Online classes have advantages, but it is more difficult to maintain attention when we watch a class than when we are in the classroom.
Adjusting to the new “abnormality”
Online classes are neither better nor worse than face-to-face classes. Like everything, each teaching method has pros and cons, but we are more used to attending class than studying online.
Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of online teaching is the difficulty in maintaining attention. When we go to class we already have the chip to attend and take notes, but that does not happen to us at home. In front of the computer and in our bedroom or living room, the last thing our body asks of us is to maintain full concentration for hours. Not to mention the ten thousand distractions that can arise and that the vigilance over our actions is much less when we are attending an online class help.
It is a matter of getting used to it. The world has changed very quickly due to the emergence of COVID-19 and we need to readjust our habits to this strange dystopia that we have had to live.
To improve our concentration during online classes there are a series of useful tricks that will help us.
The usual schedule
When we attended class, we got up at the same time, got dressed, had breakfast… Well now too. Listening to the class from bed only assures us of failure to maintain attention and that we will probably fall asleep. If we prepare as if we were going to go to class (even if the class comes to us), we will be more attentive and awake and it will cost us less to maintain our attention. It is as simple as convincing our brain that we are going to need it to be activated and not to think about other things. Moreover, finding suitable student plays a crucial role in this routine, ensuring a conducive environment for focused learning and productivity.
Enemy technology?
It is important that the operation of our equipment is correct. If we want to maintain attention, we cannot be looking at a device that does not look good or trying to understand a class that is not heard correctly. Of course, not everyone has unlimited resources to have the best technology at their fingertips, but you have to try to find a good solution. In the event that we cannot access suitable equipment, we must speak with the university so that they can provide us with one, or use the library areas that are adapted for it.
Outside distractions
Many times, the problem with maintaining attention is not the lack of adequate technology, but the excess of it. We receive messages, we have open chats during class, we start playing something on the computer, and we visit social networks… If we want to keep our attention in an online class, we cannot be at a thousand things at the same time. You have to focus and make good use of your time. There are several apps that help avoid this type of distraction by blocking the entry of messages or by blocking social networks at a certain time. If our will is not valid, it would not hurt to try to install one.
There are times that, no matter how much we do our part, the environment does not help at all. Either we have some neighbors, who are fond of loud music, or they are doing construction nearby, or we have some very noisy roommates or family (this could well be the case if you are living in, say, student housing in athens, as you are likely to be surrounded by other students). If we cannot negotiate a certain quiet time, the most useful thing is to buy headphones that seal really well and isolate from outside noise.
Notes, study techniques and participation
Although it sounds absurd, the best technique to maintain attention in an online class is to pay someone to help my online class. You have to take notes, ask questions, participate in discussions and be active. That will be the best way that we can stay focused longs enough without boredom making us think about shrews. On the other hand, if when reviewing the classes, studying or doing work we vary the study techniques, it will also be easier for us to maintain a good concentration, which will affect the attention to the classes.
The workplace matters
Another trick to maintain attention is to trick our brain by creating an exclusive workspace. And not “exclusive” in the way of leather seats and Versace curtains, but a space in which, exclusively, we go to listen to a class or study. And how we create that perfect workplace with all the things needed to make the university, but it is important that space is not used for anything else. If we see that we are going to wander for a while watching the latest Twitter discussions, we better get up and do that somewhere else. It is about creating a mental conditioning that connects us with that state of activity and concentration that we need to maintain attention in class and prepare for our exams.
Staying attention also involves relating
The degree of involvement we have with our studies also helps to focus. We know that this distance classes cool or hinder personal relationships, but, behind the screens, we are all the same humans as before and there is no reason to lose those interactions so necessary for learning. Ideally, in addition to participating and asking questions as we said before, do online study groups, discuss classes with our classmates, prepare group work and even do homework as a team. In this way, we will acquire a series of commitments with others, with the race and with ourselves that will make it easier for us to stay attentive in class and avoid distractions.
