by Jacob Hoekstra, Feb 3, 2025
See full article here at Faculty Focus or excerpts below.
Despite debate and disagreement about how to define and measure attention spans, numerous studies have put student attention spans in approximately the 10-minute range (Bradbury, 2016). Attention is a so-called “gateway between information and learning” and is compared to “a spotlight on a large stage” (Keller et al., 2020). Students cannot make connections and learn a topic if their “spotlight” isn’t turned on or focused in the right area. So then, why do so many educators lecture and click through PowerPoints for 30-,40-, or even 60-minutes at a time with no breaks or learning activities?
… For instance, research shows that adding visuals to our PowerPoint presentations can help students process the information we are teaching (Mayer, 2002), but more importantly, we must focus on keeping the students attentive in the first place. How can we continue capturing student attention throughout our lessons that use PowerPoint? Keeping students focused can be a challenge, but here are three simple and practical tips to help keep their attention on the lesson and prevent their minds from wandering off, all without giving up PowerPoint. These strategies can make classroom time more engaging and meaningful for students and teachers alike.
1. Small-group discussion
Discussion is a powerful tool that helps students “learn deeply and extend their learning to new circumstances” (Kramer, 2019). During long PowerPoint lectures, take a brief break occasionally for students to discuss their thoughts on a question and to bounce ideas off one another. Putting discussion questions or prompts on the PowerPoint slide can also help foster meaningful discussions. Students who may feel unsure can listen to different perspectives and engage in peer discussions by asking questions.
2. Polling tools
… I distinctly remember the first professor who incorporated polling in the classroom during my undergraduate years, and I thought at the time, “Great, now we need to pay attention to the slides.” … Teachers also highlighted the benefits of using polling, noting how valuable it was to see student responses in real time to assess understanding and adjust their teaching as needed. Incorporating a simple polling tool can significantly enhance student learning in the classroom.
3. Cold-calling
… This tool is best utilized for generating “thinking questions” rather than testing for right or wrong answers, helping to minimize student anxiety. … One study also found that cold-calling is also associated with higher learning and retrieval (Sumeracki, 2024). Another easy way to use cold-calling is by drawing students’ names from a jar or selecting names in no particular order from the class roster. This tool should not be used to embarrass students for their lack of attention or understanding but to spur their thought process and to bring up questions they may have.
… Use these strategies to implement “chunking” in the classroom to break up the lecture. The rationale of “chunking” is that “dividing your course content into manageable chunks helps students learn more effectively” (Ambrose et al., 2013; Felder & Brent, 2016). … Since student focus has been proven to wane around the 10-minute mark or earlier, I would aim to integrate one of these techniques in that timeframe. I recommend creating a timeline of your PowerPoint lecture before class and integrating scheduled polling, name wheel use, and small group discussions the best you can.