I will pay attention
I will pay attention
Learning is the only compulsory requirement for any human being regardless of his station in life. One has to learn new things almost on a daily basis. Learning could be tedious or enjoyable, formal or informal, and repetitive or occasional. However, the common thread that cuts across all learning processes is the need to pay attention, focus during the process and continually reciting the learning outcomes. In addition, there is a need to apply whatever one learns in his later engagements. This paper seeks to discuss the essentials of learning through an examination, the need to pay attention, focus and recite the gained information.
Most learning processes usually involve delivery from a possessor of knowledge to the unknowing. This is to say that learning often entails a knowledgeable authority conferring the same knowledge to a group or individual who is in the process of knowing, otherwise, called the learner. This process often involves two parties that are not in equal standing. The authority usually has the advantage. To this extent learning success depends on the relation between the two parties. Often, the learner must be in the position and state of learning. One essential of this state is often composure. What exactly does composure facilitate in the learning process? Composed learners are able to fully pay attention. Paying attention in itself is a process. It requires absolute composure and additional desire to gain knowledge. In that vein, learners are often advised to avoid irrelevancies and concentrate on the learning process.
Perhaps paying attention appears open and hence needs elaboration. In that light, it assumes a tripartite approach in the learning process. One limb of paying attention entails the composure and attentiveness. This requires the learner to ensure all irrelevancies are avoided and evaded through all means possible. Additionally, the learner is expected to concentrate with an element of alertness so as enable him follow the learning delivery from the authority. The second limb entails observation and recognition. In this strain, the learner should be observant of all facts and accompanying cues during delivery of knowledge. It is on this vein that the learner should be able to recognise all verbal and non-verbal cues used in the learning process. This limb of paying attention enables successful understanding of the content and would necessarily contribute to the learner’s ability to place the content in its context. This is usually possible because the learner relates the accompanying non-verbal cues such as gestures and illustrations during the learning process to able to make sense of the knowledge. It is imperative to note that this requires the application of all the six senses, the sixth sense being the common sense. The learner should be able to apply common sense in paying attention to discriminate relevant material worth consumption from irrelevant material needing no attention.
Lastly, the third and final limb of paying attention entails following the delivery process. In this regard, the learner ought to follow the delivery right from the onset. Following can be achieved through a number of alternatives. However, the best method advised for following entails note taking. The learner should be able to jolt in summarised and redacted versions the contents being delivered. This enables a thorough comprehension and encourages an inquisitive approach in the learner. This should often be backed with seeking for clarifications in cases of unclear positions. This tripartite approach to paying attention ensures the learner collects essential lessons from the learning process and enables an understanding of the content delivered by the authority.
In addition to paying attention, a learner would achieve the learning objectives by being focused. Being focused has often been misused by students who associate focus with the ability to stay of course of the learning process till the end. However, that view is merely simplistic. Focus entails more than mere stay within the learning course. It goes deep into the analysis of the learning process, assessment of one’s understanding and comprehension and feedback collection. Focus in itself dictates of the learner to have a definite objective. The learner must pre-set the objective of the learning process. Usually this objective should be smart. This implies that the learning objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. The learner should approach objectives with a focus at achieving the best out of the prevailing circumstances. Focus could also overlap with paying attention in the sense that one should focus only on the relevancies. To be successful, it is essential to delineate what is relevant and irrelevant. The rule of the thumb states that relevancies push one towards the achievement of the objectives while irrelevancies pulls one away from the objective. The learner ought to be focussed to the very end of the journey for this is the only principle that is accompanied by success. Focus can also be approached through feedback analysis. A learner should continually evaluate his performance and activities to identify points of focus and points away from focus. He should then consume such information for correctional purposes and engage in corrective mechanisms designed to minimised the points of defocus and maximise the points of focus. At the end of the day, the level of focus in learners often has a bearing in the final outcomes.
Finally, accompanying the two principles for purposes of effective learning, a learner is required to adopt the recital of information approach. Recital entails processes in which the learner attempts to replicate concepts through a paraphrased approach. This process is a feedback mechanism in which the learner seeks to appreciate the level of his understanding. Recitals can take various methods as long as they achieve the overall objective. Leaners can recite through oral presentations of the learned concepts. This method not only demonstrates the learner’s mastery, but equally gives him the opportunity to interpret his understanding of the content in his own words. On the other hand, the learner could recite through writing down the content in her own words complete with a critical approach. This method enables the leaner to apply his own knowledge and reconcile the new content with his own knowledge. In that breadth the critical approach develops in the learner an analytical ability essential for future application of knowledge. It should be appreciated that recitals enable learners test their own understanding while at the same time provides room for their own perspectives. Another recital mechanism which has proven effective is the performance of exercises. This provides the learner the opportunity not only to regurgitate the concepts as learned but to put the same to application in more realistic situations.
References
Malone, S. A. (2009). Learning About Learning. New York: CIPD Publishing.
Nandish, P. (2007). A Holistic Approach to Learning and Teaching Interaction: Factors in the Development of Critical Learners. The International Journal of Educational Management, 17(6), 272-284.
