The average attention span for a four-year-old is between 8-12 minutes. Some researchers putting the upper limit of focus at five minutes for every year of age.
Let’s take 2nd and 3rd graders (7-8 year-olds), we would be looking at a maximum attention span of 35-40 minutes. This is according to an article from Brain Balance Centers. Now, let’s not forget that’s for those in your class who have the longest attention span. This is not applicable to everyone (don’t you know it!). And this ONLY applies when you are FULLY IN CONTROL of all the factors that create the learning environment.
Children are built for action and interaction. They’re not wired for sitting still and looking at a laptop for hours on end day after day. In the brick and mortar classroom, teachers already have an uphill battle keeping children’s attention. And this is considering the fact they are in control of the distractions. In a virtual learning classroom, there are parents working in the background. Pets are roaming around the room. And a shiny box of toys may be in their peripheral vision. With so many distractions in virtual learning, the hill climb has just reached Kilimanjaro levels!
But, while the challenge has certainly been hiked up, it’s not impossible. It’s just time to change direction a little bit.
Some children have parents sitting by their side. Like their very own personal teaching assistant, keeping them engaged and supporting them with each step. Others have parents who are desperately trying to get on with their own job while dipping in and out. And still, others that are less present. So we have to think of ways to support them ALL to keep those lessons going and children learning.
Let’s take a look at what we are and are not in control of and see where that takes us.
Attention and Focus Are Based on A Few Different Elements
Distractions
Children are inevitably going to be distracted by what is happening at home. This will vary from household to household, so we have to work with what we’ve got. But there’s also your own setup. Take a screenshot of what the children will see as their virtual classroom. Remove everything that serves as a distraction. Consider the Zoom news and chat shows coming directly from celebrity and reporters’ homes these days. I know I’m more interested in what color their sofa cushions are than I am what they’re saying. Children are no different!
Energy Levels
Whether a child is well-fed, hungry, tired, or full of energy is out of your control at this point. But it’s something to be conscious of. Sadly, children are reliant on school meal programs. And many families have been financially crippled as a result of the pandemic. Have some empathy. Be aware of children who seem to be struggling, read the room, and adapt.
Generate Interest
Finally, and most importantly in your control – is the activity interesting?
Right now, trying to get children to sit and listen to boring lectures and lessons (Sorry, their words, not mine!) is a waste of time. In the absence of normal social interactions and hands-on teacher guidance, children need to be brought into the virtual classroom in other ways. They need to be engaged. And they need to be taking part in something fun and entertaining.
So how do we make virtual learning more of an opportunity than a distraction? We work with what we’ve got.
Social Connections and Belonging
This is crucial for children during the learning process.
In every student setting, we have those who want to be heard and those that want to skulk in a corner going unnoticed, and that can become easier to do in a virtual classroom, so it’s important to make sure that every child is heard, seen and listened to. This builds a sense of belonging. For example, you could create a classroom ritual at the beginning of the day, a mental stretch exercise that involves each child speaking and then asking another child a question. This allows for everyone to speak, and everyone to hear their own name, reinforcing the sense of belonging.
Let’s try ‘Where I would go right now if I could go anywhere? Each person talks about where they would go right now if they could go anywhere, then addresses the student who is (virtually) next to them to ask them the same question:
“Morning everyone, I’d go to the aquarium right now if I could go anywhere. I love watching all the sea creatures swimming around. Sea turtles are my favorite; they just seem so cool! Where would you go to Sarah?”
Everyone speaks and everyone hears their own name.
(Now, remember this ice breaker, it comes in handy a few steps down the line too!).
Interactive Learning
Next up, we have to get creative. Let’s say that you are trying to teach your class the different parts of a flower. Instead of trying to get the students to sit and listen to an explanation, you can mix it up a bit. Take advantage of your online platform and use some interactive games where they can put the parts of the flower in the right place, move it around like a jigsaw. Choose five-part puzzles and put students in breakout rooms in groups of five.
Now, while I have seen many a parent trying to prise away tablets and mobile phones from children, we must remember not every one of them is technically savvy, so don’t rely solely on this kind of activity.
Instead, now is the time for giving a bit more leeway and flexibility to the child as well as working in partnership with the parents to have things ready in advance.
Let’s stick with this flower topic for now. A week before the class you could message the parents and guardians a ‘forward planning’ email. You can tell them their children will be working on flower projects… but what they do is up to them. Provide them with suggestions such as –
- take pictures in the park with a camera that can be printed out and make a collage;
- gather empty toilet paper rolls and tissue paper to make flower models;
- get cardboard, pens, paper, perhaps glue and felt.
You get the drift, but get the parents involved, so they can get whatever is suitable ready…for example, if there is a baby crawling around in the background, they might not want scissors or glue floating about, but pictures and putty could be just perfect.
Virtual teaching with children is about engaging the child… and engaging the parent, the more they can be involved in the planning and organizing stage, the better the teaching day will go.
Virtual Trips
Now, remember I suggested that icebreaker before – where would you go if you could go anywhere? Well, now that you know all the interests of the children it’s time to have some adventures and take some of those trips – zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums – they are all up for grabs through virtual trips… and let’s face it, who isn’t bored of their own four walls right now – so why not take some field trips – stress-free ones at that.
And mix it up, it will be useful to take some virtual trips that are relevant to the curriculum, but you know what – it’s just as important to take some virtual trips to fun places that are just about laughing, smiling, and having fun… maybe that’s even how you could close the school week!
Well, there you go, some ideas on how to keep the little one’s learning.
Give it a try! I’m sure these techniques will work for you too!
