How to get students to pay attention in class

How can I keep students from getting bored and not paying attention during my lecture?

Students can become bored for many reasons.

* The instructor has not established good rapport with the class.

* The instructor fails to use relevant examples.

* Students may have no interest in the subject matter.

* The instructor has weak and ineffective presentation skills.

* The instructor reads from a scripted lecture with little or no contact with the audience.

1. The instructor has not established good rapport with the class.

The first day of class is an important time to begin building a relationship with your students. Tell them a little about yourself and about your research interests in this field--where your passion lies. Tell them why you think this course is important and how it will add value to their lives.

* Learn as many names as possible and use students' names in class whenever you can. For example, ask a student's name when you call on him/her. Refer back to students' comments when appropriate, ("That's in line with what Margaret said earlier, Jeff.")

* Be clear and fair about your expectations for students. Set high standards and provide the support and resources students need to reach those standards.

* Be friendly. Try to arrive early and stay a few minutes after class so that students can ask questions. Be in your office ready for students during your designated office hours.

* Provide a website for the course with useful resources--handouts, study guides, sample test questions, virtual office hours, a course FAQ etc.

* Demonstrate in as many ways as you can that you care about your students' success in your course.

2. The instructor fails to use relevant examples.

As often as possible center important ideas and concepts on something to which your students can relate. If you are explaining something about business practices, pick a local campus business as an example. Check area newspapers for events, editorials and other news stories that might tie in with the material you are exploring.

Use metaphors and analogies which tie difficult concepts to something that students more readily understand.

3. Students may have no interest in the subject matter.

At the outset, convince students that there is a good reason they should be studying and learning about this subject matter. Tell them how knowing this will make a difference in their lives. Be sure to be clear (in your syllabus and on your first day with students) about what students will know and be able to do as a result of this course and why that matters.

Use examples and illustrations which are relevant to your students' lives whenever possible.

Do not overload your students with content. Give them an opportunity to reflect, to apply what they have learned to other situations, to solve a problem and think critically about the material in the course.

4. The instructor has weak and ineffective presentation skills.

Consider being videotaped with a follow-up viewing and consultation with a member of the Teaching Effectiveness Program to assess the strengths and areas of improvement of your presentation style.

Pay attention to your pacing, the use and quality of your voice and gestures, your movement in the room, eye contact with your students, the amount of interaction you have with your audience, the variety of tools you use to present material: video, slides, overheads, visuals, music, storytelling, metaphors and analogies.

Examine the organization of the presentation, the use of multiple examples and illustrations to clarify concepts, how connections are made, the periodic use of internal summaries to help students understand the most important points you are trying to make.

TEP has an excellent video on how to lecture and speak effectively— How to Speak with Patrick Winston from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching Excellence at Harvard. Please contact Georgeanne Cooper ( gcooper@uoregon.edu ) if you are interested in viewing these tapes. They are now streamed on the Teaching Effectiveness Program Hub. If you have a current UO account, you can be added to this site to view several good teaching films.

5. The instructor reads from a scripted lecture with little or no contact with the audience.

Try to work from a good outline (using PowerPoint or Keynote) or present this as an overhead so that students can use it as an outline for your presentation. Make sure you use a 24 pt. type size and a readable font (simple serif fonts are best).

Don't make the entire focus of the class session a lecture. This puts all the pressure on you to perform. Think of ways to work with the material you want your students to learn in a variety of formats--presentation, small group work, individual reflective writing, video clips, slides, or appropriate web sites.