mtss refocusing after a distraction

Today we are going to learn an important classroom skill—recognizing distractions and refocusing.

Poll

Are you always able to ignore distractions?

• yes

• no

Open Ended

What can you do to refocus after you are distracted?

• Recognize our common distractors.

• Establish a cue for recognizing that we are distracted.

• Say to ourselves, “I am distracted and I need to get back to work.”

• Re-engage in the expected task.

•    Success Criteria: We know we’re successful when we can recognize our common distractors, establish a cue for recognizing that we are distracted, say to ourselves, “I am distracted and I need to get back to work,” and re-engage in the expected task.

 

There are two types of distractors: external, which come from outside of us, and internal, which comes from our thoughts and feelings. Some people get more easily distracted by what is going on around them, while others are more easily distracted by things going on in their own mind. Some people find both types equally distracting. Here are some examples of both:

  1. External—a conversation, students talking, radiators/fans making noise, a friend who is arguing with you right now

2. Internal—being upset about something from this morning still, being excited about what is happening after school, thinking about something over and over and not being able to forget it.

Multiple Choice

Is someone yelling at you an internal or external distraction?

• External
• Internal

Multiple Choice

Is thinking about a video game an internal or external distraction?

• External
• Internal

Multiple Choice

Is wondering what's going to be for lunch an internal or external distraction?

• External
• Internal

Multiple Choice

Is someone throwing pencils at you an internal or external distraction?

• External
• Internal

brain teasers with beep

An important part of working efficiently is noticing more quickly when you are distracted. Once you notice, you can then refocus on the activity. The key is that you cannot refocus on an activity unless you have first noticed you are distracted.

Once you notice you are distracted, say to yourself, “I am distracted and need to get back to work.” Then refocus on the activity you were working on.

Open Ended

Did the beep help you notice when you were off task? You won’t have this beep in your classroom. For the distractor you focused on last week, what could be a cue, like the beep, to remind you to notice whether you are distracted or not?