What did I just say? Are they really payig attention?

Early on in my career, I thought it was important to get my thoughts across to my students, whether they were academic or behavioral issues. I was correct in my attempts to convey the message, but I learned very quickly that it was the amount of time I spent conveying these messages became problematic. The problem was that the students only remembered part of what I said because of the variation of the attention spans. Here is what research says about attention span:

The average attention span increases with age:

• Elementary students: 5 to 15 minutes
• Middle school students: 10 to 20 minutes
• High school students: 20 to 30 minutes

Younger students generally have shorter attention spans and interest in the topic can extend focus. This research should be considered when elaborating on different issues with our students.