Podcast Project
Hello teachers and professors,
My name is Chiara Miranda and I’m a second year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior student. In the future, I aspire to work in the health fields, so I decided to participate in a Health-Related Internship – HRI’s for short. HRI’s are a great opportunity to learn and explore the various health careers out there. To become an intern, I had to attend a super long orientation meeting, which consisted of a ton of information and filling out forms. But being held in the Sciences Lecture Hall for a couple hours? I don’t know about you, but it’s not the best thing to do on a Saturday morning. I already spend so much time in there for regular lectures, so the extra hours in there left me drained. A couple weeks ago, I had to shadow a peer advisor working at a HRI meeting. I decided to take note of how many students were actively paying attention and how many students weren’t throughout the meeting. This made me wonder: what do students do when they’re distracted during a lecture or information session, and do they get more distracted as time passes? By observing the students, I noticed that more and more of them started using their phones towards the end of the lecture portion of the meeting. Does this surprise you?
During the meeting, the main way students showed they were distracted was by using their phones. Although the speaker told students to not use their phones, many students did it anyway. Surprising right? I would say roughly 75% of students used their phones at some point during the meeting. By walking around the room, I also noticed some students going on social media on their laptops, doodling on their papers, whispering to their neighbors, and even sleeping. Do you notice this in your own classrooms? Students these days are very resourceful when they don’t want to pay attention. With this in mind, you can start to think of ways to keep students focused on learning.
As time progressed, more students pulled out their phones. In other words, the students’ attention span decreased the longer they were sitting there. As teachers, you can probably agree with this. I do not have an exact number, but during the first 15 minutes of the meeting, I could see about 10% of students on their phones for at least 30 seconds. This supports the common belief that the average attention span for students is between 10 to 15 minutes (Briggs). After the initial 15 minutes, I started seeing more phones pop up. By the 30-minute mark, about 40% of students were seen using their phones at some point. At around an hour, students seemed to be getting antsy, and I would say 75% of students probably have used their phones. However, these are all rough estimates. I was not able to count every single person, I just did a general scan of the students in the lecture hall. Since the average attention span is between 10 to 15 minutes, it can be very difficult to sit still for long periods of time. But how could you get around this? With so much material to teach, you can’t just make class shorter. A solution is to try to implement a form of participation every 5 minutes to combat the need for distractions.
If you see your students on their phones, you may begin to wonder: what are they even looking at? Researchers say that students “tend to check […] their smartphones, an average of 11.43 times during class for non-classroom activities” (Schaffhauser). This includes texting, checking emails, playing games, looking at social media, and checking the time. This data shows that students are quite attached to their phones, which, as you know, may be harmful to classroom learning. They check their phones so often to continue their digital habits to stay connected and to fight boredom (Schaffhauser). Unfortunately, lectures can become boring and students try to get around it by distracting themselves. I must admit, I do this sometimes, but I ‘ve been really trying not to. Think about your own class. Do you think your students use their phones because they’re bored? I invite you to find ways to make your lectures more engaging. Or if students are so attached to their phones, you can treat technology as a learning tool, not a hinderance.
After about an hour, the lecture part of the meeting was over and it was time to fill out forms. NOW all the students seemed to be paying attention! They knew that these forms were important, which is why they were all engaged. Filling out these forms was a way for students to actively participate. It required them to be moving, which made them more aware than when they just had to sit still. Students are reported to have fewer attention lapses during periods of active participation than during lecture segments (Briggs). Do you notice more students paying attention when they can participate in something? I mean, it makes sense. I know that I learn better when I am actively involved in something, rather than just sitting through lecture after lecture. My professors have used numerous websites and apps that provide live polling, which integrates technology into the classroom. Having students actively participate is a great way to keep them focused.
While observing the students in the HRI meeting, I found that the majority of them got distracted by using their smartphones at one point or another. Since technology is playing such a tremendous impact in our lives, it seems inevitable for us to be using our phones, whether it be to text people or simply just check the time. In the meeting, I noticed that fewer students got distracted within the initial 15 minutes than after 45 minutes have passed. In general, students’ attention declines as time progresses.
I truly thank you for taking the time to listen to my observations. I invite you to notice your own students’ attention spans. Are they able to pay attention the whole time? Or do they often zone out? If they have trouble staying engaged, try implementing activities where they can participate. Some teachers like to use clickers, while some ask questions, giving a chance for students to raise their hands to answer. Maybe you can try cold calling on students to make sure they are awake and ready to answer anything. Personally, I appreciate when professors make an effort to connect with their students. It makes me more excited and willing to learn. By keeping in mind the students’ attention spans, you can devise strategies that may just help you become a better teacher or professor.
Good luck in your classroom! And have a great day!
My name is Chiara Miranda and I’m a second year Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior student. In the future, I aspire to work in the health fields, so I decided to participate in a Health-Related Internship – HRI’s for short. HRI’s are a great opportunity to learn and explore the various health careers out there. To become an intern, I had to attend a super long orientation meeting, which consisted of a ton of information and filling out forms. But being held in the Sciences Lecture Hall for a couple hours? I don’t know about you, but it’s not the best thing to do on a Saturday morning. I already spend so much time in there for regular lectures, so the extra hours in there left me drained. A couple weeks ago, I had to shadow a peer advisor working at a HRI meeting. I decided to take note of how many students were actively paying attention and how many students weren’t throughout the meeting. This made me wonder: what do students do when they’re distracted during a lecture or information session, and do they get more distracted as time passes? By observing the students, I noticed that more and more of them started using their phones towards the end of the lecture portion of the meeting. Does this surprise you?
During the meeting, the main way students showed they were distracted was by using their phones. Although the speaker told students to not use their phones, many students did it anyway. Surprising right? I would say roughly 75% of students used their phones at some point during the meeting. By walking around the room, I also noticed some students going on social media on their laptops, doodling on their papers, whispering to their neighbors, and even sleeping. Do you notice this in your own classrooms? Students these days are very resourceful when they don’t want to pay attention. With this in mind, you can start to think of ways to keep students focused on learning.
As time progressed, more students pulled out their phones. In other words, the students’ attention span decreased the longer they were sitting there. As teachers, you can probably agree with this. I do not have an exact number, but during the first 15 minutes of the meeting, I could see about 10% of students on their phones for at least 30 seconds. This supports the common belief that the average attention span for students is between 10 to 15 minutes (Briggs). After the initial 15 minutes, I started seeing more phones pop up. By the 30-minute mark, about 40% of students were seen using their phones at some point. At around an hour, students seemed to be getting antsy, and I would say 75% of students probably have used their phones. However, these are all rough estimates. I was not able to count every single person, I just did a general scan of the students in the lecture hall. Since the average attention span is between 10 to 15 minutes, it can be very difficult to sit still for long periods of time. But how could you get around this? With so much material to teach, you can’t just make class shorter. A solution is to try to implement a form of participation every 5 minutes to combat the need for distractions.
If you see your students on their phones, you may begin to wonder: what are they even looking at? Researchers say that students “tend to check […] their smartphones, an average of 11.43 times during class for non-classroom activities” (Schaffhauser). This includes texting, checking emails, playing games, looking at social media, and checking the time. This data shows that students are quite attached to their phones, which, as you know, may be harmful to classroom learning. They check their phones so often to continue their digital habits to stay connected and to fight boredom (Schaffhauser). Unfortunately, lectures can become boring and students try to get around it by distracting themselves. I must admit, I do this sometimes, but I ‘ve been really trying not to. Think about your own class. Do you think your students use their phones because they’re bored? I invite you to find ways to make your lectures more engaging. Or if students are so attached to their phones, you can treat technology as a learning tool, not a hinderance.
After about an hour, the lecture part of the meeting was over and it was time to fill out forms. NOW all the students seemed to be paying attention! They knew that these forms were important, which is why they were all engaged. Filling out these forms was a way for students to actively participate. It required them to be moving, which made them more aware than when they just had to sit still. Students are reported to have fewer attention lapses during periods of active participation than during lecture segments (Briggs). Do you notice more students paying attention when they can participate in something? I mean, it makes sense. I know that I learn better when I am actively involved in something, rather than just sitting through lecture after lecture. My professors have used numerous websites and apps that provide live polling, which integrates technology into the classroom. Having students actively participate is a great way to keep them focused.
While observing the students in the HRI meeting, I found that the majority of them got distracted by using their smartphones at one point or another. Since technology is playing such a tremendous impact in our lives, it seems inevitable for us to be using our phones, whether it be to text people or simply just check the time. In the meeting, I noticed that fewer students got distracted within the initial 15 minutes than after 45 minutes have passed. In general, students’ attention declines as time progresses.
I truly thank you for taking the time to listen to my observations. I invite you to notice your own students’ attention spans. Are they able to pay attention the whole time? Or do they often zone out? If they have trouble staying engaged, try implementing activities where they can participate. Some teachers like to use clickers, while some ask questions, giving a chance for students to raise their hands to answer. Maybe you can try cold calling on students to make sure they are awake and ready to answer anything. Personally, I appreciate when professors make an effort to connect with their students. It makes me more excited and willing to learn. By keeping in mind the students’ attention spans, you can devise strategies that may just help you become a better teacher or professor.
Good luck in your classroom! And have a great day!
Works Cited
Briggs, Saga. “The Science of Attention: How To Capture And Hold The Attention of Easily Distracted
Students.” InformED, 28 June 2014, www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/30-tricks-
for-capturing-students-attention/.
Schaffhauser, Dian. “Research: College Students More Distracted Than Ever.” Campus Technology, 20
Jan. 2016, campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/20/research-college-students-more-distracted-than-ever.aspx.