Attention - Susan Kaiser Greenland
Maggie Jackson wrote a great piece in the Boston Globe yesterday on attention. In it she explains, in plain English, Michael Posner’s description of attention as three interrelated networks: focused attention, awareness and executive attention. The parallels between these three attentional networks and the three primary modes of attention trained in mindfulness are striking: single pointed attention (the focused network); open and receptive attention (the awareness or orienting network); and self-regulatory attention (the executive network).
Maggie also writes about mindfulness training of attention for children in schools. She quotes me as well as Lidia Zylowska from MARC. Before linking to the article I’d like to expand on a couple of her points with respect to how attention training intersects with our work.
While attention is fundamental to mindfulness training for kids it absolutely is NOT the whole picture. Mindfulness training focuses on two areas of practice that are taught in tandem -awareness (or attention) practices and kindness practices. The kindness practices explore kindness and compassion from various perspectives including caring for oneself and others, happiness for the good fortune of others, gratitude and equanimity. Without the elements of kindness and compassion, attention training simply isn’t mindfulness.
In addition, understanding the process orientation of mindfulness is critical to understanding the practice itself. Jackson quotes Amir Raz, a cognitive neuroscientist at McGill University as saying that attention training is not a quick-fix. The same is true with mindfulness. Not only does mindfulness training take time, patience and expertise, the benefits (particularly when working with kids) may not be obvious at first.
Here’s the link to the full article entitled Attention Class in the Boston Globe.
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About the Author: Check out Susan Kaiser Greenland's post about why she started blogging again 
Anna | Jul 1, 2008 | Reply
Great article!
Nick Kellet | Aug 6, 2008 | Reply
Something dawned on me as I was looking round this site and it kind of triggered a thought I’ve been brewing for a while. ( I’m an indie board game publisher, I publish a board game called giftTRAP that’s been voted “Best Party Game” by both Creative Child and Games Magazine.
I believe my game teaches the value of attention empathy and intuition, but that’s not my point but explains why I was curious to surf around.)
My thought relates to an omission on your site (and it’s reflected across society at large)
Games are as much integral part of of “Arts & Culture” as “Books” and “Films” (for which you have a review section) and yet your site like many has no space for reviews for “Games” and by games I mean board games and computer games.
Games provide a great mechanism to interact and teach kids, not to mention they are are a lot fun and it’s a great way to bond and develop attention. Games night is always a lot of fun and something that I suspect has slipped a little from our culture. Germany, for example has a much deeper game playing culture.
You have a review of the WII under “Fun”, so you are kind of half way there.
There are many games that have great educational value, they are typically the games from smaller independent publisher. There is life beyond Candyland and Monopoly.
I’m not alone in thinking “Games” should reclaim their rightful place in our Culture.
I’d happily recommend a bunch of games you could/should review given your focus. I can help you connect with some other publishers. Once you publish a few reviews it should be self propelling.
Susan | Aug 6, 2008 | Reply
I agree with you in large part. I myself am probably addicted to the computer based wordtwist and scrabble games, was horrified when scramble was pulled from facebook, and during school vacations we often have a scrabble board on the coffee table in the living room (our kids are teenagers so it works). Games are important family activities that are too often fading away.
About the site though - we don’t review anything by design (although we do shamelessly promote our own bloggers published work). Even the Wii piece was not intended as a review but more as a post about her personal use of the Wii. So with that caveat, if you have publishers or gamers who would like to post about their own experience with games and how it helped them be more mindful, train attention, self-restraint, kindness, and friendliness, team plaything I’d love to see them. Just send the to info@innerkids.org.
I’m adding a category for games now and putting the Wii piece in it.
Thanks Nick!
Nick Kellet | Aug 8, 2008 | Reply
Thanks and much appreciated. I ended up posting a blog entry here on the general issue of “Games” and their fall from cultural credibility.
http://www.gifttrap.com/goneboarding
I cited you as my first convert.
I’ll get back to you with some ideas/thoughts