 This is Sprout School Science produced by MinuteVideos, teaching technique number one. How do I retain my students' attention? Research suggests that students' attention reduces dramatically about 15 minutes into class. Within 30 minutes, it is often as low as 20% of the original level, and after 45 minutes, it's almost entirely gone. Given that we spend up to 12 years in school, it becomes clear how important it is to increase the time where your students actually pay attention. One method to fight boredom and keep attention high is to reduce the session length. You can break them up into segments with small breaks in between. Even if that does not mean students get back to the initial high, studies show that whenever a new section begins, attention is lifted dramatically before it drops again. A history teacher, for example, could break up Columbus's voyage over the ocean into four chunks, with short one-minute breaks in between. In the first 20 minutes, the teacher could tell the story about the voyage. The next 15 minutes, students could discuss in groups what could have been dangerous about sailing during these days. Then each group could present their discoveries for another 15 minutes. In the last segment, the teacher could complete the students' findings and bring them in context with the actual risks of Columbus's expedition. Please use the comment section below to let us know what you think. If you are a student, tell us if the method improves your learning. If you are a teacher, share with us how you apply it in class. We're releasing updates regularly, so don't forget to subscribe and like us on Facebook. Thank you for watching.