As a College community, we marked ANZAC Day on Wednesday with a powerful liturgy that focused on the wartime contributions of Australian women. Since WW1, more than 70 000 women have served in the Australian Defense Forces, and today, women make up more than 20% of new ADF recruits. However, history has not always told their stories well.

As the horrors of war unfolded around the word, Australian women stepped into new and important roles, and in our liturgy we followed the stories of four remarkable women: the artist, the healer, the leader and the spy; and we paid tribute to the hundreds of thousands of women who kept the home fires burning during times of war.

Among these stories, we reflected on the incredible leadership of Air Vice Marshal Catherine Roberts, one of the highest ranking officers in the Australian Air Force, and Australia’s first Defense Space Commander. When interviewed about who inspired her in her journey to leadership in the Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Roberts told the story of a young WW2 Engineer named Beatrice Shilling. During the Second World War, the British Air Force was grappling with a significant performance issue with its most popular fighter planes. A flaw in the design caused the propellors to fail mid-flight. When her male counterparts failed to find a solution, it was Beatrice who invented a simple special shaped washer and solved the problem. This solution allowed the pilots to have a major tactical advantage, and was a significant contributor to their victory during the Battle of Britain.

Let us pray,
For women like Catherine and Beatrice,
Whose curiosity, ingenuity and persistence make the impossible possible,
Widening skies and opening up new frontiers.
May the women who follow in their footsteps never stop dreaming and designing.
In faith and love we pray,
Amen.

The problem with this scenario is that there is no such thing as multitasking. Multitasking is a myth that has been promoted by society to make people feel productive and efficient.

So, what does this mean if your student tells you that they are multitasking?  Unfortunately, it means that what they are doing isn't really multitasking. Despite appearances, students simply can't talk on the phone, read emails, send an instant message, and watch YouTube videos all at the same time. What they are doing is serial tasking.  Rather than engaging in simultaneous tasks, they are merely shifting from one task to another to another in rapid succession.

Research from the American Psychological Association describes how this kind of multitasking is neither effective nor efficient. These findings have demonstrated that when your student shifts their focus from one task to another, that transition is neither fast nor smooth. Instead, there is a lag time during which their brain must remove itself from the initial task and then move onto the new task. This shift, though it feels instantaneous, takes time.

Single tasking or mono tasking, which is focusing only on one task at a time, is a much more effective strategy to use when preparing for upcoming assessment. Single tasking starts with looking for ways to maximise your student’s ability to focus and minimise their potential distractions.

The first step is to find your student a quiet space to work. Your first thought might be their bedroom, but, though quiet, it may offer your student even more distractions when they get tired, bored, or stuck. A study or communal space, if available, is a better option. Help her to get comfortable and organised. She should ideally sit in a chair that is comfortable, but not too comfortable! Her workspace should allow her to focus on completing what is required of her.

Most importantly, have her put away distracting technology. This means no mobile phones; just having them in sight will be a distraction and the pings and vibrations that emanate from them are a significant barrier to focus. Close all irrelevant windows on their laptop, especially those related to social media. Even minimised windows are a temptation and will be a constant distraction. Encourage your student to focus on just one task at a time – this will be of the greatest benefit to them at the end of the term.