I find that asking questions often throughout the lecture is also a way to increase attention span
I,truly agree that you must keep your class engaged. I am more of a hands on. With the classes I teach visual aid is big. My students learn more by doing verses a lot of lecturing.
I can teach as they see the material and actually doing it.
My students are in the same class for 5 hours. I know i have to keep things moving and have found that giving them a 10 minute break every hour or so really helps them re focus on the material we are going over.
Donna,
Right you are and this is why instructors need to be creative in their instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think the more that you can engage the student and p-rompt your students helps with expanding that 18-20 minutes
Felix,
Learners need a change of pace and variety in instructional activities. By using different activities you are actually changing their attention span. So they are able to stay engaged for longer periods of time but still are working within their 18-20 time frame of focus.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
