Learning How to Learn
The Pomodoro Technique
Teaching as a profession is uniquely gratifying and challenging. Post pandemic, the challenge has been further intensified with evolving changes in education. On one hand managing queries of concerned parents, grading volumes of papers, designing engaging lesson plans, and on the other hand dealing with highly distracted students with a lack of concentration, short attention span, and serious academic gaps.
“The problem isn’t the attention span; the problem is we have an infinite number of options to choose from.” — Shaun Buck
Apparently, this decreased attention span among students and the increased workload and stress on teachers has been a matter of major concern.
While a student’s inattention or dwindling focus might be due to various reasons. It may be due to lack of sleep or poor routine or brain fog but we blame it on three “game changers” in our rapidly changing high-tech world — The Internet, Smartphones, and Social media.
Despite starting the day aiming to be super productive sometimes one may realise that they haven’t accomplished much at the end of the day. Then, what should one do?
To understand more about this inattention and focus without any distractions, neuroscientists use new brain-scanning technology to look inside the brain.
According to Neuroscience — the science of the brain for the science of learning- the brain works in two different ways — the focused mode and the diffuse mode. Both are important in helping to learn. In the focused mode, the learner learns intently with full attention, so the learning process is great. While in the diffuse mode, the mind is free and relaxed akin to daydreaming or nothing in particular.
Research shows that in the diffuse mode the learner uses other parts of the brain different from the parts used in the focused mode. The diffuse mode makes the brain work quietly. It helps to make neural connections with ideas and imagination, so creativity flourishes. Hence, the learner has to alternate between both modes and get the learning process started. Switching between diffuse and focused modes to learn seems to be effective.
But how can one do this? Focus to accomplish more, enhance productivity and make the most of the time…
The Pomodoro way…
In 1980 Francis Cirillo developed this technique with a tomato-shaped timer. In Italian ‘Pomodoro’ means ‘Tomato’. The Pomodoro technique helps the brain to overcome distractions and get things done while taking frequent breaks.
This technique involves the following steps:
- Choose a task to be accomplished and find a quiet place and shut off all the distractions or interruptions like TV, family members, alerts, notifications, beeps, etc.
- Set the timer for 25 minutes.
- Jumpstart with an intense focus on the task at hand for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes or one Pomodoro is done, reward yourself with a short break — either dance or have coffee or listen to a song or stretch and move around, etc.
These four steps are considered one Pomodoro. A task can include two or three Pomodoros with a short break of five minutes in between. A long break of 15–20 minutes can be taken before starting a new task.
The whole process of the above steps is called “doing a Pomodoro.” You can “do a Pomodoro” many times if the task is big by breaking or chunking it into smaller parts. Sometimes the task allocated for 25 minutes may not be completed but rewarding yourself after 25 minutes with something you like, something you love is very important and mandatory.
Scientists found that the human brain tunes by itself looking forward to the reward. Subsequently, the reward of short and long breaks helps one focus better and thereby learn efficiently. Rewards help in the release of the hormone dopamine that makes one “feel good” when one chooses to complete the task instead of allowing themselves to be easily side-tracked.
This Pomodoro technique not only helps everyone to avoid distractions and other interruptions but also helps in time management skills. So “do your Pomodoro”, to make short periods of focused concentration into a habit and combat distractions.
“We fail when we get distracted by tasks we don’t have the guts to quit.” — Seth Godin
What gets measured gets managed, so try to practice and find value in it.
So don’t fritter away the day. See how this technique works for you and share the benefits and experience with others including your students.
Become effective and successful, The Pomodoro way…
About the author: Gayethri Mote has more than 10 years experience in teacher education and is an expert at Innerscore on Learning skills.
