Improve Your Focus

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Talk about their own experiences with focusing on tasks and their observations of others.
• Participate in an experiment on the effects of distractions on homework or other simple tasks.
• Learn strategies to improve their focus and ignore distractions.

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Materials

For each student:

• Pen and paper

For the group:

• 2-line drawings or 2 simple quizzes, presented on the board or chart paper

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Preparation

• Read and familiarize yourself with the Activity Steps.
• Prepare 2 similar simple tasks. The tasks could be copying line drawings from examples on the board or responding to a 10-question quiz on math or another common school subject.

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Activity Steps

1. Have students talk about their own experiences focusing on various tasks, such as completing homework on a challenging topic, clearing dishes from the dinner table, or walking a dog. Then, ask these questions or related questions:
   
   • Do you find some subjects or tasks easier to focus on and others more difficult?
   • Does your focus and attention depend on where you are, such as school, home, or a friend's home
     Does your focus and attention depend on the time of day or the day of the week?
   • How do you explain any differences in the focus you bring to a task?
2. Next, ask students to discuss the conditions they prefer for completing homework and work at school.
   Do you prefer to work in silence or with music playing? Which helps you focus on your schoolwork?
   Do you like to work near a window or in the corner of a room with no windows to distract you?
   Do you like to have company or to be all alone when you do schoolwork?
3. Tell students that in today’s activity, they will explore how distractions can affect their ability to complete tasks and improve their focus on tasks.
4. Divide students into groups of 4-6.
5. In each group, have a pair of students attempt to complete a simple task for the next 2 minutes, approximately, while they are allowed to focus quietly. The task could be either copying a line drawing or completing a short quiz. Have another group member time this task.
6. Next, have group members try to distract the pair of students while attempting to repeat the task in the same period of time. The distractors may talk to the students, talk among themselves, and move with exaggerated gestures. However, they may not touch the students or physically disturb their work.
7. Reconvene as a whole group, and have the timekeepers from all groups report the difference in time for the 2 versions of the activity. Then have the pairs of students discuss and compare their experiences.
8. Lead a brainstorming session about the strategies students can use on important tasks, such as homework. They may also cite strategies that they have observed practiced by family members, teachers, neighbors, or other peers or adults. Accept all suggestions and record them on the whiteboard or anchor chart. Also, lead students to include these ideas in their list if they do not suggest them independently:
   
   • Avoid distractions from others, such as siblings who call for or demand your attention. Work away from these distractions.
   • Choose the proper music that helps you focus or no music at all.
   • Keep away from devices that you find tempting, such as video games, mobile phones, and tablets.
   • Walk, stretch, or do other simple exercises before starting homework. Or take an exercise break in the middle of a long homework session.
9. To wrap up the session, encourage students to try focus strategies that work for them the next time they complete homework.

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Variations

1. For a simpler version of the activity, divide the students into 2 groups. Give 1 group a math test in a quiet, well-ventilated room. Give the other section the same test in a room with various noises piped into it and flickering lights or lighting that randomly come on and off. Perhaps also have other students enter and leave and cause a distraction. Compare the scores from the 2 groups.

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