Research-Based Strategies for Teaching

The Takeaway: The authors suggest instructors can leverage attention in the classroom by employing ideas from cognitive neuroscience and psychology using two key dimensions: intern/external attention and on-topic/off-topic attention. They claim that some teaching approaches are more effective than others because they leverage natural fluctuations in student attention.

The authors propose four scenarios that offer different teaching strategies to leverage student attention (consider the difference in how student attention is directed in each).

1. Prioritizing Lecture: Instructor lectures and then shows clicker questions at the end of class to check student comprehension. Instructure asks students to think about the question before the next class.
2. Incorporating Multiple Demands on Attention: Instructor shows a clicker question and asks students to discuss with their neighbor. The instructor then asks for the student to click in their answers and shows a graph of changing answers. Once half of the class has clicked in, the instructor discusses.
3. Focusing on the Grade: Instructor shows a clicker question and asks the class to submit their answer. Correct answers are given full credit, incorrect partial credit. The instructor then reveals the correct answer and discusses why it is correct and the others are not.
4. Orchestrating Attention: Instructor shows a clicker question and asks the class to submit their answer. The instructor asks the class to discuss with their neighbor. Instructor assures the class that the correct answer doesn't matter by emphasizing that the discussion is what matters. Then the instructor offers additional information relevant to the questions and invites the class to reconsider the question and click in answers again.  

The External/Internal vs. Off-Topic/On-Topic

• External Attention: Also known as perceptual attention. The brain boosts signals representing relevant information and suppresses signals representing irrelevant information. Useful for navigating crowded complex environments to avoid sensory overload.
• Internal Attention: The selection and modulation of internally generated information that allows us to process information even without new stimuli. Ex. Applying concepts to memories, or creating a mnemonic device to help remember something.
• On-Topic Attention: Ex. Examining a diagram or handout for the course.
• Off-Topic Attention: Ex. Making a mental grocery list.

The External/Internal vs. Off-Topic/On-Topic spectrum of attention

How might you use one of the four scenarios to encourage increased attention in your class? When might external, on-topic attention be helpful for learning, and when might internal, on-topic attention be helpful for retaining student attention?