Doodles and Clock Watching

I recently sat at the back of the room during a professional development training, trying my best to stay engaged. The presenter droned on, covering slide after slide filled with dense information. After an hour, I found myself doodling in my notebook and sneaking glances at the clock, wondering when it would end. I was restless, my mind wandering to everything but the content in front of me.

It was obvious that this must be how students feel when lessons are stretched too long. In fact, as I think about it, I specifically remember Jonathan, who often zoned out or fidgeted after the first 15 minutes of math, and Tara, who would start whispering to her neighbor halfway through just about any lesson. When you are in the place of the learner, you understand student restlessness on a whole new level.

We don’t make our lessons shorter to save time and get more lessons in, although that is a benefit. We shorten our lessons and focus on one or two concepts to increase engagement. When we break learning into smaller chunks that include interactive activities and quick discussions, students are more attentive and involved, and truly, they are much happier to participate.

If you are nearing the end of your school year, you will definitely notice student attention waning. That is a cue to focus on lesson length. If you are in the middle of your summer break and thinking of lessons for next year, be sure to pay attention to lesson length. And, when you are in the shoes of the learner, pay special attention to your engagement at different points of the training. It can be a genuine reminder of why brief lessons enhance retention and understanding of the material. Because if we feel restless at our age—there is no doubt that students feel restless at theirs.