Focused learning Having outlined the rationale for the teaching of time-creating devices, I shall now explain the term focused learning. Focused learning is a theory of how language can be learnt effectively in the classroom context. Students learn best if objectives are clearly stated. If students know the objectives of a particular exercise or activity, they will perceive that the teaching programme has purpose and direction. This will overcome their resistance to learning.
Students benefit if complex tasks are broken down into their component elements.
For this reason, consciousness-raising is an important technique in focused learning, which asserts that conscious, learned knowledge can be transformed into unconscious knowledge at some stage of the learning process. Automatization requires practice. Practice is most effective when the time spent is concentrated and attention focused. Students benefit from explicit feedback that focuses on the learning objective and that leads to renewed learning experience. Basically, the contrast between focused learning and unfocused acquisition corresponds to Krashen s distinction of learning and acquisition.