Fwd: PSLC PIER Edbag-Karrie Godwin Talk Reminder

[Abramovich, Samuel]

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> Tomorrow on Thursday May 19, 2011 at 12:00 PM there will be a PIER Edbag-Karrie Godwin talk in 336B Baker Hall.
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> Allocation of Attention in Classroom Environments: Consequences for Learning
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> The current study investigates how young children allocate their attention
> in learning environments. Prior research has shown that elementary school
> students spend between 25% and 50% of instructional time off-task.
> However, the available research has not clearly identified the common
> sources of distraction, nor specified the relationship between the
> distraction source and learning outcomes. In this study we examined how
> visual features of the environment which are not relevant for on-going
> instruction (e.g., manipulatives, posters, artwork, maps, etc.) affect
> young children’s ability to maintain focused attention to the content of a
> lesson. We addressed this question by experimentally manipulating our
> laboratory classroom environment (e.g., introducing or removing
> educational materials irrelevant to the current lesson). The effects of
> the manipulation on children’s off-task behavior and learning were
> measured. The findings and potential implications for classroom design
> will be discussed.
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