Length of lecutures
If the attention span of an adult is approximately 15-18 minutes, then how long should I lecture for before giving my students a break?
I generally try and give them a 10 minute break after about 50 minutes of lecture. I think by the time the 50 minutes is up, the students are more than ready for a break, some of them have probably stopped paying attention at that point.
I'm not sure what I should do, maybe my lectures are boring??? I am a brand new instructor and have no prior experience instructing, so I ma still trying to learn how to be an instructor. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you
Andrea,
You don't need to give students a break as in stopping the class and having them move around, get snacks, etc. After approximately 20 minutes students do need a break so they can reset their brains. These breaks can be a pause and then the asking of a question. Do a case study over the material that has just been covered. Maybe a role playing situation could be done. Even having them move into small groups to discuss some questions. The idea is to give them the opportunity to reset their brains and apply what has been covered. These breaks can be for only a minute or two and done so they do not disrupt the flow of the class. The bio-breaks can be done at times that lend themselves to the flow of the class like after a 90 minutes session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Giving students a break every 20 mins while teaching nursing would be impossible - we would never get through the content required - our lecture days are currently set up for "all day" this could be up to 7 hours & some days you need almost all that time to get the information across - we do break every couple of hours especially when their eyes start to glaze over - but more frequently you would never have enough time in the day to complete course content
Scott,
Yes it is empowering because this is why we teach. To see the heads nodding and realizing that they are getting it is such a great feeling. We are impacting the next generation of individuals entering our field and that is awesome.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I try that too. Asking a question every few minutes to break up the class. Usually there comes a point when the content takes a turn, or becomes more or less related to the initial point, that is when a question can kind of reset the thinking of the student. Sometimes, if you do it right, you can see heads nod in accent as they "get it". That is empowering.
I try interact with my students as I lecture. At certain points I try to ask them questions to break up the lecture a bit and get them involved in the lecture itself
Anne,
Anything to get the blood flowing and the brain reset. Doesn't take a lot of time but it sure yields great results.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Even something as simple as standing up and stretching or taking a deep breath is mentally refreshing for me and only takes 1-2 min to refresh and refocus.
David,
That is what is really meant here. You go with content delivery for 15-20 minutes and then do another activity such as have a Q&A session so the students can reflect on what has been said and reset their brains. Then you can go back into the material. Students like change of pace and variety in instructional delivery both of which helps them to stay focused. Your model is working well so stay with it and enjoy the success of your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I do not believe I can only lecture for 15- 18 minutes, given that more often times than not, there is around 50- 60 minutes of material. However, that interval gives me pause to see if I can break up that longer period w/ anecdotes or a different style that could work within the shorter time frames.
Ammon,
Yes it is tough to pull off when you have so much material to cover. The key is to offer variety in delivery or processing about every 20 minutes or so. They can mean a pause for a discussion, small group, Q&A, anything that will let the students engage in a change of pace and reset their brains a little bit. Once that is done they will be able to once again focus on the next topic under discussion.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I'm with you on this one. Our class is almost 2 hours. If w3e break every 20 minutes, will we cover the content? I try and vary the method of delivery every 15 or 20 minutes, i.e. lecture, then interactive on a board or overhead, then discussion....but on some topics/classes that's tough to pull off.
