Attention Span
After doing this module I was surprised at what the actual adults attention span was!!!!!
I completely agree and if you know that day that you will be teaching something that maybe wont be "to interesting" for them. Find a way of teaching that will make them excited about being there and make them want to listen to what you have to say.
Hi Jim,
This is a challenge for all of us teachers. But it is one that we should look forward to because we get to use our problem solving skills to try and find ways of getting every student to succeed. We need to be on the lookout out for small ways of supporting each student as they work through their labs so they will continue to acquire the needed skills.
Gary
In my job, I work in a hands on lab with groups of 4 or 5 students. The problem is keeping the weeker students interested when the more motavated students take the lead.
Now that I understand how really short the adult attention span is I am going to break my lectures up into short segments with some interactive discussion mixed in. Teaching in a technical field there is a great deal of information to deliver to the students.
One of the issues that you can run into is when part of your class has an even shorter time and the other part has a longer time frame. If you shorten it up, you dont please the other. If you lenghten the time you will losse the other.
i have found the attention time frame depends alot on the maiteral being disscussed and the energy that i use to deliver it with
I actually thought attention span was shorter than stated. However I can see where this may vary considerably based on course content and design,along with the students value peception of information offered in a particular class.
It seems it is the subject but I have learned to combine real life experience with the subject matter and they listen, learn and understand with a little bit of repeating.
The attentition span of the students even shorter, so you really have to make the class move.
