As our attention is increasingly divided between virtual and physical social spaces, maintaining collective focus during lectures has become a veritable challenge. How do attentional habits manifest themselves in the classroom? What are the challenges when classrooms become spaces of divided attention and how can these challenges be tackled? By considering attention not merely as an individual act of will, but as a social capacity to direct the mind, this workshop delves into the transformative potential of attention in higher education. Social aspects of attention will be discussed in the local university context and put into conversation with diverse perspectives on teaching and learning.

Thinking through a complex array of factors – epistemic, pedagogical, ethical, and ideological – involved in what could be described as the politics of attention in the classroom, this workshop aims to address the challenges faced when attempting to create constructive, inclusive educational spaces. How do varying beliefs, plans, and intentions steer our attention differently? How does living in a divided society shape one’s attention? And how can attention be productively pooled in the classroom? Zooming in on the transformation South African universities are undergoing and promoting dialogue between different learning and teaching experiences, this workshop addresses core issues of social ontology, including community building, social structures, collective intentionality, and learning.

ISOS Program

Last Modified: Thu, 09 May 2024 15:10:01 SAST