Attention is focus. It is crucial to language learning.
The better language educators understand attention, the greater is their
ability to support learning. Attention is a limited cognitive resource. First,
people have a limited ability to attend over time. Fatigue also will set in
after a sustained effort. Second, people can only process a limited amount of
information simultaneously, they must select where to put their focus
(Selective Attention). This state of mind occurs when a person selects specific
inputs to process while avoiding distractions in the environment (Focused
Attention). Emotions and attention are extremely connected. When emotions appear
attention is captured without effort, automatically. On the other side, boredom
is the first enemy of attention. When information is not meaningful or
relevant, distraction appears. Second enemy is multi-tasking. When we respond
to more than one information simultaneously, our attention is divided and lessens.
So, as language educators, how can we keep attention up during a lesson?
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