Suggestion 45. Schedule a break if your class exceeds one hour

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Give lectures that are easy to outline

• Have an interesting style of presentation

• Show interest and concern for students

Scheduling a break if your class exceeds one hour.

After an hour, it is difficult for students to concentrate and take notes steadily; their efficiency drops. Many teachers provide a break after 50 minutes or so to give students a chance to regain their concentration.

A physics teacher always takes a short break in his 1 1/2-hour class. "I have students stretch at their seat to wake them up and get their blood circulating." A faculty member in the biological sciences has students take a "t'ai chi" break, leading them through exercises.

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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