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The problem
It has been said that “even with a particularly entertaining professor, most students only pay attention for about 15 minutes at a time.”1 This provoked me to think of ways in which the statistic could be defied. However, I realised that it was important for me, as a teacher, to understand why most students have merely a 15-minute attention span. In this regard, it is useful to first consider the nature of learning.2
The nature of learning
Three categories of learning theory which have been identified3 are behaviourism, cognitivism and the social construction of knowledge. Each of these is briefly considered below:
- Behaviourism is based on the idea that certain behavioural responses become associated in a mechanistic and invariant way with specific stimuli.
- Cognitivism is based on the premise that to better understand learning, in addition to observable behaviour (behaviourism), it is necessary to consider a learner’s mental ability to reorganise his psychological field (e.g. his world of concepts, memories) in response to experience.4
- Social construction of knowledge recognises the importance of assisting students to develop a critical awareness of the values and ideologies that shape the form of received knowledge. It sees learning as essentially a social process, requiring communication among learner, teacher and others. This involves engaging in personal reflection, seeking new information and testing ideas through social contact with others.5
Bearing the above in mind, I tried to devise ways in which the painful statistic could at least be challenged, if not defied. The cumulative effect of the following steps I took were indeed helpful to keep students engaged in lectures––beyond 15 minutes:
- Ask questions or give pop quizzes. But do keep these questions simple and focused.
- Allocate a few minutes for students to verbally share their answers to questions or situations you pose; highlight to them a related event that is currently receiving media attention.
- Ask students to consider briefly the advantages and disadvantages or strengths and weaknesses of a procedure or theory.6 This naturally induces a certain level of engagement and builds on the strengths of the social construction of knowledge theory.
You may have to vary or combine the above depending on the nature, objectives and demands of your subject (including the level of the Module) as well as the profile of your students (e.g. age, academic backgrounds, abilities). Class size and class duration are also critical factors. Thus a one-hour class comprising more than 200 students may be less amenable to a wide variety of methods than a two-hour class comprising 50 students. Otherwise such methods might lead to confusion that may even interfere with learning.
But how will you know?
The best method for ascertaining the effectiveness of the steps you have taken to optimise your lecture is to obtain feedback from students. This may be formal or informal but it is best done during (not after) the Module. Perhaps you can also request a peer review. These will assist you to fine-tune your approaches and use your better judgment as to what techniques are more effective to defy the time limit the statistic says you have.
Endnotes
1 Wankat, P. & Oreovicz, F. (2003). ‘Teaching: Breaking the 15-minute Barrier’. ASEE Prism, 12(8). Last accessed: July 19, 2004.
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2 Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education. Jossey-Bass: John Wiley.
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3 Ibid.
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4 Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education. Jossey-Bass: John Wiley quoting Bates, A.W. et al., ibid., quoting Fontana, D. (1981). Psychology for Teachers. London: Macmillan/British Psychological Society.
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5 Ibid.
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6 Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. & Marshall, S. (2003). A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 2nd Edition. Kogan Page.
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