It has been said that teaching is tough at times. On the same token then, learning also must be tough some times. Despite our best efforts at concentration, a person is only able to learn what they are able to take in. Learning occurs with a heavy reliance on our basic senses – what we see, hear, touch – and so on. It is therefore, critical that a teacher is absolutely certain their students see and hear what they are saying if they are to learn.
This point cannot be taken for granted. A study conducted on people’s powers of concentration shows some interesting things about concentration and sensory input. Researchers asked a group of participants to watch a video that showed two rows of people, one row dressed in white, the other dressed in black, bouncing a basketball back and forth to each other. The viewers were asked to count the number of times the ball was bounced. By and large, everyone did well on the concentration task, however only 50% of the viewers saw the man dressed in the gorilla suit come in to the middle of the screen, beat his chest, and walk off.
In a world of visual and auditory input and concentration tasks, educators need to be sure that students have the chance to concentrate, to see, to hear as separate tasks, but that also when these events are occurring in tandem, there should be a double check for comprehension. As students get older, there is a lot they must learn – not least of all totally important skills like driving. Understanding what you may not see, or hear, can help you become better attuned to the reality that there is important information out there that you don’t want to miss.
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