Mindful Learning in the Digital World

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Introduction[edit | edit source]

Mindfulness is "awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment". Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn[1]

Many definitions of mindfulness exist and they present a wide range of concepts.[2]One of the definitions describes it as a skill developed via practise (meditation is an example), [3] or a psychological process. Dr Ellen Langer's definition of mindfulness describes it as "the process of actively noticing new things. When you do that, it puts you in the present(.....)It’s the essence of engagement". [4]According to Dr Langer, a professor in the Psychology Department at Harvard University, this way of approaching learning promotes engagement and mind-openness, results in better performance and allows the learner to focus on the present when using experience from the past. [4][5]

Digital learning is "any type of learning that is accompanied by technology or by instructional practise that makes effective use of technology".[6] Digital learning demonstrates great educational potential. [7] It enables interactions that closely approximate the interactions that occur in the real world.[7]

Mindfulness and Mindlessness[edit | edit source]

The word mindfulness translates as "lucid awareness" and it originates from the Pali, the original teaching language of Buddha.[8]In a traditional Buddhist text, mindfulness means attending to the facts without commenting on them. In modern psychological studies, it is described as paying attention to current information without judging them. [9] Mindfulness is a state of mind. It is a state of conscious awareness and a state of openness.[10]Mindfull learning means focusing on the present moment in each learning situation and absorbing what is happening as it happens.[1]

The benefits of mindfulness include:

  • Makes it easy to paying attention and noticing subtle changes in reality[5]
  • Allows to remember more what has been done[4][1]
  • Promotes creativity[4]
  • Allows to taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves[4]
  • Generates more positive results[4]
  • Improves our attention[1]
  • Allows to focus on the things that matter the most[1]
  • Improves problem solving[1]
  • Helps to reduce anxiety[11]
  • Decreases stress[12]
  • Improves sleep
  • Can improve pain management outcomes among chronic pain populations[13]

[12]

Mindlessness is a state of mind opposite to mindfulness. It relies on the experience from the past; it is like a habit where individuals rely on automatic processing. [10]Mindlessness learning is the passive type of learning.[1] When one is exposed to new information, one tends to assume that this is a known fact and there is no point in learning it. [1] Because this type of learning is automatic, an individual will attempt, for example, to take an online course and absorb the information while checking emails, cooking at home, or finishing a progress note from today's workload. [1]

Brain regions change over time following task performance. Adapted from: Turnbull A, Karapanagiotidis T, Wang HT, Bernhard BC, Leech R, Margulies D, et al. Reductions in task-positive neural systems occur with the passage of time and are associated with changes in ongoing thought. Sci Rep 2020;10:9912.

Brain Networks[edit | edit source]

Neuroscience has discovered two competing networks in the brain, that work to regulate a person's focus and attention.[1] The first network is called the default mode network (DMN) and it generally exhibits higher activity at rest.[14] The second network is called the task-positive network (TPN), and is more active during tasks when the person is very engaged and very attentive. [1]

Default Mode Network (DMN)[edit | edit source]

DMN is distributed in the posteromedial/inferior parietal, temporal, and lateral/ medial prefrontal cortex, regions furthest away from the ones contributing to sensory and motor systems.[15][16] These regions show higher activity at rest and decreased activity during attention-demanding tasks.[14]Some research however indicate, that DMN can be active in goal-directed tasks, but this task must require use of internally directed cognition.[14]

DMN is activated when a person is not focused on the outside world, but on their internal mental-state processes.[17]It is active for 47% of the time and is responsible for daydreaming, thinking about the future, the past, and really ignoring the present moment.[1]

Task-Positive Network (TPN)[edit | edit source]

The task-positive network (TPN) is required for the processing of external objects as it increases its activity during tasks requiring attention.[18] Externally oriented attention decreases activation in the DMN and increases activation in the TPN. The task-positive network was also found to have a correlation with response preparation and selection.[18]

When self-focus and lack of attention to the environment are present which can occur in conditions including depression and social anxiety, the increased activation of DMN over TPN is observed.[19]Meditation practices focusing on attention to the immediate experience may have an opposite effect of decreasing DMN and increasing TPN activity.[19]Research has shown that practice of mindfulness meditation helps to facilitate the activation of the task-positive network and reduce the activity of the default mode network.[1]

Distractions and Mind-Wandering[edit | edit source]

Distraction is “the process of interrupting attention” and “a stimulus or task that draws attention away from the task of primary interest.”[20] Because of the distraction, individuals are not able to stay focused on the things they want to do.

Example of distractions:

  • looking at notifications on the phone
  • checking emails while listening to a webinar
  • scrolling through social media when planning to read a book.[21]

External World Distraction[edit | edit source]

External distractions come from our environment. They include:

  • prompts to check mail, answer the text or read an alert
  • interruption from a coworker when you are in the middle of doing your work
  • the presence of an object eg. television in your office.[21]

Hugo Gernsback, a science fiction writer and an inventor was one of the pioneers who attempted to remove external distractions to help people study more efficiently. [1] Gernsback discovered that sound was the biggest distractor and his "Isolator" was going to help students focus on the book they read or the piece of paper they write. The Isolator was the helmet that confined a person's head and was attached to the oxygen tank by a tube.[22]The idea was great, but the product was not popular, because the helmet was too heavy.

Auto-Pilot Mode of Living[edit | edit source]

When the person is on autopilot, the brain shows activity in the default mode network zones.

The autopilot mode of living allows a person to undertake tasks without thinking about them. 47% of the time an average person spends in the autopilot mode of living,[1] because it is simply too difficult to live in complete engagement and awareness in every moment. The autopilot is a "state of mind in which one acts without conscious intention or awareness of present-moment sensory perception". [23]When a person is on automatic pilot, they are unaware of the present moment. They are daydreaming, mind-wandering, planning for the future, regretting the past, or just narrating their lives.[1] There is no focus and no attention, and it comes with a cognitive cost, as it leads to distraction from what is really, really important.[1]The autopilot can become harmful because it affects the emotional experience.[24]

Mindlessness is defined as an autopilot mode of learning, where individuals think and react to a piece of new information without considering the present context.[1]

[12]

Practical Applications of Mindful Learning[edit | edit source]

A key concept of performance: The activity rest cycle (the ultradian performance rhythm) includes creating structure, taking breaks and mind-wandering. [25]

Suggestions to improve focus, memory, and attention in persons' day-to-day lives:[1]

  1. Create a structure: Structure in tasks and learning allows to spend more time on things that matter.
  2. Take regular breaks to recharge and restore the energy: As a general rule, people work best when they work for a continuous amount for 90 minutes, followed by a 20 minute break. The goal is to find a perfect ideal amount of focused attention and a break time.
  3. Schedule the time for mind-wandering to improve one's focus: Allowing a time to check emails and social media and do whatever one need to do. According to Paul Seli: intentionally pausing to think about something unrelated to the task at hand, can boost focus when a person returns to that task.[26][25]
  4. Practise meditation to improve focus:Take the following steps:
    • Step 1: Set aside a dedicated amount of time
    • Step 2: Find a comfortable position
    • Step 3: Close your eyes or keep a soft gaze
    • Step 4: Choose an anchor ( breath, sound, or touch) that you resonate with, or you relate with
    • Step 5: Focus on chosen anchor
    • Step 6: When mind starts wondering, return back to the anchor.[1]
  5. Practise mindfulness through:
    • formal practice (meditation)
    • informal practice (performing everyday activities fully focused)
    • mini mindfulness exercises:
      • mindful body scan: examining different sensations in your body, starting from your feet to the top of your head and noticing different areas that might be tense, stiff, or in pain, or you might be uncomfortable
      • the power of the pause (STOP): Stop for a moment and pause, Take three breaths, slow, Observe your thoughts, emotions, and sensation, Proceed
      • grounding with five senses: notice mentally or physically five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste
      • box breathing: visualisation of a box with four edges: inhale, hold, exhale, hold.
      • mindful walking or performing any mindful movement in any sense.[1]

Summary[edit | edit source]

Take a home message:

  1. Sustaining attention is becoming more and more difficult
  2. Specific brain networks associated with mind-wandering and attention can be targeted with different exercises, such as mindfulness or meditation.
  3. Concepts of mindfulness and mindful learning help to improve focus and reduce mind-wandering
  4. There are cognitive benefits of mindfulness
  5. Avoid multitasking because it divides attention.
  6. Allows yourself to focus on one task at a time, one problem at a time, or in the grander scheme of things focus on one day at a time.
  7. There are evidence-based techniques that can rewire our brain, activate task-positive network, and reduce activity in the default network.[1]

Resources[edit | edit source]

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References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 Shrey Vasir. The Power of Mindful Learning in the Digital World. Physiopedia 2022.
  2. ↑ Van Dam NT, van Vugt MK, Vago DR, Schmalzl L, Saron CD, Olendzki A, Meissner T, Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Gorchov J, Fox KCR, Field BA, Britton WB, Brefczynski-Lewis JA, Meyer DE. Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2018 Jan;13(1):36-61. doi: 10.1177/1745691617709589. Epub 2017 Oct 10. Erratum in: Perspect Psychol Sci. 2020 Sep;15(5):1289-1290.
  3. ↑ Davis DM, Hayes JA. What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy (Chic). 2011 Jun;48(2):198-208.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Mindfulness in the Age of Complexity. Harvard Business Review, March 2014. Available at: https://hbr.org/2014/03/mindfulness-in-the-age-of-complexity (last accessed: 01.04.2022)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Davenport C, Pagnini F. Mindful Learning: A Case Study of Langerian Mindfulness in Schools. Front Psychol. 2016 Sep 12;7:1372.
  6. ↑ Digital Learning. Wikipedia Foundation, 08 January 2022. Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_learning. [last accessed 01.04.2022].
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gisbert M, Bullen M.(2015). Teaching and Learning in Digital World. Strategies and Issues in Higher Education. Publicacions Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona (Spain).
  8. ↑ Bhikkhu B. What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective. Contemporary Buddhism, 2011;12(1):19-39.
  9. ↑ Kabat-Zinn J. Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2003;10(2): 144–156.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Langer EJ. Matters of mind: Mindfulness/mindlessness in perspective. Consciousness and cognition. 1992 Sep 1;1(3):289-305.
  11. ↑ Hofmann SG, Sawyer AT, Witt AA, Oh D. The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010 Apr;78(2):169-83.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 NourPoundation. How Does Mindfulness Reduce Stress? 2013 Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKOGuQJCxr8[last accessed 02/04/2022] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":5" defined multiple times with different content
  13. ↑ Creswell JD, Lindsay EK, Villalba DK, Chin B.Mindfulness Training and Physical Health: Mechanisms and Outcomes. Psychosomatic Medicine 2019; 81(3): 224
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Zhang R, Volkow ND. Brain default-mode network dysfunction in addiction. Neuroimage. 2019 Oct 15;200:313-331.
  15. ↑ Smallwood J, Bernhardt BC, Leech R, Bzdok D, Jefferies E, Margulies DS. The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective. Nat Rev Neurosci 2021; 22: 503–513.
  16. ↑ Alves PN, Foulon C, Karolis V, Bzdok D, Margulies DS, Volle E, Thiebaut de Schotten M. An improved neuroanatomical model of the default-mode network reconciles previous neuroimaging and neuropathological findings. Commun Biol. 2019 Oct 10;2:370.
  17. ↑ Ekhtiari H, Nasseri P, Yavari F, Mokri A, Monterosso J. Neuroscience of drug craving for addiction medicine: From circuits to therapies, Chapter 7. Editor(s): Hamed Ekhtiari, Martin Paulus. Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier 2016; 223:115-141.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Qiao L, Luo X, Zhang L, Chen A, Li H, Qiu J. Spontaneous brain state oscillation is associated with self-reported anxiety in a non-clinical sample. Scientific Reports. 2020 Nov 12;10(1):1-1.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Knyazev GG, Savostyanov AN, Bocharov AV, Levin EA, Rudych PD. Iintrinsic connectivity networks in the self-and other-referential processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2020 Nov 10;14:460.
  20. ↑ “Distraction” (n.d.) In APA Dictionary of Psychology. Available from: https://dictionary.apa.org/distraction. [last accessed 02.04.2022].
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Learn how to avoid distraction in a world that is full of it. NIR and FAR. Available from: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/[last accessed 02.04.2022]
  22. ↑ Tapalaga A. The Vintage Isolation Helmet. The Isolator by Hugo Gernsback. Available from: https://historyofyesterday.com/the-vintage-isolation-helmet-a5a39a8a9d27. Dec 11, 2020. [last accessed 02.04.2022]
  23. ↑ Crane R. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: Distinctive features. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2009.
  24. ↑ Schenck L.Pros & Cons of Being on “Automatic Pilot. Available from:https://www.mindfulnessmuse.com/mindfulness/pros-and-cons-of-being-on-automatic-pilot. [last accessed 02.04.2022]
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Shrey Vasir. The Power of Mindful Learning in the Digital World. Physiopedia 2022.
  26. ↑ Seli P, Risko EF, Smilek D, Schacter DL. Mind-Wandering With and Without Intention. Trends Cogn Sci. 2016 Aug;20(8):605-617.
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