VIEWS & OPINION The importance of paying attention Comment by FELICIA JACKSON, Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation


Many of us will remember being called out at school for not paying attention. It’s one of the most basic expectations in an educational setting. But it’s worth looking at what that means if we are going to educate our children to succeed and to build resilience in an ever-changing world. Today the concept of attention is often considered in terms of what children must filter out to focus on what they’re being taught. That can be the impact of 30 other children, and a range of visual


and aural distractions. Often there is medicalisation around the concept of attention, with attention deficit disorder an increasingly widespread diagnosis. And while there is no question that some children may have medical reasons for their difficulty in focusing and paying attention, it might prove useful to think differently about what we mean by attention. Attention is not simply about taking notice of something, focusing on what a teacher is saying and learning by rote, but a skill that needs to be developed to support individuals in reasoning and critical thinking. There is little point paying attention to a class if you’re not also learning to question what you’re told and building a set of tools that can support you in thinking about the world around you – in effect, learning to think. Julian Baggini’s book ‘How to Think Like a Philosopher’, cites “paying attention” as a principal component of good thinking.


So, what is paying attention? How does it look? • Slowing down and clearing your head of all the assumptions you have


about something. Acknowledging your bias subjectivity. • Looking out for “attention hijackers”. What could be distracting you? • Taking your time and crawl to your conclusion; don’t leap to an answer. • Looking out for the overlooked. No matter how hard we try our brain is looking for patterns and filling in gaps for us, so there is a lot we do not see, as shown in the classic Guerilla attention experiment • “Listen to and engage with others”, Baggini says. “Respect but don’t automatically defer to them”.


Skills like logic or literacy give us the tools to pay attention, to think hard and concentrate. But learning is about more than simple attention – the real question is what we mean by thinking well. According to Baggini, thinking well is largely about ‘attending’ instead of attention. He reminds us that this takes a lot of effort – it is derived from the Latin ‘ad’ meaning towards and ‘tendere’ to stretch. It is about reasoning and not just the cherry picking of data, knowledge or constructing arguments. There is little point paying attention in class if you’re not learning to question what you’re told and building a set of tools that can support you in thinking about the world around you. Indeed, a great way to encourage attention and engagement is to develop a questioning practice in the classroom.


There are several sources that you can use, from introducing philosophical practice through Sapere or the Philosophy Foundation and Philosophy for Children, through the approach of Values-based Education, even Learn2Think’s own Questioning Project. But extending our idea of what attention means could be a powerful step towards building independent, resilient thinkers.


Building relationships and raising attainment for children


with autism or complex needs with Warhammer Comment by DANNY BENNET, maths and ICT teacher at Closeburn House


At Closeburn House School, I teach pupils with additional support, behavioural and emotional needs in a therapeutic setting.


It can be challenging to build trust quickly, develop strong relationships and begin the work necessary to help the child reach their full academic potential. Using Warhammer, I was able to connect with my pupils and help them develop relationships with myself and each other.


So, what is Warhammer? In Warhammer, players collect armies of plastic models to use in tabletop games, using dice and tape measures. However, before playing, players must first construct and paint their miniature armies.


It was while building and painting the miniatures, that I discovered that I wasn’t just practicing a hobby with my pupils in the art room, but rather participating in a therapeutic activity. My pupils lowered their guard, relaxed, and began talking about themselves, their lives and experiences, and opening up about their feelings and emotions in a way that built trust between all of us taking part in the activity.


There is a wealth of evidence on the positives of art therapy, and I think Warhammer can work similarly. Pupils reflect upon themselves and their emotions when they create and paint their miniatures. Their creativity flows and their works are praised and cherished with no


May 2023


judgments or criticisms. This leads to higher self-esteem and confidence, and they can take these successes into other curriculum areas. I found that after a few weeks of participating in Warhammer, my pupils were far more likely to engage in other lessons such as maths, where previously they had held a negative mindset. Through our work in Warhammer, we had created a relationship of trust, where I, the teacher, had helped them step by step create things they cherished and were proud of.


My pupils who participated in Warhammer activities, not only saw their attainment in my classes soar, but also in areas across the curriculum. Their creative writing began to be filled with adjectives, metaphors, and imagery from our games; some pupils began reading novels set within the Warhammer universe. Others even wrote songs and poetry based on the characters and worlds they encountered as part of the game. Naturally, their maths skills also improved - in Warhammer gameplay the children frequently need to use number, measurement, and probability. However, it was the relationships I had created and fostered with my pupils that allowed me to guide and support their achievement in school. This has resulted in me being able to fine-tune my practice, to better support these individuals by providing higher-quality education and care. I would recommend the hobby to any practitioner looking for a different way to connect with their young people. The Warhammer Alliance is a Schools Programme created by Games Workshop, to support schools in setting up their own Warhammer Club. It’s a great creative outlet that will easily fit into any setting for young people aged twelve, and above and provides great opportunities to build relationships and raise attainment.


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