SNAP TO ATTENTION

“Soldiers, bring your heels together…and stand straight!”

A commander might give soldiers this command for them to snap to attention immediately.

Snap to attention?

“Snap to attention” is a phrase that typically describes a sudden and immediate shift in attention from an unfocused state to a focused and alert state. Specifically in high-pressure situations, the ability to snap to attention shows its real character because it can make a difference between success and failure, or even life and death. Probably, that’s why a famous Brazilian lyricist said,

“All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready.”  

We know that attention refers to the ability to focus and direct cognitive resources towards a particular stimulus or task and involves the selection of relevant information from the environment and the suppression of irrelevant information. Now, what is although a distinct concept, yet related to attention is “attention span” which is the length of time that a person can sustain his focus on a particular activity or information before his attention wanes or shifts to something else.

The ‘high’ and the ‘low’ attention spans:

Different people have different learning capacities, where some people learn volumes in less time, some learn just bits in more time. Why? Because of high or low attention span. So, the higher your attention span, the more the learning outcomes you are able to sustain your focus on, even in the face of distractions or interruptions. This can allow you to perform well on complex tasks. 

So now, a high attention span is certainly an accomplishment, what do learners with a low attention span experience?

• Have a wandering mind: Looking at the whiteboard but planning about the night’s party. 
• In from one ear, out the other: Facing difficulty in retaining information. 
• It is out of your depth: Performing a task awfully because you missed critical lessons due to lack of focus. 
• You are in a slump: Feeling less energetic, unmotivated or unproductive.

What’s the solution then for learners with low attention spans?

Simply, Shun the following ‘-tions’:

The ‘Media Addiction’:  Keep at bay those buzzing notifications and intoxicating TV shows. 

The ‘Imbalanced Nutrition’: Ignore junk food and munch on proteins, mineral-rich food, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Do brain exercises! 

The ‘Multitasking Action’: Don’t punish your poor little brain by switching to multiple tasks at the same time. Divide your task into the day’s slots!

The ‘Sleep Deprivation’: Don’t binge watch your favorite series or work overnight, lest you doze off at work. 7-8 hours of good sleep is a must!

The ‘Do Overtime’ Condition: Don’t work those extra hours on and on, you would burn out mentally and physically. Prioritize your tasks, take mid breaks and do them in chunks.

The ‘Timetable Disorganization’: Don’t mess with your schedule, that’s going to fade away your cognitive performance. Prepare a to-do list, allocate justified time to that, take leisure gaps in between, and tick the done tasks.

We have discussed the plight of learners with low attention spans, but not their instructors. Many of you might be the instructors who struggle to deal with such learners. Do you know this is where the role of ‘Learning Science’ comes in when instructors adopt the strategies of the psychology of learning behavior into their instructional designing material and cater to the needs of learners with relatively low attention spans?! Before that, what mental combats do Instructional Designers do while framing instructions for such learners? They wonder:

• Is a particular block of text better conveyed as an interactive graphic? 
• Is their audience likely to take that course on the go while on their mobile devices?
• How can they divide that raw material into microlearning modules for quicker, easier digestion?

To do this, ID leverages the psychology behind how learners with low attention spans may retain and absorb information.

Given below are some workable tips:

• Use short, concise and clear language to minimize cognitive load.
• Break the content into small, digestible chunks to improve retention.
• Use multimedia such as videos and graphics to capture learners’ attention and sustain their interest.
• Incorporate interactive activities such as quizzes and games to maintain engagement.
• Use real-life scenarios and examples to make the content more relatable and relevant.
• Provide frequent feedback to learners to help them monitor their progress.
• Encourage learners to take regular breaks to avoid fatigue and maintain attention.
• Create a positive learning environment that fosters motivation and reduces stress.
• Use a variety of instructional strategies to cater to different learning preferences.
• Consider the impact of external factors such as the environment, social context, and emotional state on learners’ attention, and adjust instructional methods accordingly.

In All-

Attention and attention span play a vital role in the learning process. No doubt that learners with low attention spans may face numerous challenges, but that’s not the end! With simple lifestyle changes and effective instructional design strategies, they can improve their focus and achieve their learning goals. 

At the same time instructional designers can leverage learning science to create engaging and interactive learning experiences that cater to learners’ needs and enhance their attention and retention. By adopting these strategies, we can foster a positive and effective learning environment that benefits all learners.

Just pay attention to attention and you win!

Read more about: Creating learner-centric e-learning