Helping the Unfocused Mind: Teaching Strategies for Students Having Difficulty Getting and Maintaining Attention

Helping the Unfocused Mind: Teaching Strategies for Students Having H aving Difficulty Getting and Maintaining Attention The Psycho-Educational Teacher Blog http://thepsychoeducationalteacher.blogspot.com/

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As Levine (2002) states, attention is the brain’s manager, including a complicated network of  controls that regulate most of the processes involved in learning and behavior. Levine, an authority in brain research and founder of  All  All Kinds of Minds, adds that attention does not accomplish anything on its own, but rather it helps the brain determine what to do, when, and for  how long . Children who struggle paying attention in the classroom, also known as children with short attention span and/or inattentive students, frequently exhibit problem behaviors such as: 

Distracted by background stimuli (irrelevant visual, auditory, and/or tactile stimuli)

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Shifting from one uncompleted task to another task that is also left unfinished

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Losing and/or misplacing the books and materials necessary for completing the task; forgetful

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Do not pay attention to details, and due to this, they make careless mistakes

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Do not seem to listen

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Difficulty organizing tasks (what comes first, next...), i.e. skipping steps and/or failing to follow the right sequence of steps

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Difficulty distinguishing between the relevant aspects of the task and irrelevant aspects

Due to a lack of organization skills, inattentive and unfocused students need h elp in structuring  their school day (in getting organized), including materials, workspace, group dynamics, transitional times, and handling choices (Rief, 1993). When dealing with inattentive and unfocused students, the teacher needs to provide the structure using communication that is clear, descriptive, and that tells students exactly when, h ow, and for how long they are going to work  (remain on task) on the assignment or they need to pay attention (listen). In doing this, the teacher is taking over as the executive or manager, showing and modeling to children how to  plan, organize, and complete tasks. Next, I list some guidelines.

Guidelines to Help Students Focus Attention (Written Tasks) 

Before children begin to work on a task, have the class identify and list the steps for  completing it, including a time estimate both for each step and for the whole task. You can write the estimates on the chalkboard, so that you prompt students when the time to complete each step is near.

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Write the list of steps on the chalkboard (a ke y word or a key phrase for each step is enough), and have children write the same list on a notepad or an index card. As students complete each step, they cross it off the list.

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Make the habit of saying, listing, and posting all th e steps that are necessary for  completing a task or project.

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Provide a timer or stopwatch for children to monitor their work time.

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Give children ample warning when an activity is about to change. For example, you can say, “You have five more minutes of work time left. In five minutes, we move to…”

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Make sure that students know exactly how long they have to work on the task. Set up  benchmarks like, “Pages 12 and 13 should be completed by 11:15.”

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Read the directions aloud, and have students follow along, underlining or highlighting the most important information, explanations, key words, and/or steps. In addition, have children write the correct number above each step, i.e. 1, 2, and 3.

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Break a longer task into several smaller and easier tasks. For example, using index cards or a notepad, children write down each smaller step required to complete the assignment. Children work on one index card or step at a time, keeping all other index cards out of  sight. As students complete each step, they throw awa y the card for that step, moving to the next index card.

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Give reduced assignments to your inattentive students, so that they can complete seatwork. For example, the inattentive child completes onl y five problems of the twenty  problems on a page, or completes the odd problems but not the even problems.

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On a chart or an index card, draw a model (e.g. a solved three-digit multiplication  problem) that children can follow visually. Color-code each step/place value, and have children compare their finished products with the model shown on the chart. Tell children that their completed problems must look like the mode l, only the final answer is different. If their work looks different, they know that they chan ged or skipped a step. Allow students to use colored pencils or fine point markers to solve the problems, so that they too color-code each step or place value. However, make sure that everybody is using the same colors shown on the chart. For example, the first step is always blue, the second step is always green, and the third step is always brown. This color-coding system makes easier for students to pinpoint where their errors are.

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You can reduce the amount of visual material that children need to pay attention to by drawing a circle around or tracing with your finger (framing) the important information on the chart or diagram. Teach children to consistently draw circles around and/or  highlight important visual information.

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Cue students by saying, “You need to look at the _____ (e.g. timeline) closely, so that you can find two effects of the civil war.” Repeat the same cue as needed to keep children focused.

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Teach children to frame or highlight the operational symbols in math problems (i.e. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).

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Inattentive and unfocused students need successful ex periences in completing tasks. This will be easier to accomplish by giving children short and very specific tasks to complete so that initially the time they need to spend on task is short. We also need to be sure that the tasks we give for independent seatwork a re challenging but not frustrating to children, that is, with clear directions and a list of steps the child can do the task. Only after  success with shorter tasks, we increase gradually the time we expect the child to remain on task.

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Use class rewards for remaining on task and/or for pa ying attention. Distractible students tend to concentrate better when teachers con sistently acknowledge and reward focused attention and on-task behaviors. The literature researched indicates that rewarding one student for paying attention often has the eff ect of improving other students’ attention skills.

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Help children get and stay organized by using simple strategies like color-coding their  notebooks, using notebooks with dividers, using different folders to file their work, using  planners, and consistently using daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Teach students how to follow a schedule.

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When you are handling inattentive and unfocused children, keep your expectations humble and real; one task left without completion should not be a big deal when the child managed to finish two other tasks. The two finished tasks, however, are a big deal ; acknowledge the child’s success and reward him or her.

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Encourage neatness but do not penalize sloppiness. Give children a neatness list to follow (children write checks or “yes/no” for each completed item on the list).

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Give children written tasks with built-in checkpoints along the way.

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Use the “5 More Rule,” that is, have the inattentive child commit to work solidly for five minutes or pages, and when the child finishes, praise the child’s success and ask him or  her to work solidly for five more minutes or extra pages.

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Tell the child the requirements for completing the task, for example, say, “Your math is finished when you complete all six word problems and I check that all procedures and

final answers are correct. Do not start the next task until your peer buddy tells you to go ahead with the next activity.”

Guidelines to Help Students Focus Attention (Oral Tasks) 

Teach your students exactly how to pay attention, for example, say, “Look at me when I talk” and “Watch my face when I speak.” Even the behavior of consistently looking at you when you speak and making eye contact may have to be rewarded.

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Tell students in advance for how long they will have to concentrate, for example, “We will be working on _____ from 10:20 to 10:40.”

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Cue students to listen by saying, “You will need to listen closely for _____ (e.g. two important cities or one important person).” Repeat the same cue as needed to keep students on track.

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Explicitly tell children what to listen for, for example, “This information is im portant to know.” Alternatively, you can say, “Listening now. This is important…”

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Emphasize key oral information in the lesson by changing the pitch of your voice. Make students aware that, when they listen attentively, they will be able to notice how your  voice changes when you say a key word or a key phrase.

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To get children’s attention, vary the tone of your voice during your lesson, for example, louder, softer, faster, slower, and/or whispering.

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Use voice control , that is, look at the inattentive and unfocused student in the eye, lower  the tone of your voice, and drop the pitch to get the child’s attention. Under no circumstances you should scream or yell to get a student’s attention. (Never works!)

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Use the whispering technique. When you are about to give important information, say, “What you are going to hear is important, and for that reason, I am going to whisper to you. Only if you are very attentive and listening carefully, you will be able to hear what I am going to say. Ready to listen? On one… 3… 2… 1…”

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Use countdowns (delivered in a soft and measured voice) and prompts like, “Ready, Set,  Now…” to prepare children to listen.

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Use proximity control , for example, stand next to the inattentive student and touch the child on the shoulder.

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Use private gestures and gestures for the whole class, for example , go over to the child (proximity control), look directly into the child’s eyes, and tap your chin three times to indicate that you want her to focus on the lesson. For the whole class, you can tap your  ear three times to indicate that you want the class to listen. Discuss with children in advance the meaning of the gestures.

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To keep children engaged in the oral lesson, make your lesson shorter and interactive. Every three-to-five minutes, stop to check students’ comprehension, to ask children to expand or elaborate on the information, or to give their opinion.

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Another strategy is to split your lecture into four or five shorter segments where you have children switching from listening to writing and b ack to listening, or they do different five-to-ten minutes activities. For example, you can divide a 40 minutes lecture the following way:

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Five Minutes: mini-lecture (first part)

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Ten Minutes: filling-in the outline and checking answers

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Five Minutes: mini-lecture (second part)

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Ten Minutes: finishing the outline and checking answers

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Ten Minutes: making a drawing or sketch that represents the main points in the lesson and sharing their drawings

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Refocus the students’ attention. Anticipate those moments in the lesson where the children’s focus and attention may drop and plan for activities that refocus, for example, summarizing, finding main ideas, completing a timeline, or drawing/sketching.

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Use a deck of index cards with each student’s name on it. Randomly, pick a card from the deck to call on students. Replace the card back in the deck each time.

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Reinforce visually the information that you are presenting orally. For ex ample, on the chalkboard, write key words, key phrases, and/or page numbers. Always include visual

references in your oral lessons, for example, pictures, charts, graphs, diagr ams, or flow charts. 

Reinforce the important information in your oral lesson using advance organizers, for  example, Venn diagrams, timelines, main idea and details diagrams, or cause and effect charts.

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Prepare outlines that you fill partially for children to complete as they listen to the lesson.

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Have the inattentive student repeat or rephrase your directions so that you can check if  the child understands.

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Ask for  specifics, for example, “Will we do problems three and five?” “No.” “Why not?” “We are going to do only the even numbers.”

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When you give instructions, avoid unnecessary talking; ex cessive verbalizations will only confuse the child with limited attention and conc entration. Provide clear, descriptive (how to) instructions, indicating only the relevant aspects of the activity.

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Pay attention to children when children are paying attention; acknowledge it and reward the class. Focus your behavior management on praise and encouragement rather than giving negative attention to negative behavior.

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Every hour, build a one-minute “stretch breaks” to give children the opportunity to stand up and move around the classroom.

Special Measures for Special Minds Most inattentive children will profit from the interventions outlined on the two previous sessions,  but a few others will require a more intensive and individualized intervention. Individualized interventions that teachers can use are: 

Create rapport with the inattentive student, and make a personal connection. Always remember that you are not going to get compliance if you do not have good rapport with the child. The more positive one-on-one interaction with the child, the better.

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Be a coach, encouraging and motivating the child to succeed and building on the child’s strengths. Believe that the child will change his in attentive behavior, will develop attention skills, and, no matter how long it tak es, ultimately will succeed.

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 Ally with the child; you and the child are working together toward a common goal. Take the child aside to talk about his attention problem and to create a plan to solve this  problem.

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Help the child understand how attention works, wh y attention is important for learning, and in identifying the child’s particular learning strengths and learning weaknesses.

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Together, prepare a list of strengths, including everything that is positive and unique about this child. The list of strengths will be useful in reinforcing self-confidence and self-esteem, and in developing an individualized plan to solve the attention problem.

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Help the child understand how she can develop attention skills. Your approach should be in teaching the child how to use her strengths to work on her weaknesses, making her  strengths even stronger in the process. The child needs to feel responsible and in control of her own learning.

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Like any other behavior, we can increase a child’s attention span, by rewarding longer  and longer intervals of focused attention. For example, when the inattentive student pays attention for five minutes, acknowledge it and reward the child. Challenge the child to keep this ratio for two weeks. On the next two weeks, demand and reward ten minutes of  the child consistently paying attention and/or remaining on task. Keep this reinforcement  program as long as necessary, with small increments every two weeks.

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Prepare a behavior plan where you reward the student all the way up, including giving some reward for minimal responses. For example: 

One check or one sticker for looking at the task/material

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Three checks or stickers for working on the task 

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Five checks or stickers for completing the task 

In total, the child receives nine checks or stickers for this particular task. In addition, you should reward the student for trying. 

Teach the student the self-monitoring strategy. This involves teaching the child how to remain on task, and then training the child in how to check his own orientation and focus on the task. To teach self-monitoring skills, you will need a self-monitoring checklist and

a timer. Some teachers replace the timer with a pre-recorded attention tape with a soft sound like a spoon tapping on a glass in time intervals of two-to-five minutes each (e.g. 3, 4, 3, 2, 4, 2, 5, 4, 3, 2). If you do not have an attention tape, a “study buddy” can help in tracking time. This is a 30-minute daily training, and the child practices only during independent seatwork, never when you are presenting a new or a difficult concept. Every time the child hears the sound (or the study buddy says, “Now”), the inattentive child asks, “Am I on task?” If he is on task, he records one check on his self-monitoring checklist and continues working. At the end of the day or week, the child changes his checks for a small reward. You can adapt a similar self-monitoring checklist to teach the child listening skills. 

You can also use the timer the following way: The inattentive student agrees to work a certain amount of time on the task (e.g. twenty minutes), and then sets the timer. At the end of the twenty minutes, if the child remains on task, you give the reward. You can develop a graph to track weekly improvement, that is, increased duration of attending  behavior.

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Develop a behavior contract between you and the student. Examples of classroom  behaviors that you can include in the contract are following directions promptly, staying on task, and completing tasks. You can follow these steps: 1. Meet with the child in private and discuss the classroom behavior that you have noticed, and why this behavior is a problem for the student. You can say, “When you hurry through your class work, your writing gets sloppy and it is hard for me to read and score your answers.” 2. Suggest a contract in which the child will earn one or more points/tokens each time he demonstrates the target behavior. Agree on the value of the  points/tokens and when the child will have the opportunity to get his reward. Initially, you may have to give daily rewards. 3. Write the contract, including the child’s name, the behavior to develop (target behavior or goal), and a strategy that the child can use to help him succeed. For example, “Each time I notice the red dot on the index card, I will go back to work.” In addition, in the contract, specify the reward.

Make sure that both the target behavior and the reward are specific and attainable. 4. Both you and the child sign the contract. 

Seat the inattentive student near good role models and/or next to a “study buddy.” The study buddy assists in note taking and helps in keeping the inattentive student organized. For example, the child has the materials that he is going to need for the next activity, the desk is clear of items that the child does not need to do the work, work sheets are filed in the correct folders, and the homework has no missing steps.

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Use a private signal like “two-thumbs up” to communicate to the child that he can get up and move to another part of the room or to the hall. Teach the child to use private signals to communicate his special needs to you.

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Have a second desk in the room empty and ready, so that the child can move from one desk to the other quietly and without interrupting the lesson.

References Levine, M. (2002). Educational care: A system for understanding and helping children with learning differences at home and in school. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Educators Publishing. Rief, S. F. (1993). How to reach and teach ADD/ADHD children: Practical techniques,  strategies, and interventions for helping children with attention problems and hyperactivity. West Nyack, NY: Center for Applied Research.

 About the Author Carmen Y. Reyes, The Psycho-Educational Teacher , has more than twenty years of experience as a self-contained special education teacher, resource room teacher, and educational diagnostician. Carmen has taught at all grade lev els, from kindergarten to post secondary. Carmen is an expert in the application of behavior management strategies, and in teaching students with learning or behavior problems. Her classroom background, in New York City and her native Puerto Rico, includes ten years teaching emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disordered children and four years teaching studen ts with a learning disability or low cognitive functioning. Carmen has a bachelor’s degree in psychology (University of Puerto Rico) and a master’s degree in special education with a specialization in emotional disorders (Long Island University, Brooklyn: NY). She also has extensive graduate training in psychology (30+ credits). Carmen is the author of 60+ books and articles in child guidance and in alternative teaching techniques for students with low academic skills. You can read the complete collection of  articles on Scribd or her blog, “The Psycho- Educational Teacher.” To preview her books and download the free eguide, “Persuasive Discipline: Using Power Messages and Suggestions to  Influence Children Toward Positive Behavior,”  visit Carmen’s blog.