Advanced Attention Training
7th Grade, Unit 1 

Unit 1: Cultivating Focused Presence

In a world increasingly fragmented by digital distractions and systemic pressures, the ability to sustain focused attention becomes both a personal necessity and an act of resistance. This unit invites students to explore and expand their capacity for sustained concentration through deliberate practice, moving beyond simple silence to develop sophisticated attention management strategies.

Drawing inspiration from Marie-Denise Villers' "Young Woman Drawing" (1801), we examine how focused presence has historically been both a tool of empowerment and a pathway to deep learning, particularly for marginalized voices seeking space for creative expression. Students will progress from initial one-minute focus periods to five-minute sustained attention sessions, developing personalized strategies that honor their unique learning styles and lived experiences.

This curriculum recognizes that attention is not merely an individual cognitive skill but a socially constructed capacity shaped by power dynamics, technological systems, and cultural contexts. By approaching focus as both a personal practice and a collective possibility, we create space for students to reclaim their attention as a form of agency in an increasingly fragmented world.

Through these four lessons, students will engage with artistic works that exemplify deep concentration across different historical periods and cultural contexts. Each artwork serves as a portal to understanding how sustained focus can become an act of resistance, creativity, and self-determination—particularly for those whose voices have been systematically marginalized.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Master progressive attention training techniques, building from 1 to 5 minutes of sustained focus

• Develop personalized attention mapping tools to identify optimal learning conditions

• Analyze how environmental and systemic factors impact attention patterns

• Create individualized focus enhancement strategies that acknowledge diverse learning needs

• Connect personal attention practices to broader academic and social empowerment goals

• Examine how focused presence can serve as a tool for both individual growth and collective transformation

The journey through this unit is not simply about improving students' ability to stay on task; it is an invitation to reclaim the radical potential of presence in a world that often fragments our consciousness. By cultivating focused attention as a deliberate practice, students develop not only academic resilience but also the capacity to engage deeply with themselves, their communities, and the complex challenges of our time.