A recent study found that students’ minds were a lot of likely to wander in class on Mondays and Fridays. Presumably, thoughts about the previous or upcoming weekend were just too distracting. So how can we help students improve their focus and stay concentrated during lessons?
Research shows that the ability to concentrate and pay attention is something that can be improved, even from a very young age. Our ability to focus is not a fixed quantity. We’ve examined the research and recommend eight methods to help students focus better in class.
Book concentration training student Workshop
Eat Breakfast
There is a growing body of research that shows that people who eat breakfast have better concentration over the course of the morning. Unfortunately, lots of students frequently skip breakfast, with one study reporting that 60% of teenage kids and 70% of teenage girls do so.
A fascinating study split students into three groups; those that ate breakfast, those that did not and those that had an energy drink instead. These students were monitored over the course of four days and took part in tests to measure their attention and memory. The results? students who ate breakfast did substantially better than their peers who skipped Camiseta Selección de fútbol de México it or just had an energy drink.
“Breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day”. We have all heard this statement before, however, it is crucial that students are eating the ideal foods to help improve their mental focus. here are a few foods that can improve productivity in the mornings:
Eggs
Blueberries
Almonds
Oatmeal
Other research has found a host of other benefits to eating breakfast. This includes improving physical health, better mental health and minimizing feelings of fatigue. You can read a lot more about this research in our blog about why breakfast is important.
Put The Distraction Away
Out of sight really is out of mind. One study found that simply having your phone out, even if you are not using it, can make you do up to 20% worse in cognitive tests. one of the most popular studies in psychology, the Marshmallow Test, found that students who did not look at the temptation in front of them were less likely to engage with it.
So if you want to improve concentration, before you start your work, clear your Camiseta Tigres UANL immediate environment of potential distractions. When revising in the classroom, teachers could encourage students to put their phones in their bags or leave them in their lockers, to keep the greatest distractions away from the classroom environment.
Choose Your study Mate Carefully
Working with other people has been associated with minimizing stress, improving performance and developing resilience. It can also help improve focus and work ethic. A recent journal found that if a student is seated next to someone who is working hard, then it will increase their work ethic. Interestingly, this impact was found to be consistent regardless of whether their peer was doing an much easier or a lot more tough task than them, and even when the task was similar or unrelated.
Teachers could enhance this work ethic by using a seating plan to create pairs of students that will work well together. research has found that seating plans are crucial in classrooms as they promote positive academic and behavioural outcomes.
Take notes in Class
Taking notes in class gives students something positive and productive to focus on. This will minimize their need to seek distractions elsewhere. When it pertains to taking notes, don’t overcomplicate it with technology. having a notebook for each subject can be a terrific way for students to keep Camiseta Fluminense track of their work, whilst also allowing deeper processing. A recent study found that students who took notes longhand outperformed their peers who used laptops. This could be because laptop note-takers tend to process less information, as they typically fail to reframe what they are being taught into their own words.
We wrote about our much-loved ways to take good notes in class on this blog – and if you’re trying to find an actual model to follow, we particularly like the Cornell note Taking Method.
Face Forward
People tend to focus on what they can see. simply put, if you are not facing the person who is talking to you then you are a lot more likely to be distracted by what is in your eye-line (see Marshmallow study pointed out earlier).
The classroom potentially holds a lot of distractions for students, from their peers to wall displays. It is crucial for the teacher to keep the students engaged. This can be done by creating a seating plan in which all students are in direct view of the teacher, and by encouraging students to have classroom discussions. Interacting with other students and having face-to-face discussions can help keep them focused on what they are learning as well as becoming better listeners.
Have someone set Your frequently Deadlines
Left to our own devices, peoplenull