*note: In the video I rounded some times down if activities extended into the next hour for less than five minutes.
The two devices that I use and usually only use when I’m not at work are my phone and laptop.
I noticed during the time I worked out, ate and did my coursework, I purposely altered my environment, by turning silent or airplane mode and leaving my phone on a shelf or table because individuation attention is circular: “I valorize what I pay attention to and I pay attention to what I valorize” (Citton, 2017, p. 21).
From Marin. (2022, May 9). Nokia 7070 was an ultimate cooler of flip phones. Nokiamob.net. https://nokiamob.net/2022/05/09/nokia-7070-was-an-ultimate-cooler-of-flip-phones/
I grew up with minimal technology and upgraded my Nokia 7070 prism flip phone to a smart phone in 2016, so I remember a time when I completed my homework at the kitchen table, the only diversion I had was my mother cooking dinner, but today’s students have grown up with technology and they have are frequently in a state of hyper-attention where their focus flips among different tasks and information streams since they need a high level of stimulation (Citton, 2017).
Citton (2017) explains that attention is a “matter of selection” (p. 178). Power resides in those who can “filter the flows [of attention] that pass through us” (Citton, 2017, p. 178). I work with 8 year olds, is it reasonable to expect them to filter through all the stimuli calling for their attention? Rather than teaching skills, Green and Bavelier (2012) suggest it may be more useful to elevate attentional and executive control.
While joint attention was a distraction that led to multi-tasking during my 12 hours, employing joint attention from my perspective can be helpful in gaining my class’ attention. I noticed that there were instances where my attention was diverted by what others were discussing, such as the discussion in the group chat about food. Even though this caused me to shift into multi-tasking (using the chat app, the review app and map app (and translation app because Chinese is not my mother tongue)), the focus was on food, a subject dear to my heart and stomach. In joint attention “I am attentive to what you pay attention to” (Citton, 2017, p. 18). Would I pay attention to the chat if they were not discussing food? There was a long chain about a quarantine balcony party, which I ignored. There was also a chain about cleaning up after dogs, which I also ignored.
I think joint attention can have several beginnings: boredom, common interest, affection for the object or person seeking attention or an ulterior motive. I pay attention to what my students pay attention to in the hopes that they will pay attention to me. When I do this, I can use individuate to get their attention by inserting images into presentations and character names into stories, examples and word problems to catch and hold their attention. Doing this is also a way to forge relationships with students, then when I share a personal experience or interest in a topic that bores them, I can use their affection to gain their joint attention so they will be attentive to what I pay attention to; however, it must be used selectively, as Citton (2017) notes, we must “[b]e strategic about [our] attentional valorization” (p. 178). If I rely on affection too often, their bank of patience and focus will run dry as their individuated attention overtakes their joint attention.
What else can I do to direct my students attention? Citton (2017) aptly notes that “ecological reorganization [is] necessary for the reproduction of the life forms that we value” (p. 23). At my school all classrooms have been set up so display boards within the classroom are at the back of the classroom, reward systems are set up at the side and the IWB and whiteboard is set up at the front. Classroom decorations go on the back boards to avoid sensory overload. School supplies are provided by the school, lessening instances of students playing with pencil cases and erasers. Paul North observes that a world of distractions is actually a world of attention (cited in Citton, 2017), so Citton (2017) recommends a “vacuole” (p. 179) which exists in the form of a reading or quiet corner where students can escape the bombardment of stimuli that still exists within the classroom.
Within this environment choices are still necessary. Providing choices such as the option to produce a comic, write a story or create a video is another way to direct students’ attention because learning is about getting to know oneself and that self needs an outlet of expression, which could be why aesthetics has been an important part of attention economy since the beginning (Citton, 2017). A seating arrangement is made by me, the teacher, but they sit in groups at round tables which could be distracting, but students cannot always be on alert. Reflexive attention on their attentional habits happens when they have space to think (Citton, 2017). In the classroom children become “the individuals that [they] are depending on the paths along which [their] attention is stabilized” (Citton, 2017, p. 172). At the same time, teachers have a responsibility to ensure students know how to respond to issues appropriately by learning to ask, “Is it truly important that our attention should be focused on this issue?” because neglect will not cease its effect on students (Citton, 2017, p. 178).
At the end of the day there is a limit to what I can do to direct my students’ attention. I remember an easily distracted, but capable student made good choices one week and he received a “Star of the Week” award at the Friday assembly. He was ashamed, and said he regretted his good behaviour because his friends made fun of his attentional choices. I remember speaking to him about asking himself which choices will benefit him the most. According to Citton (2017), attention means to “alienate ourselves” (p. 179). Perhaps instead of letting choices form goals, teachers should teach students to make goals to direct their choices and attention so they can learn to select their attention paths from the flow.
References
Citton, Y. (2017). Introduction and Conclusion: From Attention Economy to Attention Ecology. In The Ecology of Attention. John Wiley & Sons.
Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2012). Learning, attentional control, and action video games. Current Biology, 22(6), R197-R206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.02.012