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Break Up Lecture Time to Sustain Engagement

Tags

All Ages Strategy

Skills

Self-regulation Listening Comprehension Working Memory Attention Processing Speed

Break Up Lecture Time to Sustain Engagement

If your students have difficulty staying focused during a lecture-style class

How To Apply It!

  1. Lectures are still important for learning core foundational knowledge, even in the project-based classroom, but the amount of lecture time should take into consideration how students learn best.
  2. Research shows that even high school and college students have difficulty paying attention after sitting still for more than 20 minutes. Structuring sessions with lecture time in 20 minute chunks, with an activity or break in between, can optimize focus and engagement for all students.
  3. Activities can be planned to engage students with content from the lecture to ensure that they understood and can apply it. Think-pair-share, small group discussion, or whole class quizzes with sites like Kahoot are all good options.
  4. On days when there is not enough time for a quick activity, break up the session with quick stand-up and stretch breaks.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Using lecture in combination with more active participation and engagement is critical for both sustaining attention and ensuring conceptual understanding. Research shows that movement enhances our ability to think and leads to improved behavior regulation, attention, learning, and retention.