“A watched pot is slow to boil.”<\/p>\n
It’s a saying that many of us have heard, though we may only tend to think of it when we are hungry and trying to cook spaghetti (at least that’s when it always springs to my mind.)<\/p>\n
Be that as it may, this expression is powerful in its universality.\u00a0 It can be applied to all kinds of scenarios. Often, when you are watching something for a long period of time, constantly awaiting change, it seems to take awhile before anything interesting happens.<\/p>\n
Though this concept of the “watched pot” has been around for a long time, recent research supports the idea that our brains actually function according to a similar principal. A 2011 study\u00a0out of the University of Illinois<\/a>\u00a0indicates that, given time and exposure to a particular sensation, external or internal, the brain will actually begin to ignore it.\u00a0 Alejandro Lleras, the psychology professor who led the study, summed it up this way: “Constant stimulation is registered by our brains as unimportant.”<\/p>\n Lleras’ study indicated that our brains could grow used to internal stimulation as well, meaning that the more we concentrate on a particular thought, the more inclined we are to get distracted!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n That’s right: your brain may literally be designed to be distracted from the things you are trying to concentrate on. Nice, right?<\/p>\n In a way, it seems that homeschooling would be the very least distracting form of education, given that there are less unwelcome distractions and many more opportunities to personalize the educational experience.\u00a0 While these things are true, homeschooling still has its own pitfalls when it comes to students’\u00a0 struggle with distraction. Below, you’ll find some situations that can lead to distraction for homeschoolers.<\/p>\n There is a much smaller student-to-teacher ratio in homeschooling environments, which is, in many ways, great! In fact, according to this study on distraction in education<\/a>, students were typically less on task in a standard, public-school sized classroom environment than in a private school\/homeschooling\/smaller classroom environment. This isn’t shocking; it goes along with a great deal of other research that praises smaller student-to-teacher ratios.<\/p>\n However, one of the downsides to the small student-to-teacher ratio of homeschooling is that the environment\u00a0can<\/em> begin to feel very intense and pressured (AKA “watched”), especially if a student is already feeling distracted or struggling with a particular subject.<\/p>\n For instance, maybe one of your children struggles in math, and you keep trying the same curriculum\/approach in a one-on-one situation. An approach that becomes too pressured, or doesn’t adjust\/change, can result in the following distracted\/negative patterns:<\/p>\n Homeschooling can incorporate a lot of independent study, particularly for older students. Again, this is by no means a bad thing. Many students work well independently, and being able to do so is<\/em> an important life skill that often serves homeschoolers well in adulthood.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, independent study also puts students (particularly teens,\u00a0 who are the ones most often engaging in it) at a high risk for distraction if they don’t have accountability.<\/p>\n For one thing, modern teens (and adults, too) are almost always multi-tasking and never without their phones.\u00a0\u00a0This article in Psychology Today<\/a> does a good job at explaining how the very act of being “plugged in” (as most adults and teens are), impacts both focus as well as\u00a0 IQ (even without actively surfing social media or sending texts).<\/p>\n This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t<\/em> trust capable homeschoolers with independent study, but it does mean that we should first help them learn some effective, distraction-busting strategies and study skills<\/a> to help them learn how to do it well.<\/p>\n Though this technically isn’t a “pitfall,” one likely reason you are reading this article is because you have a homeschooler (or more than one) who is particularly prone to distraction!<\/p>\n A very common reason that parents choose to homeschool is because they have a child who learns differently.\u00a0 I shared a little bit about my struggle with ADD and how it was part of my mom’s “why” for homeschooling me in this post<\/a>. Many homeschool parents choose this form of education for their easily-distracted children because, in many ways, it offers a less distracted environment than public school.<\/p>\n However, that still doesn’t make it easy<\/em>\u00a0to keep your ADD\/ADHD child on task.<\/p>\n As we’ve discussed, there are pitfalls for distraction everywhere, even in homeschooling!\u00a0 And if distraction has always been an issue for your child, it will likely continue to be something that he or she will need to learn how to cope with.<\/p>\n As a homeschooling parent, one of the best tools you can give your distraction-prone child is the ability to recognize and combat distracted tendencies. Again this is an opportunity to teach life skills hand-in-hand with academic ones. In addition to personally dealing with ADD, I’ve also tutored many students who also share this struggle. Several of the tips I’m going to share below have helped in those situations, and I hope they help you and your student(s), too.<\/p>\n If, for whatever reason, your homeschooler suffers from distraction, there are definitely strategies that you can employ to keep your homeschool experience engaging and focused. The 3 strategies that I want to share today all\u00a0have something in common: a creative perspective.<\/p>\n Creativity is all about learning to see something old in a new or unique way. As the study on distraction indicated, our minds have a natural tendency to turn “off” when they are forced to process the same sensory input, the same way, over and over again. A creative perspective, one that offers a fresh and original approach to sensory input, is a great natural remedy to distraction.<\/strong><\/p>\n Therefore, here are 3 simple creative strategies that you can use to defeat distraction in your homeschool!<\/p>\n Schools with smaller class sizes often use brain breaks to great effect! These breaks involve a short, creative or physical activity that can reset a student’s mindset, emotional state, and perspective.\u00a0 Here are some great situations to pull out a short brain break in your homeschool:<\/p>\n You can schedule brain breaks as part of your school-time, or pull them out as needed (like in the “pressure cooker” situation described earlier). Most of the time, a brain break will only take a few minutes, but it can help students come back to the material with a fresh outlook.<\/p>\n This Website provides a free printable with 54 short brain break ideas<\/a> that you can use for your homeschoolers. The author suggests cutting the ideas into strips that can be randomly pulled out of a jar whenever a brain break is needed.\u00a0 Some really simple ideas you could use for brain breaks include:<\/p>\n Brain breaks are a great, short pause to “deactivate and reactivate your goals” (I like that expression). However, sometimes a longer break, or different kind of shift, is needed.\u00a0 Basically, I’m talking about the mental shift of getting in the productivity\/learning zone. This “zone” is going to look different for each person.\u00a0 \u00a0There are many things you can do and try with your homeschooled student to help him\/her figure out how to create the\u00a0 ideal learning zone. Here are some suggestions to try:<\/p>\n Find a morning routine that works for you, your child\/ children and your homeschool. Not every homeschool family rises at the crack of dawn. Some sleep in, and that’s ok! However, consider setting a consistent waking pattern that will get brains wired, organized, and ready to roll.<\/p>\n Starting with showers, breakfast and getting dressed for the day is often thought to promote a working mode much more than staying in pajamas all day, for instance.\u00a0 This list of 14 things that successful people do each morning<\/a>\u00a0is more for adults than kids, but it still offers some great ideas to get you started! Some ideas you might consider are:<\/p>\n Starting the day with something creative is beneficial in more ways than one.\u00a0 The above link about habits of successful people mentions that starting the day with a “personal project” (often something creative like writing or art) can create a positive pattern of productivity that you look forward to, every morning.<\/p>\n However, art (and drawing in particular) may also be a great way to exercise your brain, and get into a “learning zone,” first thing in the morning.\u00a0 The extremely popular art instruction book, Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain<\/a><\/em>, goes into detail about how the act of drawing can potentially activate both hemispheres of the brain. This is especially true as the artist gains techniques that allow him\/her to start thinking differently about shapes, shadows, etc.<\/p>\n The author’s official Website<\/a> states:\u00a0“learning to draw means learning how to make a mental shift from L-mode to R-mode…this ability to shift thinking modes at will has important implications for thinking in general and for creative problem solving in particular.”<\/p>\n Starting the day with drawing can help your homeschool student get in the “learning zone” for other academic subjects.\u00a0 If you are looking for high-quality art instruction that you can use as part of your homeschool on a daily basis, check out our programs at Sparketh<\/a>.\u00a0 Sparketh offers over 1000 art video lessons, as well as\u00a0tracks<\/a> to help your students document and keep up with his\/her progress.<\/p>\n Students can also better combat distraction when they’ve created a productive workspace that works for them.\u00a0 A major pro of homeschooling is that it allows homeschoolers to have a lot of flexibility in terms of when and where and how they work. We all have work environments that work best for us as individuals. Allow your student to try learning in some different spaces and circumstances to see what helps him\/her focus best.<\/p>\n Here are some different places you might try:<\/p>\n Other considerations:<\/p>\n A third strategy to fight distraction is to integrate some creative learning assignments into your daily homeschool life.\u00a0 Reading, summarizing and regurgitation (while necessary) all offer temptation for distraction to creep in. In contrast, engaging your homeschooler in creative assignments\u00a0 requires him\/her to synthesize learning in a different and original way.<\/p>\n This is an especially great thing to do once your homeschooled student has a fairly good grasp on a topic. It will give him\/her a chance to show what they know about a subject in a fun and personal way.<\/p>\n One thing that’s really good to keep in mind when coming up with creative assignments is your homeschooler’s learning style.\u00a0 This link explains the seven most common learning styles <\/a>(excerpt from link is posted below):<\/p>\n While people may present a blend of learning styles, most tend to have a dominant style.\u00a0 You can definitely consider your homeschooler’s learning style as you come up with creative learning assignments!<\/p>\nDistraction Pitfalls in a Homeschooling Environment<\/h1>\n
1. When “the watched pot” becomes a pressure cooker.<\/h2>\n
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2. When They’re “Independently Learning” (But You Discover They’ve Actually Been Studying the Art of Procrastination)<\/h2>\n
3. When Distraction Was Always the Main Issue<\/h2>\n
Creative Strategies to Defeat Distraction<\/h1>\n
1. Taking Short “Brain Breaks” for a Fresh Outlook<\/h2>\n
It’s not as hard to get a fresh and\/or creative perspective as it might seem.\u00a0 \u00a0The research study on the brain’s tendency towards distraction found a very simple solution to prolong focus: take a short break every once in awhile!<\/span><\/h2>\n
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In the study, the control group was given a single task to focus on for 50 minutes, compared to a “switch group”\u00a0 who were given the same task, over the same amount of time, but with two breaks. The outcomes demonstrated that the “switch group” performed much better in terms of memory and focus. Lleras, the professor in charge of the study, proposed that the act of “deactivating” and “reactivating” your goals is what helps you stay focused.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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2. Get in the Learning Zone: Internally and Externally<\/h2>\n
Establish a Consistent Morning Routine\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Activate the Brain with Art<\/h3>\n
Create a Productive Workspace<\/h3>\n
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3. Embrace Creative Learning Techniques<\/h2>\n
Learning Styles<\/h3>\n
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Assignment Ideas and Examples<\/h3>\n
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For a visual learner:<\/h3>\n
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For the verbal\/linguistic learner:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n