AlexPerry

Prof.Marshall

WR10103

2March,2017

ShouldSchoolsFavorHyperAttentionEducation?

Teachersdreadaclassroominwhichthestudentsdontpayattention.Itmustbedisheartening

totrytospeaktoaroomfullofchildrenwhoarealltalkingtoeachother,playinggames,texting,

watchingmovies,oranyoftheothercountlessthingstheycouldbedoinginsteadoflisteningtoyour

lesson.Whileeducatorsseemtoattributethisbehaviorassimplyactingout,N.KatherineHayles,in

herarticleHyperandDeepAttention:TheGenerationalDivideinCognitiveModes,definesthis

behaviorassimplyanotherstyleofthinking.Haylescategorizesattentionintotwodifferentmodes:hyper

anddeepattention.Takinginonesourceofinformationforextendedperiodsoftimeisdefinedasdeep

attention,whileexperiencingmultiplesourcesofinformationforsmallamountsoftimeiscalledhyper

attention.Whileitmayseemasifthestudentsreferredtobeforewerentpayingattention,someofthe

studentsmighthavebeenlookingupinformationtangentialtothetopictheteacherwasspeakingabout,

andsomecouldhaveevenbeenresearchingtermstheydidntunderstand.Inthisway,hyperattention

couldbeconsideredsuperiortodeepattentionforcertainsubjects(Hayles,8).Fromthis,thequestion

arises,shouldeducatorsbegintoteachhyperattentioninschools?Inshort:no.Inordertobeableto

useit,studentsmustpracticeanddeveloptheirabilitytousedeepattentionthrougheducation.

Hyperattentiondoesnotneedtobetaught.Itsobviousthathyperattentionisstartingto

becomemorepopular,especiallyamongtheyoungergeneration.HayleswritesthatAnobvious

explanationfortheshiftistheincreasingroleofmediaintheeverydayenvironmentsofyoung
people.Whilethismaybetruetosomeextent,andHaylescitesplentyofevidencethatsupportsthis,I

believethattechnologyisntthesolecauseforthischange,buthumaninstinctaswell.Manyactasifthis

isthefirsttimeinhumanhistorythatpeoplewereabletofocusonmorethanonesubjectatonce.A

millennialwhoslisteningtomusic,readinganarticleandwalkingdownthestreetatthesametimeisnot

thatdissimilartooneofourancientancestors,skulkingthroughaforest,listeningforpreyandstaying

waryofpredators,whenonecomparestheircognitivefunctions.InfactinHaylesownarticle,she

admitsthatinanevolutionarycontext,hyperattentionnodoubtdevelopedfirst.Nobodytaughtthis

millennialhowtoread,listenandnavigateatthesametimetheyvesimplypickeditupthroughinstinct.

Humanshavealwaysbeencapableofhyperattention,howeverrecently,rapidlychangingmediahas

broughtthiscognitivemodeforward.

Deepattentioneducation,then,iscrucialtointellectualdevelopment,nowmorethanever.

Manyeducators,noticingthecognitiveshift,havestartedtochangetheircurriculumstoseeminglybetter

suittheneedsofthisyoungergeneration.BarrySchwartz,psychologistandprofessor,provideshis

opinioninhisarticleAttentionMustBePaid!.HewritesthatBycateringtodiminishedattention,we

aremakingacolossalandunconscionablemistake.Hecontinues:

Ifpeoplearefedasteadydietoftheoversimple,itcanthelpbutaffectthewaytheythink

aboutthings.Beforeweknowit,thecomplexityandsubtletyoftheworldweinhabitwillbe

invisibletouswhenwetrytomakesenseofwhatisgoingonaroundus.

Granted,thisisonemansopinion,thatmanisstillapsychologist.Schwartzsopinionisbasedinfact

andstatistics,andfranklyhesright.Manyofmyeducatorsinhighschoolandnowincollegehavetold

metimeandagainthatthepurposeofpursuingeducationistochallengeoneself,andthatifastudent
doesntfeelchallenged,theywontlearn.Whythen,shouldwecatertothisshiftincognitivemodes?

Shouldnteducatorspushnowmorethanevertotraintheirstudentsdeepattention?

Manystudents,readingthis,mightgroanatthethought,thinkingthatafocusondeepattention

meansmorehomeworkandmorereading.Thisisnotnecessarilytrue.Schwartzwritesthatthereis

evidencethattraininginmindfulnessmeditationimprovessustainedattention.Meditationnotonly

improvesattention,butalsocanbeusedtocalmstudentspriortoastressfulexam,quietanoisyand

chaoticroom,andevenimprovethemoodandhealthoftheclassroom(Publications).Evenclassrooms

unwillingtopracticemeditationforwhateverreasoncouldturntoscheduledsilentreadingtimeasan

alternative,orperhapscrosswordorsudokupuzzles.Anythingthatkeepsthemindinoneplacefor

extendedperiodsoftimecanhelpdevelopdeepattentionskills,anditsimportantforstudentsto

maintaindeepattention,whichhelpstheirreading,mathematics,andstudyhabits(Schwartz).

 WorksCited

Hayles,N.Katherine."HyperandDeepAttention:TheGenerationalDivideinCognitiveModes."

Profession2007.1(2007):18799.Web.Accessed1Mar.2017.

Publications,HarvardHealth.WhatMeditationCanDoforYourMind,Mood,andHealth.Harvard

Health,HarvardMedicalSchool,July2014,www.health.harvard.edu/stayinghealthy/what

meditationcandoforyourmindmoodandhealth.Accessed2Mar.2017.

Schwartz,Barry.PayingAttentionIsaSkill:SchoolsNeedtoTeachIt.SlateMagazine,Slate,23

Sept.2013,www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2013/09/paying_attention_is_a_skill_

schools_need_to_teach_it.html.Accessed2Mar.2017.