Attention and memory
teknikken bag supermentoring
Adults cannot keep their attention for more than 10-15 minutes at a time.
In a traditional class of 45 minutes, there are three attention phases:
- Prime-time 1 with a high level of attention (a little less than 40 % of the time)
- Down-time with a low level of attention/no attention (around 25 % of the time)
- Prime time 2 with a moderate level of attention (a little less than 40 % of the time).
What is taught during prime-time 1 is retained the best – the attention of the students is high and the things said here are often repeated during the rest of the class.
What is taught during the down-time is not retained or only feebly retained.
What is taught during prime-time 2 is retained to a certain extent – the attention has gone up but for obvious reasons, what is said will not be repeated much.
See this figure:
Thus, the lecturer should use attention-reinforcing breaks every 10 to 12 minutes. Moreover, s/he should repeat central points as much as possible and have the students work with the subject after class (for the sake of repetition of the items of the last part of the class).
The lecturer should keep the time and not go on for 2 x 45 minutes without a break. In this case, the down-time comprises a little less than 40 % of the total time. When something is especially difficult, the students would benefit from being taught in 20-minute blocks – then, the down-time is only 2 minutes or 10 %.
Of course, the performance of the lecturer also has an impact on the attention of the students – performance variety maintains and strengthens it.
See breaks, gestures, facial expressions, pose, motion, working memory, long-term memory