Lecture
How long should a lecture be?
Hi Tonia,
Plan to present a segment that will last approximately 20 minutes and then pause to ask questions of your students over the just covered material. This make take 5 minutes to do. This is a mental break for the students because they are processing information rather than taking it in through the lecture format. You then can go back to the lecture for the approximate 20 minute time frame, then do a small group activity like a case study. By this time you will have used about an hour and you can give them a stand up move around break.
To remind yourself time your presentation segments so they are around the 20 minute time and you start to get the feel for when you should introduce a change of pace activity.
Gary
I understand to 20 minute rule, but continually find myself "powering" through a lecture in an hour and missing this vital break all together. Any good tips to help remind myself when this break time comes? v-.
Hi Janice,
The average attention span of adults is around 15-20 minutes so your lecture should be planned around this time span. Lecture for 15-20 minutes then do a worksheet, have a discussion, break into small groups, etc. Do an activity and then you can come back with another lecture of 15-20 minutes in length.
Gary
