Focused attention span is short term response to a stimulus that attracts attention; unlike sustained attention span focused attention lasts for a very short span and is more prone to disruptions caused by distractions. Focused attention, because of its shorter duration should not be thought to have any lesser significance when it comes to learning; in fact it forms one of the most critical parameters that confers an effective inception point for any learning process.
It is a major challenge faced by the modern day educators to consistently enhance the attention span of young learners of age group 2.6 to 5 years to ensure effective learning practices in the class rooms. It is due to this fact that over the years educators have been devising various forms of pedagogical aids that considerably and consistently increase the focused attention span, unfortunately this has given rise to certain practices among the educators that forcefully compel the learners to pay attention (or it at least looks like it! ) during the teaching process. These practices have not only given rise to pseudo- attention amongst the young learners but quite horribly it also distorts the academic foundation that is laid in the learners of such fragile age group. Any measures taken in the class rooms to enhance the attention span in the learners shall result in effortless paying of attention in the learners to ensure effective learning.
We at K.R. Mangalam group performed a case study on a group of young learners to assess the effect of ICT on their attention spans. In phase-1 of the study two learner samples of 30 members of age group 2.6 to 5 years were randomly selected. Their focused attention spans were studied regularly over a period of 15 days in their class rooms while in the middle of ongoing classes. Average attention spans of the various age groups of learners are shown in the following table:

Age group (years)	Avg. focused attention span (in seconds)
2.6 – 3.6	6
3.6 – 5	8

This part of the study was carried out while teaching sessions involved more conventional ways that mostly included use of normal rote learning methods, use of Montessori techniques, and use of interactive white board picture library.
After the study was performed, all the classrooms under consideration were furnished with ClassForward solutions, 20 hours of rigorous training on how to use the digital learning content and exploit the features of the ClassForward application (Learning content management system).
The second phase of the study was performed on the same samples but this time the classroom teaching was done through the use of digital pedagogical aids via ClassForward. The findings of ‘Phase 2’ are tabulated below:

Age group (years)	Avg. focused attention span (in seconds)
2.6 – 3.6	130
3.6 – 5	144

Visibly there was considerable increase in the focused attention span of the young learners because of the introduction of digital pedagogy aids in the classrooms.
The next challenge that we faced was to find out that whether this increase in the attention span was an increase in the learners overall Effective focused attention span or not. Effective focused attention span can be distinguished from ineffective attention span by mapping the outcomes of learning in the learners i.e. if the introduction of digital multimedia content in the classrooms enhanced the overall effective focused attention span then it would be reflected in the learners’ performance in the linked assessments/ activities that follow their learning sessions. This formed the ‘Phase 3’ of our study.
In the ‘Phase 3’ of our study the subjects of ‘Phase 1’ and ‘Phase 2’ were assessed by means of 3 integral individual assessment activities in the ClassForward lesson plans which provided ample scope for in-situ formative assessments in the learners. These assessment s were externally scored by the teachers and the results are shown as follow

Age group (Years)	Percentage score (merit)
2.6- 3.6	75 %
3.6-5.0	92 %

The results clearly depicted that there was a considerable understanding of the concept  (a concept introduced for the first time)  imbibed in the learners after the learning sessions by means digital learning pedagogy aids.