“I’m tired.” “My brain isn’t working.” “I’m sleepy.” “I’m bored.” These are all comments I hear regularly from students, and these students are between 5 and 12 years old. Sometimes it’s quite obvious to see from their lack of focus, and lack of concentration. I’ve noticed this increasing since being in the tutoring industry, but more so this year since I’ve started my own tutoring business and working a lot closer with each student. This has been bugging me for a while now, trying to understand why this is happening. Although I don’t have any kids myself, I don’t recall being tired at 3.30 in the afternoon as a child. My mum can verify this!
So the question remains, why is this happening? Of course, the first step would be to get a medical assessment to make sure that there isn’t anything more serious to be aware of, but if that isn’t the case, then what could be the cause?
Doing too much during the week! I get tired sometimes just listening to all the activities that some students have on during their week. Why are they doing so much? As much as I do believe that a balance between school and sport or extra-curricular activities is a good thing, we all know that too much of a good thing could spell disaster. So, this would be the next step – choose one activity that they can focus on rather than too many which will eventually lead to exhaustion. I know that I get tired when I have too much on in any week, so why do we think our children are any different?
Then, one of the “Silent Focus Killers” I believe is technology. Please take note that this is my opinion, and as far as I know has not been proven, but I don’t think it takes a genius to figure it out. How much time does your child spend on their iPad, iPhone, computer, Xbox, etc each day? Other than the fact that it’s most likely over stimulating their brain, making it harder for them to relax at the end of the day, I believe it’s also affecting their ability to focus and concentrate.
Let’s compare it to good old reading a book. When you read a book, you have to focus and concentrate while understanding, interpreting and making sense of what is happening in the story. This is awesome! We are actually using our brains when we do this, and developing or improving skills that are necessary and so important in many other aspects of life and school, for example, problem solving questions in maths.
How does this compare to watching YouTube videos, for example? Well, other than the fact that I’m sure these videos aren’t very educational (depending on what you are watching), it’s an instant form of satisfaction, and you can switch to the next thing at the touch of a button when you get bored. Kids aren’t learning how to process information that requires them to think! This is even worse when you have a child with an addictive personality – they can’t go anywhere without their iPad/iPhone.
By no means am I an expert or can I prove that screen time affects focus and concentration. All I know is that I’ve definitely seen a shift in the ability to focus and concentrate in younger students, and it’s a big concern as a tutor.
Some food for thought.
