The Rule of Twenty
Adult learners have an attention span, like everyone else and needs variation to stay engaged in the learning environment. To that end, I recommend The Rule of Twenty:
"Ensure there is a change in classroom activity every twenty minutes."
Whether it be lecture, lab, a video, whatever, the instructor should constantly plan to do something different every twenty minutes. To me, this reduces monotony and keeps things fresh and interesting.
This also ensures an adequate amount of preparedness for the class because the instructor is only managing 20-minute blocks, which are a lot easier to predict than a 2-3 hour class session.
-R
Rick,
I think passion and enthusiasm can potentially create a natural barrier to that dronzone. It seems that a lively, energetic instructor can always rein in students , capture attention, and make clases interesting and enjoyable.
Barry Westling
The thing to keep in mind here is to make sure to keep things moving - don't settle on any one thing otherwise, the dronezone will hit before you know it.
Stephanie,
Using time "markers" to stay on track may even be a helpful, if not a necessary guideline for ceratin instructors who tend to drift on, losing valuable time and then running short at the end of class. I also think a written agenda of the days activities prominently displayed helps students anticipate what is to come, or what is yet to come as the class moves forward. This of course doesn't mean that unplanned or extra activities can't be introduced, but I believe students do better when they know what to expect.
Barry Westling
I like this "Rule of Twenty" and I completely agree that an activity doesn't need to be changed exactly at the 20 minute mark. If the instructor has planned for 20 minute blocks, the next activitiy can be introduced (moved to) when the class completes the prior activity or when the class seems to be losing interest. When teaching night classes, many of the students have already completed a full day of work, or a full day with their family, so their attention span may not be very long. Changing gears every 20 minutes not only keeps the students interested but it keeps the instructor on task as well.
Rick,
Yeah, this practice and principle has bee around a while. The time has varied from 15-20 minutes to 30 minutes to 45 minutes. When people are really engaged, time will fly by and they will object to a "mandatory" break. But in general, being sensitive to students level of attention and focus should probably dictate the ideal time in a given situation.
Barry Westling
Rick,
Absolutely! I think the more frequent and varied the activities, the more memorable and meaningful the day's instruction will be.
Barry Westling
Misty,
Taking a physical break can contribute to a just as important mental break. Change ups (a new or different or recurring activity) help make for the mental resetting that can make long stretches of instruction more memorable and meaningful.
Barry Westling
Barbara,
If we keep the student perspective in mind, just about 20 minutes and then student's minds begin to wander. Sometimes we may just have to bear through it, but when possible, breaking up the day (i.e., chuncking)with a variety of instructional delivery methods helps keep students interest, attention , and hopefully, their knowledge level.
Barry Westling
Well, it has a name because I've given it one in my practice. As mentioned earlier, it's not a hard-fast rule where you're locked in at '20', but rather, it's about variety, keeping things fluid, and avoiding the "drone-zone" that seems to be counter productive with respect to classroom instruction.
-R
So it sounds like you are, on some level, adopting the Rule of Twenty already, knowing that some adult learners need a change up. The thing I try to avoid is those marathon sessions of the SAME activity. My experience has been that students do better with learning material if there are varieties of delivery and activity.
-R
Excellent advice! I try and give the students a break every 50-60 minutes. Maybe I need to consider 20 minutes. I do make a point to tell every student they must get up from their desk and walk out of the classroom.
I have printed out VL's speech--very inspiring!
Although the "Rule of 20" is a new concept to me, as I thought about it, I realized I do lecture for about 20 minutes, and then switch to a discussion or case study. Now I know it has a name!
Rick,
Yes. And where we can, the old "what's in it for me" reinforcement can help keep that target focus in mind.
Barry Westling
Hi Barry:
I totally agree with that position (and yes, this thread has gone off tangent). When students want it bad enough, they will give themselves to it.
Turning back toward the topic at hand, two-hour stretches of anything are rough at night, particularly after a full day's work and what not. The concern that I'm hearing is that "if we don't get the content out while the students are still awake, they will miss it". And while keeping the variety going and the class interesting, particularly when students are in the drone-zone is important, there is also the need to encourage students and remind them that while night school is tough, it is what they signed up to do and the right path to improving their lives.
The key is to not give in when things get tough.
-R
Rick,
This post is about the rule of twenty's. Here is one about the rule of 90's: "90% of students should achieve 90% grades, 90% of of the time". Although it's a platitude that may or may not be accurate, I have held for many years that if a student wants something they find valuable, they will do what is necessary to achieve that. I've seen it in my students, and I can say it's been true for myself.
Barry Westling
Dianna ,
Enthusiasm never goes out of style. So if they see you are upbeat, that may create a livelier setting. One thing I do that nearly always gets students refocused and attentive is stop and begin talking about an interesting, unusual, amazing, or unforgettable situation from the annals of my job history to foster engagement. When it's something about work, students will perk up, and they seem to always like stories. Related to that is asking students to share their same versions of what I was describing. Soon, everyone is listening and participating.
Barry Westling
Hi Dianna:
As I write this reply, I am sitting in the judo dojo at USA Judo, watching my kids train in the same gym where members of the US Olympic team train, with people who aspire to be on Team USA someday. As I watch them, thoughts come to my mind about motivation.
We have the same issues with out night crews and there are basically two approaches here. One, they made a decision to attend college because they want something different - they want change. Change, though, often requires sacrifice. As an instructor, you have to encourage them that the sacrifices they make today will pay off the dividends later. Two, school is often a proving ground - students that can hang will work through it - others will give up. If it was easy, everyone would do it. As their instructor, you have to work and grade with impartiality. When you do that, they will make their own choices about motivation.
I would recommend you get a copy of Vince Lombardi's "What It Takes to Be Number One" speech and hang it prominently in your classroom, someplace where they can see it regularly.
The students that truly desire something better will not require you to motivate them. What you need to do is remind them from time to time why they are there. The rest should handle itself.
And by the way, variety works best when your crew is in the drone-zone. At least try it. If it doesn't work, you can always revert back.
-R
In our classes, the students are allotted two hours for practical (lab) time than two hours of theory lecture.
If you are only teaching one subject, and you must get the information across, (and students are tired because its 9:00pm, they’ve been working since 6 am), and, I do not have the confidence in them to break up into small groups and them not accomplishing anything or to change at the 20 minute mark into another activity.
It seems that they are too drained to use their brains when I try a critical thinking mini task or other activities. The course materials are enlightening, but some of the students just can’t get past the “I’m just too tired to careâ€.
Any suggestions?
Rick,
Interesting fact about the age+3 idea. Whatever the segmented time period is, a good way to break up the segments is to frequently ask specific students questions, then ask a specific classmate to comment on the previous students answer to the instructors question. This helps keep class lively, and students tend to be attentive as they soon learn they may be called on. And in the end, we find how well the class overall is grasping the material before we go too far into a new segment.
Barry Westling
