Beating Distractions on Saturday Mornings

One of my greatest difficulties as a student was staying focused.  If I was working on an art project or writing an interesting paper, I could work for hours on end without even noticing time passing.  But as soon as someone started explaining the structure of a chemical compound, my mind was elsewhere. 

Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the subjects and tasks we don’t enjoy.  Even when we are focused, today’s world is filled with distractions.  We are plagued with Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, Pinterest and GChat.  Hardly a minute goes by without an alert, an update or an inbox addition.

In a recent Time article, Laura Schwecherl suggests that this influx of technology has made today's generation more distractible than any prior generation.  Her article, “13 Ways to Beat Distractions and Stay Focused at Work", describes methods to help adults stay on task in the workplace, though LSF students and tutors can benefit from many of her suggestions as well.

The first step is fairly straightforward—Schwecherl suggests to “pinpoint the problem.”  If your tutee is having trouble paying attention, ask him what’s going on.  Maybe he didn’t understand the material.  Maybe he is having problems at home or with other kids at school.  A second-grader may not be able to give you a clear answer to your question, but use clues and other questions to try to piece together the puzzle.  As Schwecherl says, “Figuring out the issue is the first step toward resolving it.”   

 

Michele Lerner and Ingrid Toro (grade 7)

Next, she suggests setting goals for the day.  When you sit down to begin work, ask your student what she needs to accomplish today.  We only have an hour and a half, so make sure that the goals you set are reasonable.  Once you complete a task, let her cross it off the list so that she can chart her progress.

Schwecherl also suggests that breaking big tasks into smaller tasks may make the work seem less daunting.  When you can tell that your student is overwhelmed by a big packet of math problems, try writing down one section at a time.  Have your student cross off each task when it’s finished and don’t try to finish the entire packet in one sitting.  Work on other homework and come back to the packet later in the session or next week.

Give each project a time limit.  If you notice your tutee is getting bored with the math packet, tell him to look at the clock.  Assure him that at 11:30, you will move on to something new.  Or, if it’s a particularly difficult subject and the tutee isn’t enthusiastic from the beginning, set a time goal.  If he works on it for fifteen minutes straight, he won’t have to look at it again until next week.  

Being clean and organized is another important element to staying focus, Schwecherl says.  If your tutee has a messy binder full of old homework and crumpled paper, have him clean it out.  Spend five minutes helping him organize his papers, or bring dividers and help him label different sections.  Also make sure that your student has a planner where he writes down his assignments and their due dates, and check each week to see if he’s updating it regularly.  This will help him stay on top of his homework when you’re not there to remind him.      

Finally, Schwecherl suggests to reward yourself and take breaks.  Luckily, we all play games at the end of the day.  But if your student just can’t sit through an hour and half of tutoring (which can be especially difficult for our youngest students), find out what she likes to do.  If she enjoys doodling or coloring, give her five minutes of drawing time between tasks.  Let her get up and grab a glass of orange juice, or take a walk around the cafeteria.  As the article explains, “Short bursts of hard work followed by quick breaks can be more beneficial than never taking a breather, since the brain may just burn out.” 

Some of Schwecherl’s tips shouldn’t be used on kids.  For instance, she suggests trying caffeine to stay alert.  I don’t recommend giving a six-year-old a cup of coffee.  But many of her pointers are worth trying because they could help you and your student have happier, more productive Saturday mornings.