Teaching With the Brain in Mind

of focused attention time expected or required.
Remember that the human brain is poor at nonstop
attention. As a guideline, use 5–7 minutes of
direct instruction for K–2, 8–12 minutes for grades
3–7, and 12–15 minutes for grades 8–12. After
learning, the brain needs time for processing and
rest. In a typical classroom, this means rotating
mini-lectures, group work, reflection, individual
work, and team project time.
The causes of quick-tempered, short-attention
span behaviors are currently being explored by
neuroscientists. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter
known to regulate emotion, movement, and
thought. Researchers have discovered that there’s a
genetic link between quick-tempered, noveltyseeking,
and inattentive behaviors and a specific
receptor gene for dopamine. Those students who
have a longer DNA sequence in this gene score
much higher on tests that measure novelty seeking
and impulsiveness. The implications for this are
significant: Some students will be out of control,
but the cause of their behavior may be genes, not
poor parenting (Hittman 1996). Teachers should
set aside the label of misbehavior and simply deal
with the behavior. Sometimes adding more active
learning strategies is all it takes.
Attention Deficit
We’ve learned the brain is poorly designed for continuous,
focused attention. The opposite, too much
attention, is a form of attention deficit, too. Trying
to pay attention to everything is as much a problem
as not paying enough attention when appropriate.
In the United States, attention deficit disorder
(ADD) accounts for almost half of all child
psychiatric referrals (Wilder 1996). Studies indicate
that 1 of 20 children aged 6 to 10 and about 3
percent of all children under 19 are on ADD med-
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Getting the Brain’s Attention
ications like Ritalin or Cylert. Prescriptions are currently
at 1.5 million and climbing dramatically
(Elias 1996). Some schools have as many as 10
percent on Ritalin.
ADD is not without controversy. While some
researchers believe it is a specific medical disorder,
others believe that the label masks many other
more narrowly defined problems like poor hearing,
bad eyesight, or inadequate nutrition. The current
research on the biological underpinnings of ADD
associates the disorder with several factors. A large
sample of 102 children diagnosed with ADD found
evidence of smaller attentional structures in the
outermost right frontal lobe areas and basal ganglia
(Wilder 1996). Those two areas are thought to be
essential for directing focus and blocking out distractions.
Second, there’s evidence of faulty regulation
of glucose metabolization and of the neurotransmitter
norepinephrine. Finally, S. Milberger,
Joseph Biederman, and their colleagues at Massachusetts
General Hospital have discovered a striking
connection between ADD and maternal smoking
(George 1996).
Research suggests that other psychiatric disorders
frequently occur with ADD making detection
confusing. These include inability to form close relationships,
anxiety, and stress trauma. Those who do
have ADD are often fidgety, with scattered attention.
The critical qualifying symptoms for a child to be
diagnosed with ADD are that the symptoms must be
both excessive and long term. The ability to focus
attention and restrain inappropriate motor acts
demonstrates not that children with ADD can’t pay
attention; they are paying attention to everything.
They continually disengage from one signal in favor
of the next irrelevant signal. Their system is low on
norepinephrine, so the drug intervention (when
appropriate) is to give it a stimulant.