Learning in the age of the Gold Fish

Why the fall of the human attention span at 12 seconds. By 2015, the same study found
that number had fallen to just 8 seconds. To contextualise, the goldfish has an attention
span of about 9 seconds. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see further evidence
substantiating the decline of the attention span. Sweden has changed to a 6-hour
working day, saying that people are more productive when they don’t have to focus for a
full 8 hours. If you are anything like the average person, you’ll probably only read 20%
of this article, but you can at least give yourself a pat on the back for making it past the
headline. It’s official – we’re living in the age of goldfish.
Many have questioned what the decline of the attention span means. Are we getting
dumb? Is the human race devolving thanks to mobile phones and the Internet? The
goldfish comparisons certainly seem to imply so. But that’s not really the case. We’re
just thinking differently. With the decline of attention has come the rise of multitasking:
74% hyper connection and overload of stimuli, we’re learning to switch our attention
rapidly from stimulus to stimulus. It may be that long-form attention is decreasing simply
because there’s no call for it anymore – in the age of goldfish, where people can access
information in an instant, we’re seeing a change in the skills necessary to learn. The fall
of human attention span isn’t deterioration in the way we learn. It’s a revolution.
In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in online video learning platforms
and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Media outlets have started thinking like producers,
with video now a cornerstone of online content. There’s something to learn here: in the
age of goldfish, video’s use of both sight and sound has proven efficacious in grabbing
attention. It’s no coincidence that the fall of the human attention span coincided with the
mobile revolution. The average person now looks at their phone 1500 times a week.
Learning has entered the mobile realm. People can and do learn on their way to and form
work, on buses, trains, aeroplanes – even listing to podcasts in cars. Mobile learning
delivery is changing from an untapped resource to a truly indispensable learning
strategy.
So how do we take advantage of this change in learning? Ironically, we can get a lot of
help from the past. Way back in 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, who
conducted one of the first experiments on learning and memory, concluded that we learn
better when we acquire information over a long period of time rather than all at once.
Everyone’s had experience trying to cram for an exam, and quickly realized how
ineffective it can be. Referred to as the spacing effect, it is only becoming more
applicable in the age of Goldfish – where we can learn anywhere at any time. The best
techniques revolve around letting people jump in and out of learning. The days of
forcing people to sit and learn for long periods are obsolete – learning must be flexible,
easily accessible, and at a pace best suited for the learner. The when and where is not all
though; the agile learner, via mobile technologies, is ever on the lookout for engaging
content. Content that is intriguing and entices the user through interactivity and the use
of gaming elements, such as point systems, badges and prizes, must be embedded in the
learning process.
The age of goldfish is not an age of idiocy. It’s one of change. And with change comes
new opportunities, new spaces to occupy. Accessibility, flexibility and engagement are
the rules of game.
Question 1: replace the words with other words or phrases of your own.
1. Contextualise: _____________
2. Substantiating: _____________
3. Imply: _____________
4. Overload: _____________
5. Call for: _____________
6. Cornerstone: _____________
7. Efficacious: _____________
8. Indispensable: _____________
9. Revolve around: _____________
10. Intriguing: _____________
Question 2: Summarise in no more than 150 words what the age of gold fish is and what
can be done to enhance learning