Hi Sunshine,
Variety and change of pace are keys to keeping student interest. Sounds like you have a very good feel for keeping the pace of the class moving and keeping the focus of students.
Gary
I tend to break my three hour classes into sections. I will begin a topic/assignment then allow students to work on that assignment while I assist them one-one-one, as needed. Then we will break for a few minutes and I will begin a different class discussion or use this second portion of class as time to complete assignments that have to be done in the computer lab.
This allows the students to maintain focus, continue in the learning process, and let new information absorb. I truly believe that most learning actually does take place outside of the classroom when the students are going over the information in their mind and applying it to their lives.
Hi Christine,
You hit upon a key point, that being individual needs. Instructors need to be aware of how the needs of their students can be met and then adjust their strategies to fit. Though they must not forget the focus of their content and the needed skills to be developed. Sounds like you are on the right track with your method. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I agree. We spend alot of lab time in our program and by the time I help everyone the whole afternoon is gone. I find some of my students need the break and the others want the additional time in clinic.
Hi Shiv,
Yes, the mind can stay focused over a longer period of time, but only if there is offered variety or relief in the focus. You give some excellent examples of how you are offering your students mental breaks in their learning process. Something as simple as a 5 second pause allows the brain to slip into neutral and then engage in the learning process once again. Another strategy is to have the students look up from their notes or reading. The movement of the eyes resets the brain for another learning session.
Refocus leads to retention.
Gary
This is my personal opinion - the human mind can be trained to focus for more than 10-20 minutes. The more we exercise that brain muscle the more the students can stay focused. I usually give them an example of how we train our soldiers - with discipline and rigorous practice day in and day out.
There are ofcourse many way to keep a student focused. I use a constant two way communication by asking a series of questions, something like a pop quiz or have two groups of students ask each other questions or have the students frame a question pertaining to that concept or subject matter. I also include some of these questions in the tests/exams and also some based on information mentioned in the classroom which is not in their text matter, homework or handouts. Very soon the students recognize that they have to stay alert for longer durations.
Hi Olga,
Mini lectures are a good way of keeping the attention of students. As the average attention span of adults is 8 to 10 minutes instructors have to keep variety in their presentations both in terms of time and delivery.
You are also giving your students theory (content) and the application which is the focus of career training.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
I think a great way to keep them focused is to use the mini lectures, I use them all the time adn then let them work on their lessons and it works.
