Adult learners can keep tuned in to a lecture for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and this at the beginning of the class. In 1976, A. H. Johnstone and F. Percival observed students in over 90 lectures, with twelve different lecturers, recording breaks in student attention. They identified a general pattern: After three to five minutes of “settling down” at the start of class, one study found that “the next lapse of attention usually occurred some 10 to 18 minutes later, and as the lecture proceeded the attention span became shorter and often fell to three or four minutes towards the end of a standard lecture.” (The “Change-up” in Lectures, Joan Middendorf& Alan Kalish, pp. 49–50).

            When you plan your classes, you will want to decide how often to add a change–up and what activity to use. Use the 20 minute attention span as a rule of thumb: in a 50 minute class, use one change up in the middle; in a 75 minute class, use two change–ups, at roughly 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through the class period. But don’t follow this slavishly; anything that becomes predictable will have less impact. Variety is a powerful force. Having a handful of activities you can use comfortably will keep the students guessing, wondering what you will do next. Be sure to earmark at least one third of the time you allow for the activity for debriefing afterwards; this is when most of the substantive lessons of the activity will be confirmed. Without a wrap–up, students see these activities as amorphous and sometimes confusing; a concluding debriefing helps them understand what was important and what was not.  (The “Change-up” in Lectures, JoanMiddendorf& Alan Kalish).

REFERENCE:

The “Change-up” in Lectures, JoanMiddendorf& Alan Kalish.

By: EMMANDA C. CRUZ | Teacher II | Carbon Elementary School | Limay District | Limay, Bataan