In a world where everything seems to be in a hustle, children are growing up in an environment where distractions are plentiful. Clutters and noise surround us and focusing can be difficult. Despite of the hyper society we are living in today, it is refreshing to know there are still students who can focus on things.
Getting the attention of students and keeping it is a huge challenge to many teachers. In attention, three skills are necessary. These are focus, awareness, and executive attention. Executive attention includes planning and decision-making. Attention can be taught. Talk with your students about attention so they will know better its importance and impact in their learning and their life as a whole.
Practice attention with your students. Playing games such as Spot a Letter, listening to a music and asking the children to listen to the bass guitar, and walking around the school using their senses are great exercises they can use to sharpen their attention.
Another practice is when you ask students to eat mindfully. During recess and lunch break, ask them to notice the food they are eating and its details. Paying attention is somehow actually looking at things keener and in a more detailed manner.
During discussion, you can also ask the students to focus on one another. You can call this activity meeting of minds. Besides sharpening their eyes on details, you are actually teaching the children to give full attention to their fellowmen. Explain to them that such value is synonymous to making others feel that they are worth your time and attention.
Focused students are possible. Teachers, with the help of other adults children often encounter such as their parents and relatives can work together in teaching children to become focused individuals. This trait can help them effectively deal with varied life situations as students and eventually, as adults.
References:
Bar-On, R (2006). “The Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI)”. Psicothema18: 13–25.
Goleman, D. (2006), Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships
Lantieri, L. and Goleman, D. (2008), Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children
By: Mrs. Aline S. Manlapid | Teacher I | BEPZ Elementary School | Mariveles, Bataan
