Since the early 2000s, we have studied the increasing distractibility of students, largely laying the blame at the feet of digital devices and social media. The problem with that is, it absolves us of any responsibility and lets us off the hook for overcrowded classrooms that have not changed in design for over 100 years, despite science challenging the advantages of the physical learning environments in schools. Mostly, it ignores the fact that not many people are able to focus in a room filled with 20-30 people all with pop-up needs for 8 hours a day. Imagine this sequence:
– A loud bell
– Flooded hallways with hundreds of loud, jostling bodies
– Classroom entrance, workstation setup, and a shift to immediate focused learning in a brief 5-10 minutes
– Distracted bell-ringer completion as the teacher redirects several students
– Focus on explicit instruction while the peripheral vision is assuaged by drinking, coughing, pencil tapping, snacking and phone use of those around you
– Active listening and assignment completion under these same conditions
This cycle repeats throughout the day and is hardly optimal. Kindergarten has naps, younger students have story time. But after 3rd and 4th grade, these rituals give way to embedding as much as possible into instructional minutes. While we want to make valuable use of every minute of the school day, we need to reevaluate the power of silent focus segments on learning.
Refreshing Busy Minds
Intentional, silent segments of work time can give students back energy lost through distractions so they can channel it into their learning. This silent time is not the rows of silent, orderly students of yesteryear, and this does not involve shushing students collaborating or involved in other group learning times when ordered chaos should reign. This is an intentional use of silent work time to support students in powering down to power up. During this silent time, students have an opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills and resilience as independent learners. When implemented with fidelity, it also gives students a time they can look forward to, a sensory break that can replenish tired minds.
Preparing Your Students for Silent Focus
Begin by telling students in advance about your plan. Explain that it may be a bit challenging at first, but that you trust them to use their own wits and resources to think through questions and solve problems. Give them as much clarity around the duration and expectations for the segment, as well as when it will happen within the lesson.
With younger or lively classes, 12-15 minutes is a good goal. With more disciplined students and longer class periods, 20-25 minutes is optimal.
Laying the Foundation
If your students are used to you being accessible for questions continuously throughout the class period, instituting a time of silent focused learning may be a bit of a shift. Gradually start by empowering your classroom rockstars. Having students “ask three before you ask me” is a great way to build a collaborative learning environment and to help students learn to solve their own problems. Once students build up some confidence in their ability not to lean on you as the sole resource for overcoming challenges, try a brief 5-7 minute independent work period with instrumental music or nature sounds. Using a soundscape is advisable because the ‘silence’ of 25 people sniffing, tapping, mouthing word sounds, etc. can be quite distracting. Answer any and all questions before you set the timer, letting students know that you will not answer any more questions until the silent work time is over.
The Silent Focus Segment as a Staple
After you work up to your goal time, keep it as a regular part of your instructional block. To ensure that students ask good questions to support their learning before the silent, focused segment begins, trade “any questions?” for the following prompts:
- Does anyone see anything new that we haven’t covered?
- Are there any words we need to define before you start?
- Would anyone like to hear instructions in another language (encourage them to put your instructions into Google Translate or have translations available)?
- Does anyone need me to explain it in a different way? How (more simple, use an example, etc.)?
Once questions have been answered, put a reminder of the instructions and a list of any resources they can use (dictionary, LMS, Google, text to voice, etc.) on the screen with a timer, adding early finisher instructions somewhere prominently on the board. It’s also helpful to put up a reminder that you will answer any questions after the segment of focused learning is over. Finally, once you start the timer, ‘answer’ any raised hands with a head nod towards the screen–you too are observing the silent rule.
Once the time is up, ask students how it felt, taking note of any challenges. Offer suggestions for working well independently, and ask students to respond with how they handled similar challenges. This is a time for students to support one another and explore side lessons like how calm and emotional regulation support learning.
For students who are used to gravitating toward distraction to avoid struggle, a silent focus segment can initially be frustrating. Giving the whole class a buffer of 1-2 minutes to review the assignment before taking any final questions can be helpful. Use this time to give these students any extra attention and reinforcement they may need to be successful. You’ll find that students with the most resistance will reap the greatest benefit as they build capacity to embrace productive struggle. Once your silent segment routine becomes a welcomed segment of your class–and it will–students will not only easily transition into it, but sometimes the timer will go off to a chorus of jeers instead of cheers.
Silent Focus: A Win For All
The consequences of a lack of intentional focus time shows up in academic outcomes and ‘classroom behaviors’. According to a study from Research.com, “three-quarters (75%) of American high schoolers and half of the middle schoolers described themselves as ‘often or always feeling stressed’ by schoolwork”. While some of that stress may be attributed to academic struggles, a hectic learning environment can exacerbate those feelings, showing up in ‘classroom behaviors’ and diminished academic outcomes. Helping students learn to focus and concentrate on single-tasking, even for a short time, helps with both of these. Further, a short sensory break can also improve teacher well-being, making a silent, focused learning segment a win for all.
Have you incorporated a silent focus segment into your class schedule? Let us know about your experience in the comments below!
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