PAY ATTENTION TO INATTENTION!

Rosemary Tannock,PhDCanada Research Chair & Professor in Special Education;, OISE/University of Toronto; Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, The Hospital for Sick Children

SAALEDCapetown, 2011

Recurring themes

Short attention span/ inattention Poor working memory Challenges accessing the curriculum

From exclusion, through inclusion, to belonging

Risk Triad for Belonging

Poor Working memory

Classroominattention

Poor Academic Attainment

http://working-memory-and-education.wikispaces.com/

www.teachadhd.ca

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vg3fLgrNus&feature=player_embedded

Smaller capacity?

Poorer filtering out irrelevant information, that is…poor selective attention!

What do we mean by “poor working memory?”

Pay attention to Inattention!

Inattention in kindergarten as reported by teachers

Poor reading in Gr. 5

387 children followed from Kindergarten - Grade 5

even after controlling for IQ, hyperactivity,

emotional problems, & reading ability in Kindergarten/Grade 1

The problem

Which of these students is paying attention?

How do you know?

Do outward appearances necessarily reflect internal mental state?

What is attention?

Where is the ‘mind’s eye’ ?

Attention Networks

Front of brain

Back of brain

NorepinephrineAcetylcholineDopamine

AlertingFocusingExecutive

Brain’s neurochemicals

Posner & Rothbart (2007). Annual Review of Psychology, 58:1-23

The Brain’s Attention Networks (Posner)

Maintaining alertness I’m ready!

Focusing visual & auditory stimuli where you look & what you listen to. Zoom in!

Executive attention Inhibiting competing thoughts, emotions, stimuli to

complete a task. Ignore distractions!

Part IIHow can we help children

pay attention?

Effective instructional practices Introducing the lesson

Draw schematic on board

Preview previous lesson(s) Set learning expectations Set behavioral expectations (remain seated, talk in

quiet voice in small group) State needed material Simplify instructions & choices

1. Preview

2. New information

(T)

3. Individual

work

4. Group work

5. Review & close

Effective instructional practices Conducting the lesson Be predictable Support the learner’s active participation Use audiovisual /different modalities Ask probing questions – allow time to respond Check performance & give prompt feedback Help learner self-correct errors Help learner focus/refocus Divide work into smaller units

Effective instructional practices

Concluding the lesson Give advance warning Check assigment Preview next lesson (very briefly)

Problematic Attention Networks:Implications for education…

Alertness – not ready !

Focusing – zoomed out / wrong target!

Executive control-acted without thinking!

Actively engage the learner’s attention

Increase saliency of relevant information

Precue/prompt & praise

Problem Solutions

1A. Engage ALL learners in active learning

Create learning activities with high response rate questions for whole class to answer

(thumbs up/down)

Think-Pair-Share – 2 minutes

How else can you increase each learner’s active responding in class?

Discuss & identify 3 ways

1. Engage ALL learners in active learning

Create learning activities with high response rate questions for whole class to answer written, choral, gestural active monitoring & marking sheet

(click/clunk; know that, don’t understand, new, oops I was wrong)

partner activities (discuss, read, co-write)

1B. Engage ALL learners in active learning

Break into smaller units / shorter time period 1 page/column at a time Use count-down timer

Help get started check understanding set timer, then leave!

Take brief (30-60 sec), timed, structured breaks

Everyday life in the classroom from the perspective of a student with inattention or ADHD!

INCREASE SALIENCY OF RELEVANT INFORMATION!

Problematic Attention Networks:Implications for education…

Alertness – not ready !

Focusing – zoomed out / wrong target!

Executive control-acted without thinking!

Actively engage the learner’s attention

Increase saliency of relevant information

Precue/prompt & praise

Problem Solutions

2. Increase saliency… by creating supportive classroom environment

Organize physical environment to reduce distractions near teacher, between well-focused students, away

from distractions

Organize materials so they are easy to identify & store (color coding)

Establish & post routines on one wall

Organizing the physical environment Special places for all children

A quiet place with minimal distractions A moving place A group place An individual place

Everything in its own place Desks, Bags, Closets, Binders

24

Rowe KJ: 2003 Australian Council for Educational ResearchRowe K, Pollard J, Rowe K (2005) [www.acer.edu.au/news/latestnews.html]

Teachers were taught how to: assess a student’s ability to process & remember

verbal information adapt their instructional language

“Speak short & sweet & repeat” Children showed improvements in:

literacy outcomes inattentive behavior Improvements persisted over several years

2. Increase saliency of relevant information by Using Effective Instructions & Commands

Rowe & Rowe’s Rules of Thumb for inattention & literacy risk (2006)

Children not at risk Median/mean number of words accurately

recalled = age in years + 4 (up to age 10)

Children in high-risk category for literacy Cannot recall sentences of word length

more than age in years + 3 Likely to be rated as inattentive, poor

academic achievement

Use Effective Instructions & Commands ATTRACT the student’s attention

Maintain eye contact, proximity SPEAK clearly, paced

Use short sentences (‘chunked’) Use visual/gestural cues & wait for compliance

PAUSE between sentences MONITOR the student

If child has ‘blank look’ stop & repeat instruction TO REPEAT INSTRUCTION

Restate slowly and simply Do not expand

TRY IT OUT! Small Group: label yourselves A, B, C, D etc

Partner A act as fidgety & inattentive Partner C gives directions;

Write down a 5-step direction for your ‘learners’ (e.g., a list of actions, like Tilly’s)

Give the directions to your learners Monitor & rate their response 0-3 (3=all

correct) Partners A, B,D: rate your instructor 1-5 (5= very

effective)

Problematic Attention Networks:Implications for education…

Alertness – not ready !

Focusing – zoomed out / wrong target!

Executive control-acted without thinking!

Actively engage the learner’s attention

Increase saliency of relevant information

Precue/prompt & praise

Problem Solutions

Poor executive control of attention, poor working

memory & slow processing speed

pose problems for giving effective feedback

WHY?

30

Keep eyes on your work

TimeConsequential approaches may be limited by poor

working memory capacity!

IntendedTarget Great jobMatt!

1 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

31

More effective : Antecedent prompt plus reinforcement

Prompt student for desired behavior Model, verbal prompt Verbal prompt & student repeats Gradually fade to non-verbal prompt & student

self-talk Reinforce desired behavior

Initially praise approximations of desired behavior; ignore unwanted behavior

Then hold praise until desired behavior; ignore unwanted behavior

Gradually delay praise to extend duration of desired behavior; ignore unwanted behavior

32

Eyes on work

Praise

approximations

Time

Prompt forTarget

Behavior

Antecedent /at-point-of-performance approaches will be more effective

Ignore

1 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

33

Eyes on work

Delay praise of

target behavior

Time (min)

Prompt forTarget

Behavior

Antecedent /at-point-of-performance approaches will be more effective

Ignore

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20

CLASSWIDE ANTECEDENT STRATEGIES

1. Clear rules & expectations

Define Class-wide & School-wide Expectations for Attentive Behavior

Identify 1-2 Expectations Short statements Positive Statements (what to do) Memorable TRY IT – Discuss with partner - how do you

develop statements? Examples:

Be-there-be-ready, Hands and feet to self, (“eyes on the fries”) eyes on the job

Teach Behavioral Expectations Say, show, practice, review, & reinforce

positively stated expectations Post expectations /rules Teach in the actual settings where behaviors

are to occur Teach (a) the words, and (b) the actions. Prompt & pre-correct Monitor continuously Acknowledge & reinforce regularly

Build a social culture that is predictable, and focused on student success.

Be a Positive Educator

Give more acknowledgements for appropriate than inappropriate behavior At least 4 to 1 At least once every 5-10 minutes Follow any correction with opportunity for

positive behavior and feedback

Basic teaching techniques

Daily review of relevant past learning & homework

Chunk lesson. Begin with objectives. Proceed in small steps. Highlight key

points. Procedural learning

teacher modeling, followed by guided practice & immediate feedback until mastery learning occurs.

Independent practice continue until responses are accurate, quick,automatic.

Weekly reviews routine and systematically build on previously learned

materials.

Classroom Management Practice Rating

1. I have arranged my classroom to minimize crowding and distraction Yes No

2. I have maximized structure and predictability in my classroom (e.g., explicit classroom routines, specific directions, etc.).

Yes No

3. I have posted, taught, reviewed, and reinforced 3-5 positively stated expectations (or rules).

Yes No

4. I provided more frequent acknowledgement for appropriate behaviors than inappropriate behaviors (See top of page).

Yes No

5. I provided each student with multiple opportunities to respond and participate during instruction.

Yes No

6. My instruction actively engaged students in observable ways (e.g., writing, verbalizing) Yes No

7. I actively supervised my classroom (e.g., moving, scanning) during instruction. Yes No

8. I ignored or provided quick, direct, explicit reprimands/redirections in response to inappropriate behavior.

Yes No

9. I have multiple strategies/systems in place to acknowledge appropriate behavior (e.g., class point systems, praise, etc.).

Yes No

10. In general, I have provided specific feedback in response to social and academic behavior errors and correct responses.

Yes No

Overall classroom management score:

10-8 “yes” = “Super” 7-5 “yes” = “So-So” <5 “yes” = “Improvement Needed”# Yes___

BUILD HOME-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP & TEAMWORK

Who are the team players?• parents, • teachers, teacher-assistants• psychologist, speech-language pathologist• , physicians • & of course the student!

Basic principles for home-school communication

Communicate frequently & regularly Phone call, Email, Spontaneous notes, Notebook, Home-

School Daily/WeeklyReport Cards, Face-to-face Increase parents’ comfort at meetings

Provide notice of time and room in advance along with brief list of topics/questions, ask for parent questions; provide written summary of decisions

Highlight student’s strengths (concrete examples) Communicate about student’s needs (concrete

examples) Work with parents to help create structure & routines

& to generate solutions Communicate respect

www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/specialneeds/resources.asp

Daily Report Name:________________ Date:__________Circle the number that best describes how the student demonstrated the behavior today

Wonderful Satisfactory Needs improvement

Brings all needed supplies & books to class

3 2 1

Follows directions 3 2 1

Starts work with minimal prompting

3 2 1

Interacts positively with peers

3 2 1

Responds positively to teacher requests

3 2 1

Students signature______________________Teacher signature_______________________Parent signature________________________

In-class performance today:___Wonderful___Satisfactory___Needs improvement

An excellent resource

for educator

s

Useful Resources on ADHD

www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/specialneeds/resource.asp.

www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/products.html

http://research.aboutkidshealth.ca/teachadhd

A co-ordinated,sustainable, multi-system approach

System-level

Classroom-based

School-wide

• System : home, school, education, medical, judicial

• Transition plans (sector-to-sector, school-to-school, grade-to-grade, class-to-class)

• Instructional pathways (credit-recovery, credit-rescue, co-op etc)

• Ongoing capacity-building (parent programs, professional development)

Student&

parents

TIME FOR ME TO STOP!

ANY QUESTIONS?