It is often seen that while the teacher is delivering a lecture in the class, a lot of students yawn or do not show any interest in what is going on. They are just in the class to fulfil the attendance requirement, so they waste their time whispering, sending SMS or gossiping. And some even sleep with their eyes open or while hiding behind a book! The same things happen when students are forced to attend debates or presentations. There may be so many reasons for it.
Lack of interest
When some presentation or lecture is delivered in which the students are not interested, this problem occurs. Sometimes the teacher does not know how to generate interest among the students for the subject he is teaching as he may just be focussing on delivering the lecture and completing the course.
Lack of concentration
When the teacher does not keep an eye on students and only speaks or dictates, the students become relaxed and start to yawn.
Language
Students may also not follow the language of the teacher or his accent. For example, if the teacher is speaking in English while most students are more comfortable in Urdu, students will not be able to follow the lecture.
Suggestions
To prevent this, many things can be done by teachers as well as students. Firstly, a teacher should know how to create interest in the topic he or she is teaching. Because if he makes even a boring topic seems interesting, no one will sleep for sure.
Class participation is the most significant solution of this problem. If a teacher encourages students' participation in the class and asks questions regarding the topic to get them involved, this problem can be overcome to a great extent. Teacher should engage discussions, presentations and other things that can draw the attention of students and get them involved in the lecture.
Another way to get students involved in the class is to use audio/visual aid. A picture speaks a thousand words and when students see what they are being taught, it will definitely increase their interest in the topic and give them better understanding.
Teacher should also try to use easy words and more understandable language. Uttering phrases during the lecture such as “Yes everyone” and “Are you following it?” also help making students attentive. A lecture is effective only when it is interesting and requires not just the attention but also the participation of students.
