversational competence might be the single-most overlooked skill we fail to teach students. Kids spend hours each day engaging with ideas and one another through screens—but rarely do they have an opportunity to truly hone4） their interpersonal communication skills. Admittedly， teenage awkwardness and nerves5） play a role in difficult conversations. But students reliance on screens for communication is detracting6）—and distracting—from their engagement in real-time talk.

It might sound like a funny question， but we need to ask ourselves： Is there any 21st-century skill more important than being able to sustain confident， coherent conversation？

When students apply for colleges and jobs， they wont conduct interviews through their smartphones. When they negotiate pay raises and discuss projects with employers， they should exude7） a thoughtful presence8） and demonstrate the ability to think on their feet9） （or at least without Google）. When they face significant life decisions， they must be able to think things through and converse with their partners. If the majority of their conversations are based on fragments pin-balled back and forth through a screen， how will they develop the ability to truly communicate in person？

Its no surprise to any teacher or parent that teenagers rely heavily on cell phones for communication. According to the Pew Research Center10）， one in three teens sends over 100 text messages a day. More than half of teens use texting to communicate daily with friends， versus only 33 percent who regularly talk face to face. Cell phone use is rampant at most schools （mine included）， despite attempts to restrict or even integrate it into the curriculum.

But in our zealous rush to meet 21st-century demands—emailing assignments， customizing projects for tablets and laptops， and allowing students to BYOD （Bring Your Own Device）—we arent asking students to think and communicate in real time. Online discussion boards and Twitter are useful tools for exchanging ideas. But they often encourage a “read， reflect， forget about it” response that doesnt truly engage students in extended critical thinking or conversation. All too often Ive seen students simply post one （required） response to the prompt11） and then let the discussion go dead.

Sherry Turkle， a psychologist， MIT professor， and the author of Alone Together： Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Ourselves， has dedicated her career to researching peoples relationships with technology. Much of her writing has shaped my skepticism for tech-overload and its impact on conversation. In a New York Times column Turkle wrote， “Face-to-face conversation unfolds slowly. It teaches patience. When we communicate on our digital devices， we learn different habits … we start to expect faster answers. To get these， we ask one another simpler questions. We dumb down12） our communications， even on the most important matters.”

Could it be that the push for screen use in schools is watering down13） the questions and thinking we require of students？ For me， using classroom discussion boards has increased participation and given a voice to many students normally reluctant to speak in class. On the other hand， I wonder if my frequent reliance on digital participation is too easy on students. As Turkle writes， “We are tempted to think that our little ‘sips of online connection add up to a big gulp of real conversation. But they dont.”

Instead， what if we focused on sharpening students ability to move back and forth between the digital and real world？ An ironic benefit of technology is that we can leverage digital devices to capture and teach the art of conversation. All smartphones are recording devices； why not use those to record and assess students conversation skills？ Ive noticed that students take critical conversations， debates， and discussions more seriously when recorded. We can use technology to encourage students to strike a balance14） between digital literacies and interpersonal conversation.

The next time you interact with a teenager， try to have a conversation with him or her about a challenging topic. Ask him to explain his views. Push her to go further in her answers. Hopefully， you wont get the response Turkle did when interviewing a 16-year-old boy about how technology has impacted his communication： “Someday， someday， but certainly not now， Id like to learn how to have a conversation.”

前不久，我站在我上課的班級前面，觀察著一幕再熟悉不過的場景。我的學生們大多都偷偷摸摸地——或者說他們是這樣認為的——在課桌下不停地點滑著自己的智能手機，查看Facebook上推送的消息和手機短信。

在我提醒學生們注意時，他們慢慢地抬起頭，眼睛不情愿地向前瞥了一下。然后我興高采烈地解釋道，他們的下一個活動是要練習一項他們都極為需要的技能：進行交談。

有些學生看起來很困惑。其他人則在座位上坐立不安，等著我不再緊盯著全班，這樣他們就又可以看自己的手機了。終于，一名學生舉起了手。“這項活動要如何開展啊？”他問道。

我這門高三的英語課花時間研究過各種教育問題。我們曾圍繞學校改革問題進行全班討論，也練習過一對一的討論。接下來，學生們將按小組創(chuàng)建播客，展現(xiàn)他們就各個話題進行交流的能力——這項活動將作為最終評估，以檢驗學生實時談論問題的能力。

即使學生們曾有過大量的練習，到頭來卻證明，這項任務對學生來說很艱巨。我觀察到，他們試播的播客常常陷入沉寂。除非負責主持的學生提出一個問題，否則大多數(shù)孩子都無法進行有效的交談。他們不會加入談話或是跟著評論，而是在進行刻板的訪談。他們胡亂翻著材料，低頭看著雙手。一些人甚至伸手去夠手機——一種不由自主的沖動，也是他們最不應該做的一件事。

就在我看著班里的學生費勁掙扎時，我開始意識到談話能力可能是我們最為忽視且沒能教會學生的一項技能。孩子們每天花上幾小時來通過屏幕琢磨各種想法，并與彼此溝通——但他們卻罕有機會去真正磨煉自己的人際交往能力。誠然，青少年的羞澀和緊張也是造成談話困難的因素。但是學生們交流時對屏幕的依賴正在減少他們對實時談話的參與——并分散他們在實時談話中的注意力。

這個問題也許聽起來很好笑，但我們需要捫心自問：在21世紀，還有比能持續(xù)自信且連貫的交談更重要的技能嗎？

當學生們申請大學和找工作時，他們不會通過自己的智能手機進行面試。當他們與雇主商討加薪和討論項目時，他們應該充分展現(xiàn)出自己見地獨到、思維敏捷的一面（或者至少不能使用谷歌）。當他們面臨重大的人生抉擇時，他們必須能深思熟慮，并和自己的同伴進行交流。如果他們的大部分談話都是基于屏幕上彈球一樣來來回回的只言片語，那他們面對面的實際溝通能力又怎么會得到提高呢？

對任何教師或家長而言，青少年過于依賴手機進行交流不足為奇。根據皮尤研究中心的調查，有三分之一的青少年每天要發(fā)送一百多條短信，有一半以上的青少年每天利用短信與朋友進行交流。相比之下，只有33%的人經常面對面地交談。在大多數(shù)學校（包括我所在的學校），使用手機的情況愈演愈烈，盡管學校曾嘗試限制使用手機，甚至要將其整合到課程中。

但是，在我們瘋狂地競相滿足21世紀需求的過程中——用電子郵件布置作業(yè)，提供專屬于平板和筆記本電腦的項目，以及允許學生“自帶設備”（帶來自己的設備）——我們并沒有要求學生進行實時的思考和溝通。網上討論區(qū)和推特是交流思想的有力工具。但它們通常鼓勵一種“閱讀，思考，遺忘”的反應模式，這無法讓學生真正地參與到擴展性的批判性思考或交談中去。有太多的時候我曾看到學生們僅就提示發(fā)布一條（必需的）回復，然后就讓討論陷入了僵局。

雪莉·特克是一名心理學家，也是麻省理工學院的教授，著有《孤獨相伴：我們?yōu)楹螌萍急в懈嗥诖鴮ψ约浩谕^少》一書。在其職業(yè)生涯中，特克致力于研究人類和科技之間的關系。她的許多著述使我對過度科技化及其對交談的影響產生了懷疑態(tài)度。特克曾在《紐約時報》的專欄中寫道：“面對面的交談是緩慢開展的。它教會我們要有耐心。當我們在數(shù)字設備上交流時，我們養(yǎng)成了不同的習慣……我們開始期待更快的回答。為了得到這樣的回答，我們向彼此提出更簡單的問題。我們降低了交流的難度，甚至在最重要的問題上也是如此。”

難道說，學校推行使用電子設備的做法在削弱我們要求學生具備的質疑和思考能力？就我而言，使用課堂討論區(qū)提高了學生的參與度，并為許多平時不愿在課上發(fā)言的學生提供了表達機會。而另一方面，我懷疑自己頻繁依賴數(shù)字參與，是不是對學生過于寬容了。正如特克所寫的那樣：“我們傾向于認為，網絡上的點滴聯(lián)系累積起來，會達到一大段真實對話的效果。但事實并非如此。”

相反，如果我們專注于提高學生們在數(shù)字世界和現(xiàn)實世界中來回轉換的能力，又會怎樣呢？科技具有諷刺意味的一個益處就在于，我們可以利用數(shù)字設備來獲得和傳授談話的藝術。所有的智能手機都具備錄音功能，為什么不利用它們來記錄和評估學生們的談話技巧呢？我已經注意到，在給學生們錄音時，他們會更加認真地進行批判性的對話、辯論和探討。我們可以運用科技去鼓勵學生在數(shù)字素養(yǎng)和人際溝通能力之間找到平衡。

下次你再和某個青少年互動時，試著就某個具有挑戰(zhàn)性的話題與他/她進行交談。請他闡釋自己的觀點。促使她進一步深化自己的看法。但愿你不會得到特克在采訪一位16歲男孩時所得到的回應。當被問及科技對他的溝通能力有何影響時，那個男孩說：“總有一天，總有一天，但肯定不是現(xiàn)在，我愿意去學習如何進行交談。”

1. peck [pek] vi. 斷斷續(xù)續(xù)地做；一小點一小點地做

2. fidget [?f?d??t] vi. 坐立不安；煩躁

3. chime in：緊接著說；插話（表示贊成）

4. hone [h??n] vt. 磨煉（技能）

5. nerves [n??（r）vz] n. [復]神經緊張；情緒不安

6. detract [d??tr?kt] vi. 減損

7. exude [?ɡ?zju?d] vt. 充分顯露

8. presence [?prez（?）ns] n. 風度；風采；儀態(tài)

9. think on ones feet：思維敏捷；能隨機應變

10. Pew Research Center：皮尤研究中心，美國著名的獨立民意調查機構

11. prompt [pr?mpt] n. 提示；提詞

12. dumb down：降低……的難度；使……變得更簡單、更易于理解

13. water down：削弱，減少……的力量；使打折扣

14. strike a balance：（在爭論中）找到折中辦法，求得平衡