Delivery Methods
Entering the instructional arena for the first time will involve a lot of trial and error. After only two days of classroom instruction I can see the attention span of many of the adults is approximately 15-18 minues. Application on the visualization and tactile style of learning will be essential with students entering the medical profession.
I often will ask them lead in questions to keep their interest. somtimes I will act as if I don't understand the answer and have them explain it to me in simple terms.
I have found that periodically asking questions of students during a lecture and asking them to work through some minor problem solving scenarios will also give you some feedback or reinforcement as to whether or not the students are actually understanding the information that you are presenting to them. If you don't have some way of verifying that the students are understanding you, a lot of them will just nod their head saying that they understand when they really don't.
Hi Lisa,
I commend you for your keen observation skills in terms of recognizing the attention spans of your students. Many instructors go for years without really "reading" their students and/or making any adjustments in their delivery. You are going to make a great instructor. Keep up your willingness to recognize situations and then make changes accordingly.
Gary
Yes I agree that focusing on their attention span is important. In my beauty makeup class I've found that even with the simplest tasks, if I don't keep the content short and to the point, I loose their attention.
