Have you ever facilitated a class when people didn’t want to take a break?
I know, ridiculous question.
We love our breaks. And, why shouldn’t we? We step away from focused work. We get to choose our actions, take care of our biological needs, and sometimes there are snacks!
Frequent breaks during training serve a greater purpose than coffee and restrooms though. Breaks help learners improve their focus.
Yes, you read that right. We need breaks in order to stay focused on learning.
The brain is built to detect and respond to change.
Dr. Alejandro Lleras
University of Illinois psychology professor Dr. Alejandro Lleras discovered “even brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods.”
In fact, doing the same task for a long time can lead to habituation, described by Lleras as when “the brain gradually stops registering a sight, sound or feeling if that stimulus remains constant over time.” We’ve all experienced habituation if we drive the same route to work every day or when we stop noticing the art or photos in our house because they’ve remained the same for a long period of time.
So, take breaks. Your learners need them.
Neuroscientist John Medina, author of Brain Rules, would suggest those breaks should happen every ten minutes. He doesn’t mean a coffee break though. It’s all about the diversion.
Diversions To Consider:
- have learners write two things they want to recall
- stop for a small group discussions,
- ask everyone to stand, stretch, and share what they’ve learned
- take a moment to stop to discuss something unrelated to the content.
- Provide a quick quizzes
- take mini breaks in the classroom
ELearning Diversion To Consider:
- pause for reflective writing
- take a quick quiz
- ask learners to stand up and stretch
- include an unrelated trivia question
Yes, our content is important and I’m certain well thought out, but we’ve got to balance it with our learners capacity to process information. More content doesn’t mean more learning.
Are you creating opportunities for learners to shift their focus? What are you using that’s working?
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