CENTRE OF ATTENTION “Concentration is the root of all the higher abilities in man”, according to martial arts master Bruce Lee, meaning that it is a key factor when it comes to flourishing in any endeavour. Stéphane Justeau explains how meditation can be a valuable approach to helping improve attention span in the academic environment
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he definition of attention is “the ability to focus and sustain mental effort on a particular task or stimulus while filtering out distractions”. It is essential for learning as it enables individuals to select and process relevant information, focus on complex tasks independently of external stimuli and to develop cognitive and metacognitive skills. In their book, The Attention System of the Human Brain , Michael Posner and Steven Petersen define three attentional systems, ‘alerting, orienting and executive control’. ‘Alerting’ allows us to apply and maintain a state of vigilance. This system indicates when to pay attention and allows the level of vigilance to be adjusted to a given situation. ‘Orienting’ allows us to prioritise the processing of any stimulus by selecting the most important information. It indicates what to pay attention to. ‘Executive control’ indicates how the information should be processed. In the context of business education, it is helpful to look at attention in two ways: reactive attention and decisional attention. In a listening context, reactive attention is an unintentional response to a stimulus in our environment that draws the audience away from the teacher. It can be caused in a class or in a meeting by multiple and varied stimuli such as a vibrating telephone or an unsuitable visual support – perhaps one with too many colours or images. This attention can be very useful for avoiding dangers in everyday life (for example when crossing a street or being in the path of a projectile), but less so in a learning or listening context. Decisional attention is intentionally focused on a specific object or person and thus is one of the pillars of effective learning. However, it is fragile and takes very little to be destroyed, whether it is in a classroom with students, in a conference with peers or even in a meeting with colleagues. Of course we can work on the visual ergonomics of our materials. We can turn off mobile phones or ban computers. But attentional decision-making is sensitive and this is where meditation can make a big difference.
The benefits of meditation Quite simply, when students are concentrating, they are better able to process information. Memory is closely linked to attention; distracted students tend to have difficulty remembering important information. Conversely, students who are focused tend to have a more efficient memory. Learning complex concepts and acquiring skills requires careful thought and analysis of information. Attention is, therefore, essential to be able to solve problems effectively and ultimately achieve high academic performance. Beyond the academic elements, research shows that mindfulness meditation has broader benefits. These include stress reduction, building resilience, improved sleep and mental health and reduced absenteeism. I first took the meditation plunge some time ago with my master’s students. I explained to them the role that attention can play in the learning process and
34 | Ambition | JUNE 2023
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