He strains to see WHO the kids are and wonders WHY they are not in class like he is. But when he looks to the windows that line the far wall of the classroom, he sees kids in the hallway. He is supposed to be “paying attention” to a worksheet in front of himself. Imagine a kid in an upper elementary or middle school classroom. It’s a combination of “orienting to the goal” (paying attention) and simultaneously “suppressing salient information” (blocking out potential distracters). To do that, we must continually re-orient our visual and auditory resources to a chosen goal-directed behavior. It costs us time and effort to learn it, so I call it “earned.”Īt some point, most of us (excluding kids with executive functioning problems) “learn” to pay attention to a particular task. The other type of “paying attention” is different. It allows an artist to paint or draw in a busy classroom or an outdoors mall. It allows a kid to study or take a test in a busy area and “block out” all the other potentially salient information. This type of attentional focus allows a musician to play an instrument in a noisy room and still hit all the right notes. The other type of attention is NOT hard-wired. We all begin life impulsive and susceptible to the relentless barrage of life’s distractions. The first type of attention, the “hard-wired” one, is free. We orient to movement (like an object thrown at us!), strong emotions (if the prevailing ones are calm), sounds (if the prevailing ones are quiet), risk (if the prevailing conditions are safe) or reward (if the conditions allow). That means your attentional system will immediately respond to any contrast or difference in what is currently happening. It is based on helping each of us survive, so it rapidly detects salient change in the environment. One is the type that we get from our DNA. So, why stop telling kids to pay attention?įirst, there are two types of “attention.” Our goals direct our brain to activate acetylcholine (the neurotransmitter for formation of memory) via pathways such as the nucleus basalis. We can “train” our own brain through mindfulness practice, playing musical instruments, martial arts, reading, meditation and writing.įinally, when we “pay” attention voluntarily, our brain is more likely to encode and remember the information (Kilgard, M., & Merzenich, M., 1998). But the key thing is that attentional skills are not random. and McCarthy, G.), training and caffeine (Smith, et al. Your frontal lobes are highly susceptible to stress (Galinsky et al. For example, there are sex differences in sustained attention, and they are task specific (Dittmar et al. Second, the ability to pay attention is regulated by many factors. Working memory and attention are co-factors in the learning process. WHAT? Here’s an example: try to remember yourself solving a problem at the same time you are asked to meet new people. (2009) This is critical because working memory is the DRIVER of cognition. When kids pay attention, they focus better, learn and remember more.įirst, paying attention protects the quality of working memory (Jie Huang, J. Why is that? Neither the music nor talking affects your vision. You slow down to a crawl, turn down the music, stop talking, and stare at every sign. But it’s the first time and you’re looking for street signs. I’m glad you asked… I just happen to have the answer… The Research If you think you know brain-based teaching, there’s a lot to learn! But, now that I’ve “taken away” from you one of the most commonly used attention-getters (“Pay attention!’), what should you do instead? The rates for Hispanics, African-Americans and Native Americans are under 50% in most areas of the US. If we do not count the high school certificates and equivalencies, only 70% of our nation’s kids graduate overall. First graders are so pumped up, but by the time some kids make it to their last year in school, they’ve learned that school is not for them. It’s NOT at all “brain-based teaching.” In fact, it’s one more example of why many kids learn to dislike school more, every year they go. Well, first of all, it’s terrible teaching. I am embarrassed to say that I am as guilty as a convicted felon.Īs a former middle school teacher, I often used the phrase, “Pay attention!” Now you hear me telling you to never, ever say that. Why You Should Stop Telling Kids to Pay Attention and What You Should Do Instead
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