Are We Bored Yet? Mix It up With a Mid-Term Attention Refresh!

In his book Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It (2020), James Lang reminds us that attention is not the default state of the human mind. On the contrary, attention should be thought of as an achievement: “the normal state of our brains might be characterized as distracted or dispersed, from which focused and sustained attention arises in specific contexts” (p. 16). If achieving focus requires mindful effort, then the art of teaching, Lang argues, is in large measure the art of cultivating attention. In previous teaching tips, we explored attention-boosting practices like teaching students about the neuroscience of distraction and establishing curiosity-driven classroom routines. Today, we’ll look at a strategy that can be especially useful in the middle of a busy term: renewing student attention with a mid-term attention refresh.

Several weeks into an academic term, most professors will have established a predictable pattern in their courses. This is a good thing: regular classroom routines minimize cognitive load and help students focus on learning. Nevertheless, the danger of familiar routines is that the students (and the professor) might be settling into a rut. A break from established norms may help reinvigorate the class and refresh everyone’s attention, with benefits for learning. Lang suggests professors develop a toolbox of “signature attention activities” designed to shake things up during the mid-semester lull: “To snap students awake again, we need to create at least some learning activities that will nudge them out of those familiar routines and back into meaningful and transformative encounters with one another, with us, and with the content of our courses” (p. 179).

A mid-semester attention refresh can mean anything from an unexpected change in class structure (if you usually lecture, open with problem-solving; if you usually problem solve, open with a video, etc.), shifting the physical layout of the classroom, or bringing in props. The goal is to generate curiosity and renew student interest in your class—and your subject. Here are a few suggestions for attention renewing activities drawn from or inspired by Lang’s book. Enjoy!

1. Defamiliarize the familiar: have students observe an object related to your course content; encourage students to move past initial perceptions and notice something new about the object and its relation to the subject of the course.
2. Rearrange: surprise students with a new spatial arrangement in the classroom to reinvigorate attention and allow for fresh connection-making (if the classroom does not allow rearranging, you can mix things up by simply positioning yourself in a different part of the room).
3. Harness the power of images: post an arresting image related to class content on your screen as students enter the room, to whet curiosity.
4. Cast the dice: make two numbered lists of course concepts and have students connect them to one another by using dice to pick an item from each list.
5. Get moving: invite students to take a short walk (mobility allowing) to process course content alone or with a partner.
6. Visualize: ask students to draw a concept map of course material learned thus far.
7. Tap into social media savvy: ask students to distill class content into tweets/memes/TikToks.
8. Make connections: ask students to connect course material to out-of-class experiences/learning/values.
9. Harness the power of puzzles: invite students to grapple with a mystery or solve a puzzle related to your course content.
10. Gameify: design a role-playing activity to practice course content.