This practical sheet takes a quick look at what attention actually is, then moves straight on to advice you can use in class.
What is attention?
You could fill an entire article with what attention is, or is not. We have picked a definition that captures its functions well: the one William James wrote back in 1890.
“Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalisation, concentration of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state.”
William James, 1890
A voluntary process
We can choose to focus our attention on a task. Yet even in full concentration, a car horn in the street will capture it involuntarily.
A conscious process
Attention cannot always be controlled, but it remains a conscious and identifiable process.
A choice among several options
We have the final say on which piece of information receives our attention.
A simultaneous inhibition
Focusing on one thing also means setting others aside. This reflects the limited processing capacity of our brain.
One further characteristic, missing from that definition, is how fickle attention can be. It is not an unlimited resource: it consumes energy and wears down when it is called on for too long.
The goldfish myth
We are not trying to quantify attention here, but it pays to stay critical of those who do. Especially those who, through an extreme oversimplification of scientific findings, claim an attention span comparable to a goldfish's. On this thorny question, Bradbury (2016) makes for excellent reading.
Attention in learning
Attention lets us focus on a task and filter out distractions, which makes it a process well worth supporting in any learning setting. But it is finite, and there is no way to force it if the learner is not willing. So how can we encourage it? Two studies help answer that.
Study 1Szpunar, Khan and Schacter (2013)
Insert exercises throughout the lesson
This study looks at what happens when memory exercises are placed throughout a lesson. The setting is e-learning, but it is reasonable to expect the benefits to carry over to face-to-face sessions. The authors show that involving students through exercises refocuses them on the content and pulls them out of mind wandering.
Mind wandering is what happens when you sit in front of a film or a book and, without noticing, start thinking about your shopping list. Inserting exercises repeatedly, even short ones, reduces the chances of students drifting off, or at least shortens those episodes. The authors go further: the practice also improves final test scores and lowers test-related stress.
Study 2Park, Korbach and Brünken (2015)
Beware of seductive details
This study examines the impact of seductive details in learning materials. A seductive detail is information that is “interesting but not directed towards the learning objectives of a lesson” (Park et al., 2011): a picture of Zeus in a lesson on how lightning forms, for instance. Such details capture attention, a limited resource, and even when we manage to inhibit a piece of information, that inhibition has a cost.
The authors tie this to Sweller's cognitive load theory (2010): our information processing space is limited, and it fills up with intrinsic load (the inherent difficulty of the content) and extraneous load (the way elements are presented). The more space remains, the easier processing becomes. Seductive details carry extraneous load: on top of attracting attention, they undermine how it is used.
High intrinsic load, low extraneous load
A quantum physics lesson on a very clear handout: the content is hard, but the presentation adds no extra difficulty.
Low intrinsic load, high extraneous load
A lesson on addition in an unreadable PDF full of pointless images: the content is simple, but the presentation makes it hard to process.
01
Build short exercises directly into your lessons.
02
Choose restrained designs, with information presented clearly.
How does Nolej help?
Nolej answers both of these research-based recommendations. In a few clicks, the platform generates a wide range of easily exportable activities to weave into your lessons and sustain learners' attention. And its deliberately uncluttered design leaves all the room to intrinsic load, so learners stay fully invested in what they are studying.
Bradbury, N. A. (2016). Attention span during lectures: 8 seconds, 10 minutes, or more? Advances in Physiology Education, 40(4), 509-513.
Park, B., Moreno, R., Seufert, T., & Brünken, R. (2011). Does cognitive load moderate the seductive details effect? A multimedia study. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1), 5-10.
Park, B., Korbach, A., & Brünken, R. (2015). Do learner characteristics moderate the seductive-details-effect? A cognitive-load-study using eye-tracking. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 18(4), 24-36.
Sweller, J. (2010). Cognitive load theory: Recent theoretical advances. In J. L. Plass, R. Moreno, & R. Brünken (Eds.), Cognitive load theory (pp. 29-47). Cambridge University Press.
Szpunar, K. K., Khan, N. Y., & Schacter, D. L. (2013). Interpolated memory tests reduce mind wandering and improve learning of online lectures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(16), 6313-6317.
