aandachtgericht

Aandachtgericht is a Dutch term used to describe approaches and practices that are oriented toward directing or managing attention within learning, work, or therapeutic settings. The word combines aandacht (attention) and gericht (directed or aimed), highlighting a focus on guiding what participants notice and process.

Usage and definition: In educational discourse, aandachtsgericht approaches emphasize structuring tasks, cues, and feedback to steer students’ attention to essential ideas and processes, with the aim of improving understanding and reducing cognitive overload. In clinical or psychological contexts, the term may be used to refer to interventions that train or support attention control, such as focusing strategies or attentional regulation techniques.

Scope and variability: Aandachtgericht is not a standardized term in major dictionaries or international taxonomies. It appears mainly in Dutch-language sources and its exact definition can vary between authors and fields. Some writers treat it as a design principle (attention-directed learning or instruction), others as a therapeutic modality (attention-focused strategies).

Relation to related concepts: The concept is related to broader ideas such as cognitive load management, guided discovery, cues and prompts, and mindfulness-based attention training.

See also: cognitive load, attention, mindfulness, pedagogy, cognitive psychology.