"…novelty, the discrepancy between what is known and what is discovered, can elicit activity and exploration of the environment," (Mather, 2013)
The second myth that Langer seeks to dispel is that in order to learn, we must pay attention, focused on only one thing, typically for a certain amount of time. The issue, she suggests, is not so much the paying attention part as much as it is the amount of time for which we're usually expected to do it.
Take, for example, an hour-long lecture, such as you might have in a college course or continuing professional education activity. How many times have you sat through such a lecture only to find your mind wandering completely off topic several minutes in?
Langer suggests that we need to get away from this more traditional idea of forcing ourselves to pay attention, in favor of harnessing our innate drive toward novelty. When we are not forcing our attentiveness toward only one stimulus, we can be more open to observe other potentially useful stimuli around us, and we may actually learn more.
Further, as the use of technology (and the nearly constant and numerous stimuli that come with it) has increased in our lives, our attention span has actually decreased (Microsoft, as cited by Smith, 2016). Teachers, it seems, are fighting an uphill battle to get and keep students' attention.
It is our challenge as educators, then, to find ways to incorporate novelty in our students' learning experiences as a means of capturing their attention and fostering learning. Langer offers that helping learners experience new perspectives is one way to introduce novelty. Education bloggers Adams (2013) and Guenther (2011) offer some additional ideas:
Teachers Urged to Mix it Up and Use Novelty to Engage Students (Adams, 2013)
Novelty in the Classroom (Guenther, 2011)
The second myth that Langer seeks to dispel is that in order to learn, we must pay attention, focused on only one thing, typically for a certain amount of time. The issue, she suggests, is not so much the paying attention part as much as it is the amount of time for which we're usually expected to do it.
Take, for example, an hour-long lecture, such as you might have in a college course or continuing professional education activity. How many times have you sat through such a lecture only to find your mind wandering completely off topic several minutes in?
Langer suggests that we need to get away from this more traditional idea of forcing ourselves to pay attention, in favor of harnessing our innate drive toward novelty. When we are not forcing our attentiveness toward only one stimulus, we can be more open to observe other potentially useful stimuli around us, and we may actually learn more.
Further, as the use of technology (and the nearly constant and numerous stimuli that come with it) has increased in our lives, our attention span has actually decreased (Microsoft, as cited by Smith, 2016). Teachers, it seems, are fighting an uphill battle to get and keep students' attention.
It is our challenge as educators, then, to find ways to incorporate novelty in our students' learning experiences as a means of capturing their attention and fostering learning. Langer offers that helping learners experience new perspectives is one way to introduce novelty. Education bloggers Adams (2013) and Guenther (2011) offer some additional ideas:
Teachers Urged to Mix it Up and Use Novelty to Engage Students (Adams, 2013)
Novelty in the Classroom (Guenther, 2011)
Adams, C. (2013, November 16). Teachers urged to mix it up and use novelty to engage students. Retrieved from Education Week: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/college_bound/2013/11/
teachers_urged_to_mix_it_up_and_use_novelty_in_class_to_engage_students.html
Guenther, D. (2011, September 28). Novelty in the classroom. Retrieved from David Guenther Education Blog: https://techsuccess.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/novelty-in-the-classroom/
Langer, E. J. (2016). The Power of Mindful Learning. (2nd ed.) Boston, MA: Da Capo Press.
Smith, S. (2016, May 10). Finding focus at work. Retrieved from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-smith/finding-focus-at-work_b_9873126.html
teachers_urged_to_mix_it_up_and_use_novelty_in_class_to_engage_students.html
Guenther, D. (2011, September 28). Novelty in the classroom. Retrieved from David Guenther Education Blog: https://techsuccess.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/novelty-in-the-classroom/
Langer, E. J. (2016). The Power of Mindful Learning. (2nd ed.) Boston, MA: Da Capo Press.
Smith, S. (2016, May 10). Finding focus at work. Retrieved from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-smith/finding-focus-at-work_b_9873126.html