A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit sixteen classrooms and make observations. It’s a professional development opportunity, called “instructional rounds,” offered by my school.

I saw a lot, but one anecdote in particular took my breath away.

I watched a special education teacher, Mrs. W, who needed to help two separate students with two separate essays on two separate topics. Both students were demanding her full attention at once. Instead of choosing just one, Mrs. W helped both. With Student A, she maintained an active conversation about the intricacies of A’s topic paragraphs. Meanwhile, she walked to her desk, grabbed a copy of “The Great Gatsby,” found a quote that would bolster Student B’s argument, and silently pointed to the page for Student B to use.

Her body language communicated care for both students the entire time.

Multitasking Matters

Mrs. W is a masterful multitasker. Not all teachers are Mrs. W, but we do all have to multitask constantly. Scientists will tell you that multitasking is impossible. But, well, teaching is impossible, and we do it anyway.

The lesson, for those of us building educational technology, is the following: If a teacher can’t use your tool while patting their head and rubbing their tummy, they cannot use your tool. Full stop.

Build Simple, Opinionated Tools

This is one reason why teachers prefer simple, opinionated tools that do one thing well. Tools that are opinionated can be made simpler than tools with settings. By eliminating options and working just one way, you can design your tool to reduce cognitive load.

As a teacher, I prefer a tool that justs makes the decision for me rather than giving me a choice. Every choice requires thought, and I don’t have brain cycles to spare.

Any tool to be used during class time must be usable with one hand and half a brain cell. There’s no other way.