Articles

In this age of increasing technology and endless distractions, parents have a formidable task to keep kids focused. So understanding what ‘attention’ truly means is crucial in helping them support their children in developing complex skills like memory, language, reading, writing and general learning that are all attention-related.

Rapid advancements in technology across the last few decades have seen a corresponding increase in the use of apps and digital education tools at home and in the classroom.

Identifying attention issues as early as possible is absolutely critical to achieving long-term benefits for children, as well as their families, teachers and the wider community.

We all have our own ideas about what ‘paying attention’ means. However, when asked to fully describe attention, many of us will struggle to provide an answer that goes beyond a simple explanation of ‘focussing’ or ‘concentrating’ on a task.

Understanding neuroplasticity's role in a child’s learning

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s malleability. It helps people understand how the brain transforms its structure as children learn and adapt to their dynamic environment. It is this ability of the brain that enables it to transmit messages to form prolific connections and stimulate a child’s learning experience. Parents need to start looking into the concept of neuroplasticity to ensure that their child gets exposure to varied experiences like musical, mathematical, artistic, sensory, social and more so that their kids’ cognitive abilities can start getting shaped.

It is also known that the younger the brain, the greater its plasticity. It indicates that the brain isn’t static. It is constantly changing and reorganising itself in response to its environment. The brain is a muscle; the more it is used, the stronger it becomes. This ability of the brain aka Neuroplasticity plays a vital role in shaping cognitive and behavioural developmental processes in young kids.

TALi is an Australian med-tech firm that provides an engaging science-based educational platform to speed up children’s development and learning by leveraging neuroplasticity to enhance adaptive learning. TALi uses game-based tasks to boost cognitive functions like searching, monitoring, scanning, focusing and switching, which we would associate with attention and concentration skills. The gamification aspect engages children through practice rounds and levels of challenges focused on repetition, which is vital to develop their own capacity and independence. See how neuroplasticity is at its peak in young brains:

When it comes to a child’s educational journey, keeping them engaged and holding their attention in subjects that are not necessarily within their scope of interest can be a challenging task for parents and educators alike. After all, their ability to focus and keep information plays an important role in their overall growth and development. Many experts support and acknowledge the fact that concentration and memory are interconnected, and therefore, vital to a child’s mental development.

However, an alarming number of children grapple with short attention spans and inattentiveness. With an aim of addressing this developmental condition, neuroplasticity has emerged as a viable solution.

Wrap your head around this
Referred to as the brain’s malleability, brain plasticity or neuroplasticity can be defined as the capacity of our neurons to respond differently to internal and external stimuli. It enables a child’s brain to adapt to a dynamic environment and allows them to learn quickly through experiences. As a result of these new experiences, our brain undergoes structural and functional changes. This enables the brain to rewire itself—a process that overrides inactive neurons and instead makes way for active neurons to take charge. The formation of these new pathways and connections thus facilitates better cognitive performance. To ensure the all-around development of a child, experts think it’s necessary for parents to understand and learn about the concept of neuroplasticity.

Pay attention
By creating new neural pathways, neuroplasticity strengthens our brain’s neural network. Further, it enables neurons (the building blocks of our brain) to regenerate, thus improving the health of our brain and enabling better cognitive function. In this day and age, there are umpteen distractions, thanks in large part to the advancements in technology. With so much information available online, children are easily overwhelmed and distracted.

These challenges reinforce the need to understand neuroplasticity and the role it can play in strengthening the function of one’s mind and shaping the cognitive and behavioural developmental processes of young kids. Our ability to pay attention is central to the learning process and the accomplishment of tasks. The younger our brain age, the greater is its plasticity, owing to which we can effectively sharpen and enhance our attention skills.

Digital learning is the way forward
In the wake of the health crisis, digital education emerged as an effective teaching method,making it possible to engage and interact with students and impart knowledge to them. Further, the online platform offered students an avenue to develop their academic and social skills. In this new learning environment, med-tech companies are playing a crucial role in providing all-around solutions for children to succeed by improving their attention performance through fun and learning. Neuroscientists, software engineers, and game developers across the board are building games to boost cognitive and adaptive learning experiences.

The world is increasingly moving towards a digital future. Novel technologies are dynamically shaping the education sector. From mechanical use to services and applications that are training the mind, technology has progressed rapidly. Today, one could see several applications that are dedicated to mindfulness and wellness. The demand for most of these applications is on the rise and they also help in enhancing attention.

For students who have been confined to their homes owing to the pandemic, these educational and learning applications are offering new dimensions of knowledge and experiences.

The last year has truly transformed how we look at education and what kids have to gain from it. Once restricted to the traditional classroom set-up, with rigid rules, the push to turn towards e-learning has helped schools and organisations become much more flexible in their approach.

Innovations across industries are affecting change. The world is increasingly moving towards a digital future. Novel technologies are dynamically shaping the education sector. From mechanical use to services and applications that are training the mind, technology has progressed rapidly. Today, one could see several applications that are dedicated to mindfulness and wellness. The demand for most of these applications is on the rise and they also help in enhancing attention.

For students who have been confined to their homes owing to the pandemic, these educational and learning applications are offering new dimensions of knowledge and experiences.

Today, around the world education is embracing technology to replicate classroom teaching into the virtual realm. In these unprecedented times, teachers are consistently reviving teaching methodologies to ensure that students do not miss out on their valuable education.

VIRTUAL LEARNING
"All learning apps are meant for the growth of the child by increasing their attention span and knowledge. Earlier we used to have comics and books but now it's a digital world and children are more proficient in these apps. If used timely and properly, it increases concentration and mindfulness in children," says Dr Ashima Puri, a clinical psychologist.

"The learning atmosphere for the children has transformed from classroom learning to virtual learning. Apps make our lives more fun and easier. These days we have several learning apps for kids which help them in the process of learning new and interesting things. Educational learning apps and mobile apps are emerging rapidly as powerful learning tools for pre-schoolers and junior school students. Mobile education is a rapidly growing trend around the world," shares Harikesh Kumar, a schoolteacher.

According to Kumar, the most important advantages of these education and learning applications are 24-hour availability, interactive sessions, the ability to enhance classroom performance, and the resourceful utilisation of free time. These applications not only make children tech-savvy but also offer them enjoyable and informal learning experiences.

IMPROVED CONCENTRATION
A fine mix of a healthy lifestyle, mental stimulation, and conducive environment to study along with social, emotional, physical, and cognitive activities enhance concentration. Today, numerous learning apps focus on offering mental stimulation and cognitive activities to boost attention and learning ability in students. According to experts, while technology is not only making education interactive and engaging, it is enhancing concentration among students in an unprecedented way. Most of these digital applications are dynamic and offer customised learning experiences.

"The flexibility of hours of study for students, with the recordings being available, to the varied platforms for virtual exchanges for the school admin bodies, the teachers too have worked upon their intellectual capital. Creativity is unleashed in the classrooms by the teachers by using several synchronous video discussion tools and web-based education apps, and with the help of infographics and multimedia, the classroom exchanges are made quite interesting," shares Arti Chopra, principal of a leading school.

THE NEW NORM
According to experts, the 'new normal' of education is completely in sync with cloud technology. The entire nation has progressively worked towards ensuring successful dissemination of knowledge and conducting assessments across schools. "Today, there are many learning apps that are not only efficient but also enhance the overall cognitive development of the child that includes attention. Online apps are the need of the hour. Apps that are scientifically well-researched ensure positive results, but they cannot completely replace what children learn from offline sources. It is important that before using these apps, parents should go through the research studies of that particular app," says Renu Goyal, a child psychologist.

Technology in education has the potential to widen the imagination and enhance the learning abilities of students. It can help them grasp better its dynamic content and interactive sessions. Institutions around the world are integrating technology to make education seamless and accessible to every student.

The world can be a distracting place for children.

It is filled with sights, sounds, shapes, colours and objects that demand their attention and trigger their senses. With so much going on, many children find it extremely difficult and tiring to concentrate on one thing. In this digital age, children are also more susceptible to attention issues as gadgets, devices and smartphones become ubiquitous in households.

What goes into raising a child? As we grow and evolve as a society, the answer to this question continues to change. While doing our best to provide for our children was once the biggest challenge, we have now learnt the importance of actually understanding the different needs that different children might have. The need to have a clear idea of what your kid responds to and the ability to make knowledge and learning accessible to them, in their language is what we need to focus on. In the internet age, this struggle has been eased with aids like TALi entering the market.

Learning is a lifelong pursuit. It expands the horizons of one's imagination and the scope of one's potentials. From a nascent stage, education systems around the world have been emphasising the significance of learning and acquiring knowledge. And, when it comes to learning, attention is the first step in this direction.

Attention is essentially one's ability to actively engage and process specific information or task. It is limited in its capacity and duration, making it vital to have measures to effectively manage it.