Middle schoolers come with batteries included. Their energy often overrides their ability to focus.

Ooh look, a quarter!

Errr…oh yes. Middle schoolers struggle to stay focused.

So what does that mean for our teaching this fall? Do we just give it our best shot and drive home hoping they remembered something from the lesson?

Is there a better way?

Attention span research tells us people can stay focused a minute per each year in age from 2 – 20. So, you can hold a 4-year-old’s attention for 4 minutes and a 9-year-old’s attention for 9 minutes. An adult’s attention span holds at 20 minutes no matter how many years they grow past age 20. (At least THAT stays the same!)

So, the younger the student, the more learning activities needed…though even adults need at least 3 learning activities to learn (not hear, but learn).

Technically this means we can hold a middle schooler’s attention for 11-14 minutes. I’m not a psychologist, but after 13 years working with this age group—even that is an optimistic number when you factor in the rapid-fire of hormones and physical growth taking place inside a middle schooler’s body.

A good rule of thumb for teaching middle schoolers is the 7-Minute Commercial Break.

Commercial breaks are 30-60-second flashes that connect life and culture to God’s truth (i.e. stories, props, video clips, role-plays, discussion questions). By throwing in a commercial break ever 3-7 minutes, you’ll keep students tracking with your teaching. Try talking longer than 7 minutes without a commercial, and you might get bombarded with flying projectiles.

Sure, teaching with commercial breaks = more preparation. But consider the impact of a hands-on lesson:

1. We remember…
   

2. 20% of what we hear
   

3. 70% of what we discuss
   

4. 80% of what we personally experience
   

5. 95% of what we teach
   

Students actually learn more when you talk less. Instead, set them up to study God’s Word, share with each other and connect truth to life. This month, I’m excited to share tools to help you create 7-Minute Commercial Breaks as you teach:

The Fun Factor Free PDF download

High Impact Methods of Teaching : This live training workshop builds your preparation and presentation skills—to help you teach for life change.

Sources on the relationship between laughter and learning:

“How Laughing Leads to Learning” http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun06/learning.html

Primal Leadership, p. 14-18 (Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee)