Treating Students with Focus Difficulties: Best Practices and Strategies
Students who have difficulty focusing may have other conditions, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder or learning difficulties. In these cases, students are unable to pay complete attention to their lessons or their work, making mistakes despite knowing the right answers in exams, constantly delaying their studies or other necessary tasks, or spending excessive time on computer games or technological devices such as tablets and television.
After the earthquake disaster that occurred in Turkey last month, one student said, “I get distracted very easily during lessons and exams, and I have to read the same question over and over again.” Traumatic situations can sometimes cause difficulty in focusing. Although this is considered normal for a certain period of time, it is essential to eliminate or reduce this problem as soon as possible.
Here are some tips to help students who have difficulty focusing:
1. Regulate environmental factors that distract the student and make it difficult to focus.
Factors like current conversations of family members or the constant sound of a television can make it difficult for students to focus while studying. It’s important for students to have a space to study without interruptions, keep other individuals in the house from speaking too loudly, and ensure that study spaces are comfortable and adequately lit.
2. Meet physical needs
Quality sleep, a balanced and satisfying breakfast, and avoiding hunger are factors that affect focus the most. Meeting physical needs is essential because it triggers success and increases the student’s focus.
3. Silence technological devices for a while
Before starting a study session, it is useful to turn off, mute or activate the «do not disturb» mode on technological devices. The notifications from technological devices often distract the student’s attention, making it difficult to focus during study sessions.
4. Support students to take a break after a certain time
Studying for a long time without a break can cause a lack of focus and difficulty understanding what is read or answering test questions. Using different techniques such as the Pomodoro technique, which involves taking a 5-minute break after studying for 25 minutes, can increase the student’s focus.
5. Encourage students to stick to routines
It is essential to plan and determine important time periods such as meal times, family quality time hours, and study/homework hours to help students focus more easily on the work they need to do at that time.
6. Turn theoretical knowledge into practice to make studying enjoyable
Students may have difficulty internalizing the academic information in textbooks. For this reason, activities and experiments should be carried out to support the student’s understanding of their knowledge and to increase focus. Using technology is beneficial in terms of visual learning. Gamification tools can also be used to transform knowledge into practice.
7. Pay attention to individual differences and avoid comparisons with others
Each student has their own pace and individual differences. Avoid comparing students with others to prevent sensitivity and distractions.
8. Do not hesitate to seek expert support when necessary
Expert support is very beneficial in many aspects. It is important for students who have difficulty focusing to seek expert support when necessary, especially in cases where all efforts and arrangements do not solve the problem or underlying causes.
