ABSTRACT
The chapter explores the persistent challenge of sustaining attention and overcoming pupils’ natural tendency to conserve their mental effort. It examines mind-wandering, various forms of distraction, and their relevance to learning in the classroom and beyond. Mind-wandering is presented as a potential challenge to learning, but the chapter also highlights potential positives, such as the creativity-inducing ‘diffuse mode’ of thinking. Additionally, it delves into the more specific needs related to ADHD and their implications for teaching and learning.
The second part of the chapter explores the need to select, switch, and sustain attention, depending on the circumstance of what is being learned. Specific strategies to manage one’s time and to fend off the challenge of procrastination are outlined. Rather than tackle substantial tasks, teachers are encouraged to break learning into smaller steps, such as deploying ‘learning sprints’. The strategies and routines described serve as the foundation for helpful classroom routines and practices that can also be applied more broadly.
