Solar shares his experience with Lunar, speaking of difficulty in concentration, that is one of common problems faced by students, highly concerned by educators.
Solar: Speaking of difficulty in concentration, we should start to discuss the causes to difficulty in concentration. Why do students have difficulty in concentration?
The fir beside him is silent, as if he was thinking of the question.
Lunar is as quiet as the listening fir, when the question sets her mind concentrating.
Lunar: The cause to distraction is temptation of which one thousand things that are more interested than study.
Solar: Anything like immediate pleasure to students is more interesting than long-term reward like a good grade. Anything else?
Lunar: I can't understand. Please tell me why do they have difficulty in concentration?
Solar: The causes to difficulty in concentration can be divided into internal factors and external factors.
Lunar: Internal factors?
Solar: Internal factors are stress and anxiety, lack of sleep, poor nutrition and hydration, underlying mental condition, and lack of intrinsic motivation.
Lunar: External factors?
Solar: External factors are the digital world, environmental noise and culture, unrealistic worldload and lack of structure.
Lunar: Stress and anxiety are negative feelings, it should be understood to reduce its power. Lack of sleep is a huge problem, it should be ensured to sleep for 8-10 hours a day. Poor nutrition and hydration are caused by unbalanced diet habit, it should be balanced with daily vegetables and meat. Please tell me the rest of internal factors.
Solar: Underlying mental condition is mental problems like ADHD, depression and anxiety disorders, it should require professional support. Lack of intrinsic motivation is lack of interest on a task that feels bored, it should require interest for study.
Lunar: Hopefully, these could help students to cope with internal distraction factors. Speaking of external factorw, what is the digital world?
Solar: The digital world is about phone. Novels, short plays and movies are much more interesting than boring study, which can get students distracted from concentration. The way to get back to study from the distraction of phone is to put the phone aside to create a distraction-free zone.
Lunar: Environmental noise and culture?
Solar: Environmental noise and culture are the noise and the elements outside window getting students distracted from study. If they have the noise, they should put on noise concealing headphones. If they look out window, they should shut the window.
Lunar: Unrealistic workload?
Solar: I was surprised that some students are doing six jobs in a day…
Lunar: Six jobs in a day? How could they possibly be capable of doing six jobs in a day?
Solar: I speak, of course, of which three jobs are done under AI's support. It's amazing to do multitasking, but it's inefficient. Even though AI could offer much help. To be efficient is required to be concentrating on one thing at a time.
Lunar: Lack of structure?
Solar: Lack of structure is without a clear plan for what to study and when. They will jump from one task to another, and have no progress of any of them.
Lunar: What did you ask them of the question about difficulty in concentration?
Solar: When I stood in front of them at teaching platform, through the windows of eyes, I looked upon them, some getting distracted by internal factors like lack of sleep, some getting distracted by external factor like the noise and elements outside the window, asking of how many of you have ever felt getting distracted by something else?
Lunar: How many of them have ever felt getting distracted by something else?
Solar: Wow, all of them.
Lunar: What kind of essay was assigned for them?
Solar: It's an essay about the experience of getting distracted from study. Ask yourself what kind of thing was a distraction to you? What did you response to the distraction? How were you feeling after getting distracted from study?
Lunar: May you please tell me some of your students' works?
Solar: My history book is open, the page is turned to chapter 12, the pen is in my hand, ready to write down the notes. However, my phone in my pocket, has lit up with a notification. I know it's probably a news in the internet, but what if is a powerful force. What if it is a message from my friends? What if it is an important text from my family? What if it is a date invitation from a pretty girl? I checked my phone, and found it's just a distraction. But I got distracted by a short video about a dog on the skateboard, and got lost in immediate pleasure like watching short videos. My book is still open, the page is still on the same page, but there's no any notes on it. I felt much exhausted and lost after getting distracted by my phone. Mr Distraction.
Lunar: Mr Distraction?
Solar: Mr Distraction is getting distracted by the external factors like the digital world. The way to get back to study from the distraction of phone is to set the phone aside to create a distraction-free zone. That's why many schools have forbidden the carrying of phones at the campus.
Lunar: The next essay, please.
Solar: My phone is in the other room, the window is closed, the only noise is the noise of turning pages. I have eliminated every distraction factors that I can think of. But still I can't focus on study. The emeny, it turns out it is not outside, it is inside my own head. As a novelist, I often zone out, and travel to another world, as if I was the character in my own book. Getting distracted by internal factor is worse than getting distracted by any external factor. Because there's nothing to blame but myself. Miss Deadline.
Lunar: Miss Deadline is getting distracted by internal factor like underlying mental condition, isn't she?
Solar: Yes. She often zones out, and travels to another world, as if she was a character in her own book. It's normal to zone out, but it's not normal to zone out and travel to another world. She should require professional support, if it's necessary.