Why can’t kids concentrate?

Posted February 16, 2007

Category Early Learning, High School, Middle School

Did you know that studies show that in a single classroom more than 70% of children will have difficulties with focusing and paying attention? Seven out of ten; that’s an awfully high number.

Teen eating breakfast, talking on a cell and working on the computer

Do all these kids truly have ADD or is there something else going on?

Consider our modern lifestyle and the role it plays in the lifestyle of today’s kids. Kids live in a world that moves at a faster pace than ever. They are exposed to more media images, faster sound bites, and can use multiple media outlets simultaneously. They can text message, type, use video controllers, cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, and Blackberries. They learn faster, adapt better, and multiprocess at a rate that no other generation before has ever been able to, or ever had to do.

Not sure about this? Watch some shows that are popular with kids—MTV for instance. Play a few video games. Use chat programs.

In a fast-paced world

The world of today’s kids is fast-paced and ever-changing. It jumps around from image to image, sound to sound, never lingering long in one place or on a single idea image or thought. There is no break in the stream of sound, images, or conversation. There is no breathing room.

On average, the typical TV program changes cuts (the time that the camera stays on the same focus or viewpoint) every 3-4 seconds. Video games, music videos, cartoons and even movies all move at this break-neck speed. These short sound bites do little to help develop a child’s attention span.

So these same kids who live a fast-moving, multiprocessing life are, on a daily basis, put in a classroom where they are expected to sit still and focus on a single thought, person, or image for a long stretch of time. That’s a major downshift for the child.

Is it any wonder that 70% of them are having difficulty staying on task, focusing, and paying attention? When are we actually taking the time to teach children how to pay attention? Just like reading, spelling, and writing, paying attention is a skill that children need to learn, practice and perfect.

Is the education system not doing enough to keep up with how quickly kids live their lives? Are we asking too much of today’s kids to sit still and singularly focus? Or is there really an epidemic of kids with symptoms like ADD/ADHD?

There are no real answers—only a good starting point. Let’s begin by asking some important questions about children’s attention spans, the media environment, and the state of the education.

We welcome your feedback!

ASHLEY

HELLO SOMETIMES THESE KIDS HAVE REASONS TO BE MISUNDERSTANDING THINGS IN THE CLASSROOMS BECAUSE SOME OF THESE TEACHERS DON’T KNOW HOW TO TEACH THERE CLASS. THEY JUST TALK NONSTOP AND NEER GET TO THE POINT. THAT IS WHAT I THINK WHY KIDS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL
Kafeel

I belive children needs attention form thier parents. If you have more than two children ,then , you have to equally shAre time with them. This will help parents to share thier experiences and thoughts. Once Again………..CNA….. CHILD NEED ATTENTION………… You just need to remember and forward this Logo to every one ………..CNA……………..
Hal

QUESTION: Shorter attention spans, collectively in a classroom?? Teaching is extraordinarily challenging in this “electric” era. Make no mistake… more so now than in the past. The children are all showing a very short attention span -collectively! Just talk to teachers who have done this job for years. All of society is undergoing massive change and we are under a full blown media assault…24.5 hours a day. The trouble is, we’ve been bought off on all fronts. Read Marshall MacLuhan “Understanding Media” (1964) or view some postings on him You Tube. We live in an ocean of programmed media with explicit and embedded messages… extended and “always on” to batter and better butter our brain into absolute whipped numbness and narcissism. Addictions develop at a young age as well, and are perpetuated by instability of family, stress, lack of family bonding etc. The overly thick bureaucratized brick and mortar public school system with its subject divisions and diversions is fascinatingly obsolete and planned to remain static while creating frustration, apathy, and three ring circus stupidity in spades. It does a fantastic job of programming and dumbing down its little and big citizens (mostly willing and unaware operatives) who do NOT think or perceive of our oppressive (cleverly designed and induced) reality “critically”. It is also a data harvest center and a vetting center for mental illness. (Read Beverly Eakman–Walking Targets.) The public education system is really designed or engineered for a finer tuned collectivism which is evolving on schedule. Along with ELF towers, chemicals in the drinking water, innoculations, chemtrails, collective attention suppression and dumbing down are well under way. ANSWER: YES! Trust your instinct…it is TRUE!
Hal

Turn off the TV! Infants weaned on TV ’cannot concentrate’ Andrew Clennell The Guardian, Tuesday 6 April 2004 http://tinyurl.com/yzyh8lo
Bari

We have three children two girls 11 & 9 and a son of 6+. Both the girls are brilliant to the extent that they don’t need any help in studies and they are totally independant and are toppers in their class. The problem in my Son, he is good in maths understands concepts good but in english and other subjects he cannot remember the spellings, teach him now and make him write to memorize it, he does it okay and after two hours you ask him again out of 10 he will not even get 5 correct. how should we make him concentrate and memorize the spellings. he says the complete answers oral but to make write it is hell. Please help us by sending some guidenace material at this email address: [removed by admin] Thanks! Regards, Bari
jennylyn

hi my son is 6 yrs old and he is in grade 1.. my problem with him is he doesn’t know how to focus in his homework and even in at school his also having problem in concentrating and focusing with his task.. please i need your help on this one.. i don’t know how to deal with his problem like this… i’m looking forward for your answer… regards, jennylyn
eleanord

Hi,

I have two sons aged 9 and 12… problem , they have problems with concentrating and focusing with tasks.

Your assistance will be greatly apprecieated..
roger friessen

you are on to something however I do feel we should change our educatonal delivery to sound bites. It is difficult to solve real problems with sound bites.

May hildren I have worked with can only focus their attention for 1 – 2 minutes on a given task. They must talk or move around to reset their brain so they can focus for another 1- 2 minutes.

While medication seems to make the brain work faster so children can to keep up with the demand on their brain, the benefit are questionable considering their side effects.

If we are to beleive the research that the human brain can change at any age, we need to focus our attention on how to create the needed brain change so Children can focus their attention, filter out distactions, remember facts and numbers.

There are programs that can acomplish all this.
Mangala

I have 7 year old son, He has problem with concerating and focusing with task.Please replay me
from
mangala
123

Classroom is not only the place to find the problem, it is also the place to cause the problem. My son is grade three now, and he has never been in a classroom that students don’t distract each other. As everybody does something different, it is hard for kid to concentrate on what he/she should do, and it is even harder for them to evaluate their own progress because they are lacking some kind “standard”. When the teacher is busy with individual student, you can’t expect he/she can take care of whether other kids are concentrate on their work or not.

Even more, I don’t think the teachers give enough feed back for the kids’ work, nor give them enough opportunity to learn something repeatly to master them. All they do is to rush kids from one project to another, and I know when a kid is rushed and have no time to really understand and master what he/has learned, you can hardly expect he can concentrate. It is hard even for an adult. Try to concentrate on something you don’t understand, but you have a time limit to finish, you will know what I mean.
http://www.oxfordlearning.com Rangnath

Hi! My son is in IXth Std. from the past 2-3 years, he has lost his concentration in studies: home work, projects,and regular exercises etc.He is more interested in programmes on TV computer and other media.
Please help.
Ravi

Hi My Daughter studying in class I. She never be able to concentrate on the studies. Infact teacher says that she will never open her books in the school. Infact I have spended more time with her to make her concentration in the studies. Kindly suggest me how I should take her study to give more concentration in the study.
http://tvclassic.net/phpBB2/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=446222 layer 3 switch

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avinash v

My son who studies 9th std 13 years old doesn’t sit alone for studies
. I have 2 sit with him. But when it comes to computer, games and mobiles he can do wonders.he can resolve the problem in all but then why not in studies. Pls advice