Tom,
These diversions help students to reset their brains and get back on focus in terms of the topic being discussed. Nothing wrong with that as you have experienced because you have seen the results of your efforts and that is enhanced student learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to present my lectures more as a discussion and encourage student participation but even so I can usually see the need for a break every so often. What I usually do is to allow the discussion to wander off topic for a couple of minutes. These off-topic periods seem to recharge the students attention span.
Jennifer,
Breaks are an important part of the educational process as they give students an opportunity to reset their brains and get ready for the next session of class. We need to make sure we incorporate them into our instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
