I love that noticing is such a mundane and everyday act that we are unintentionally trained to do since being born through cognitive development, but it is also such a complex act that maybe we actually have no idea how to really do.  Noticing seems like such a basic idea but with the hectic pace of our lives we often forget to actually notice the world go by.  For example, I could not count the amount of times that I have checked my phones clock then put my phone away only to get it out 2 minutes later and realise I never actually noticed the time.  Or maybe I walked to the kitchen and started searching through the fridge and then realised I actually intended to go to the toilet.  We are so consumed in our daily activities that we forget to pay attention to the smaller details and really notice.

Intentional noticing is something we need to train ourselves to do.  We need to be aware of all the interesting and moving experiences that we are having everyday.  These experiences we are forgetting to notice are making up our lives.  Our lives are becoming a blur of forgotten moments.  I don’t want to look back on my daily life and not reflect on the things that have happened: good or bad.  By noticing these moments, we are learning and growing as people.  Being actively involved in the world is something that quite often, media can take away from us.  We are engaging with our technology and media so deeply that we aren’t noticing what is going on around us.  Sure, we notice what is happening online and potentially what is happening in the Middle-East for example, but we need to involve ourselves in our own lives and reflect on what we see.

We do however spend time noticing unconsciously.  I had a dream last night about my aunty and uncle adopting a child.  Firstly, my Mum had sent me snapchats of my aunty and uncle visiting my parents so they were in my head and secondly I was watching a television show where the conflict involved the adoption of a child.  Media has been etched into my brain.  By unconsciously noticing both these ideas, my subconscious thought it would be fun to mash it into a vivid dream for me.  So, we can notice things but it’s about taking the time to reflect and debate what you have noticed.  It also seems to me that I notice more if I’m receiving it through media forms e.g. through my Mum’s snapchats or the television show.  So there lies the challenge– to notice the real world.

2. Extracts from John Mason, 2002, Extract from Researching your own practice: The discipline of noticing (Routledge)