Difference between revisions of "Incorporate 'breaks' into your lectures"

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During lecture, it is hard to maintain a student's attention.  In fact, it's been shown that a student's attention to lecture is substantially lost after about 10 minutes.  A way to overcome this hurdle is to 'take a break' or [[wait time]] about every 10 minutes of lecture.  This 'break' refers to doing something that re-engages the student and gets him/her ready for another 10 minutes of lecture. In an economics classroom, one can incorporate 'breaks' in several ways.  'Breaks' will not only ensure the student pays attention for the entire lecture and therefore gets the most out of it, but also allow the instructor to troubleshoot any content areas.   
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During lecture, it is hard to maintain a student's attention.  In fact, it's been shown that a student's attention to lecture is substantially lost after about 10 minutes.  To overcome this hurdle, take a break after every 10 minutes of lecture.  This 'break' refers to offering an activity that re-engages students and gets them ready for another 10 minutes of lecture. In addition to helping students pay attention in class, breaks provide opportunities for instructors to identify and address gaps in understanding.   
  
  
Ideas for incorporating 'breaks' into lecture:
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Here are some simple ways to incorporate breaks into your classes.
  
*Ask students to jot down a rough outline of lecture every 10 minutes.  This will not only force students to pay attention and ensure you their full attention for the following 10 minutes, but also allow you to gage where they are having trouble.   
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*Ask students to jot down a rough outline of lecture every 10 minutes.   
  
*Every 10 minutes of lecture, have a 5-minute question session where students ask questions, but where you ask students questions too.  This will keep their attention during lecture.   
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*Conduct a 5-minute question session after every 10 minutes of lecture, in which students ask questions of the instructor and vice versa.   
  
 
*Have students discuss lecture with their neighbors for a 3-5 minute period every 10 minutes of lecture.  
 
*Have students discuss lecture with their neighbors for a 3-5 minute period every 10 minutes of lecture.  
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*Use [[Think-pair-share]] and [[Peer Instruction]].
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
Click [http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/issue_34/index.html here] for other teaching/studying tips for the economics classroom.
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William A. McEachern presents these tips and more in his [http://www.cengage.com/economics/mceachern/theteachingeconomist/issue_34/index.html newsletter] distributed by CENGAGE learning.
  
 
Source:
 
Source:
 
Bligh, Donald A. What's the Use of Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Print.
 
Bligh, Donald A. What's the Use of Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Print.

Latest revision as of 15:23, 10 December 2019

During lecture, it is hard to maintain a student's attention. In fact, it's been shown that a student's attention to lecture is substantially lost after about 10 minutes. To overcome this hurdle, take a break after every 10 minutes of lecture. This 'break' refers to offering an activity that re-engages students and gets them ready for another 10 minutes of lecture. In addition to helping students pay attention in class, breaks provide opportunities for instructors to identify and address gaps in understanding.


Here are some simple ways to incorporate breaks into your classes.

  • Ask students to jot down a rough outline of lecture every 10 minutes.
  • Conduct a 5-minute question session after every 10 minutes of lecture, in which students ask questions of the instructor and vice versa.
  • Have students discuss lecture with their neighbors for a 3-5 minute period every 10 minutes of lecture.


William A. McEachern presents these tips and more in his newsletter distributed by CENGAGE learning.

Source: Bligh, Donald A. What's the Use of Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Print.