attention span of adults
I must say that I was surprised somewhat to know that attention span of adult was 15min or more. I was thinking that it was much less.
thank you.
Hi Shanna,
Good instructional delivery strategies. This is how you keep the students engaged and focused on the content. Sounds like you have it all laid out for your students to maximize their learning opportunities.
Gary
My classes are usually 2 1/2 hours long. I keep my lectures to 20 minutes, then we do an activity, case study or class discussion. Then I allow them to take a 10 minute break to get up and walk around, get a snack, go to the bathroom. Then we repeat the process over again. This keeps the flow of the class going well and the students seem to pay attention more. Also if I notice them getting tired or yawning...I may shorten my lecture to 15 minutes then adjust accordingly.
Hi Jamila,
You make a good point about class length. I teach from 4 until 10 pm. This is a 6 hour span that requires a lot of planning and effort to keep students engaged throughout the class session. You make a key point about the 20 minute regrouping need. I keep the class moving and have a change of pace activity every 20 minutes or so. This way the students can "reset" their brains, make application of their new knowledge and then prepare themselves for the next class section. This makes the evening go quickly and the students stay focused.
Gary
I agree. Sure, children are known to have short attention spans, but I remember college quite differently. In college, classes were generally at least 45 minutes, but could last anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on the course. During that time, we were vigorously taking notes and hanging on to every word that left our professor's mouth. Granted, in other courses, I would take frequent bathroom breaks just to stay awake. My point is, class time is rarely less than an hour. Our students, will need to regroup every 20 minutes or so, but they should be prepared to learn for at least an hour at a time. The same goes for writing assignments. Students should be prepared to put in at least 8-10 hours on any writing assignment longer than 3 pages.
Just my opinion.
If an adult is wanting to return to school then the attention span has to be more than 15 minutes.
Hi Catrina,
By knowing this it will help you to offer "change of pace" and variety in your instructional delivery which will help to keep your students engaged and focused throughout the class sessions.
Gary
I had no idea what the attention span was of an adult, and I am very shocked to hear the answer. This will most deffinately help me as an instructor.
