Learning to Focus

In When You Think It’s All Gone Wrong… from Tinkerings, Tim shares,

"And I concentrated more on my focus technique than “wow” shots."

Last year I did a Photo a Day project that I do on every odd numbered year. I take the time to take a ton of photos and try to pick my best one for each day. Every year I do this, I feel like my photography skills get better. I also take the time to look at other people’s photos who are doing the same project. This helps me learn things alos.

When I read what Tim wrote about focusing, I realized that I want to do more about this also.

I want to spend more time this year trying to focus more on objects than just on the big picture. I tend to take pictures that have the whole picture in focus and not one specific thing.

I wondered if I do this in my classroom. Am I just looking at the big picture and the classroom as a whole? Am I focusing on each individual student and trying to meet their individual needs?

Sometimes it is easier to lump everyone into one big group and teach the whole group. But am I making sure that each student is getting the concept or learning the new skill?

I remember being a student in a big class and hoping that I could fade into the background. I hoped that the teacher wouldn’t single me out. When the teacher was asking questions, I tried to hide behind the person in front of me so the teacher wouldn’t see me. Most of the time, I got away with this.

Do I notice when my students do this? Do I seek them out, not for punishment but to look for a deeper concern? I need to stop letting my attention seekers get all of my attention. I need to focus on my attention avoiders. They also deserve my attention.

I need to learn to focus on the things that are important. I need to stop letting the background overtake the important things.

Maybe I can make a stronger impact. Maybe by focusing, I can be more effective in the classroom. Maybe this focus will help my students be more successful in the classroom.

How do you focus your attentions in the classroom? Any suggestions would be appreciated.