CONCENTRATION IS THE
FOUNDATION FOR ALL LEARNING
A puzzle game with infinite possibilities
Is your child struggling to focus for longer periods of time? Does this affect your child's capacity to learn? We offer play-based Auro.Games sessions for children ages 5-12 to improve their ability of concentration. Regular sessions allow children to stretch their capacity of focus over time, and learn to pay attention to detail. Through the sessions the child is supported become increasingly aware of the self, and learn to recognize how and when learning takes place inside them. Using their spatial intelligence, mental visualization and creative thinking are activated, requiring the child to be fully present with the Auro.Games activities. In the main stream school system, curriculum to develop spatial intelligence is non-existent until at high school or university level, and then only for those who choose to specialise their studies in fields like arts, engineering or medicine. We question why this part of the human intelligence is left dormant by the school system, when it can be exercised already at a young age and brought to the forefront to sharpen the child's thinking and problem-solving skills. Spatial ability involves the manipulation of information presented in a visual, diagrammatic or symbolic form. For children who are challenged by verbal, language-based information, it becomes extra important to strengthen their processing of visual information. In our school based research we have observed children who are labelled as "slow" learners by their teachers stand out in their ability to work with Auro.Games.
In today’s fast-paced world, children grow up multitasking. New technologies are helping us do things faster and more efficiently. But this hectic lifestyle has also created a state of hyper-attention, where non-active time becomes difficult, as the mind has become addicted to a constant flow of quick interactions and instant gratifications. The internet, social media and online games are presented in bits and pieces to immediately entertain or hold the viewers’ interest for a few seconds. Increased stress can also be seen in culture, the market economy system emphasises individuality, competitiveness and independence, which has resulted in family life being busy and “hyperactive”, with stressful work situations for parents and academic pressure on children. The combination of such factors can be observed in children growing up today, and children are losing their ability to focus their attention in situations not offering this type of rapid stimuli.
Although a new form of neuroplasticity is being developed in the brains of young people, the ability of concentration is disappearing. Deep attention/concentration is associated with older traditions of human thinking with intense focus on a single task or theme for a longer period of time. The modern world requires the mastery of both these opposing forms of attention. As the complexity on human technology increases, the human consciousness needs to be developed alongside it. This requires the ability to deepen attention, take time to observe and reflect on details, and the capacity to analyse and synthesise diverse understandings and information.
In education today, we need to re-think not only the benefits and needs for children to develop their ability of concentration, but also look for new methods of attaining and maintaining it.
To support children to develop concentration and train their spatial intelligence we facilitate one-one or small group sessions tailored specifically to the needs and development of each child. We recommend a minimum of one session weekly. The Auro.Games sessions take place in Auroville - Tamil Nadu, India
Sessions are facilitated by Maya Shakti, education specialist from Sweden/Auroville with extensive professional training. and more than 25 years experience working with individualized, holistic, child-centred and inclusive education practices. Through her participatory and action oriented research on education for the evolution of human consciousness/Integral Education, Auro.Games is a material designed and developed for this purpose.
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What is concentration? Concentration is the act or process to direct all your attention toward something. It is the mental effort you put into this, and the ability to hold this focus. A conscious act of directing your attention in accordance with your will. Concentration is also when you fix your awareness on a particular state of being, such as experiencing peace, perseverance or courage. To not just be fully on an object or act, but on the experience and feeling it brings to you. By bringing the focus not just on the outside world, but on what is happening inside your body and mind, you develop self-awareness and self-knowledge. When you develop your concentration, you extend your attention span, gain better control of your mind and thoughts. When concentrating, all the energy and attention of the mind is directed to one place. “ The children become completely absorbed by the puzzles, the world around them seems to disappear.” (Teacher reflection) This deep and controlled act allows you to focus the mind selectively without distractions, to ignore unrelated thoughts, and to become oblivious to everything else in the environment
Why is concentration important? Instead of being a conscious tool of the human mind, focused attention today is largely determined by the difficulty of the task at hand, motivation, or expertise. We focus when we have to. This limited use of the cognitive ability of concentration is a big setback, stopping you from what you actually have an inbuilt and latent capacity to achieve. For you as an individual to develop, grow and live to your full potential, learning to concentrate is a key. Your ability to concentrate impacts the quality of your life. When you learn to focus your mind, it helps you to fix your attention on what you are doing. By doing so you become able to ignore distracting thoughts. As your ability of concentration improves, the mind becomes less restless. This in turn enables you to be more efficient in that which you engage in, and you will make fewer mistakes. You will feel more satisfied in every aspect of life, both how you do things with more attention, and the peace it gives inside. “Working with Auro.Games puzzles helps to develop focus and patience in children which is the need of the hour, along with problem solving and analytical skills.” (Teacher reflection) As the world is changing and offering us an endless flow of decisions to make each day, we can observe how the choices we make are often made in the spur of the moment, without connecting to a deeper intention. This way of living and being is sporadic and cannot lead humanity toward developing consciousness to a more refined state, where you become the master not just of the world around you, but of yourself and how you contribute to it.
How to develop concentration? You can develop the ability to control your attention through regular concentration exercises. Through such practice you become self-aware and develop mindfulness. Neuropsychologists recommend single-task exercises to train your ability of attention and focus. Such cognitive training will help you refocus if your mind wanders, and allow you to monitor yourself, strengthening your capacity to maintain focus on a single task. By learning to focus your attention on the present moment is a practice that rewires the brain, strengthening attention also in everyday life. Through exercises that draw your attention inwards, your mind will be supported to accomplish a systemic flow of thought on the one task you have at hand. With regular practice you will become more and more conscious of the reflection and experience you have through the exercise. Eventually this ability can grow, enabling you to use your will to bring forth a sharpened focus when needed. This ability of concentration will help you to transform your life. You can learn to recognize true knowledge in that which surrounds you, and to embody the quality that you want to accompany your actions. We have developed a wide range of different kaleidoscope puzzle activities in progressive levels that support the development of concentration. They not only draw in the players attention but hold it. The puzzles require a focus to observe details, to compare, contrast and analyse to discover patterns and forms. We have observed how the player become silent, engaged, and present. Regular exercise with the puzzles stretches the ability to concentrate, and gives time to slow down, bringing moments of mindfulness. “As a teacher I believe that these unique puzzles can be used in many ways in classroom settings, bringing out their most important feature: to increase focus and concentration.” (Teacher reflection)