Even the best instructors have a bad day now and then. A lesson that
looked fine in concept results in glazed eyes and fidgeting among at least
some of the participants. Why does this happen? Sometimes we're too close
to the content to anticipate these events and can benefit from an outside
point of view.
The purpose of this checklist is to guide you through a systematic look
at a boring lesson. It uses categories derived from several models of
motivation which should lead fairly directly to suggestions for solutions.
As you examine each factor, give it a score from 0 to 3 to indicate the
degree to which the factor was true and was likely to be a cause of the
learners' lack of interest.
0 = not true at all. Not likely to be a cause of boredom
1 = slightly true. Perhaps responsible for some boredom.
2 = moderately true. Probably the cause of at least some of the boredom.
3 = definitely true and very likely to be a source of the problem.
Attention Factors |
Rating |
| The format of the lesson (lecture, demonstration, etc) did not change
over a long stretch of time. |
0 1 2 3 |
| What learners saw and heard did not change over a long stretch of
time (e.g., all one voice, similar slides, etc.) |
0 1 2 3 |
| There were no conflicting or contradictory ideas described. |
0 1 2 3 |
| Learners were not called upon to respond or act for a long stretch
of time. |
0 1 2 3 |
Challenge Factors |
Rating |
| The content was too easy or familiar to a significant number of
learners. |
0 1 2 3 |
| The content was too difficult for a significant number of learners. |
0 1 2 3 |
| The learners have a history of dislike or failure with this content. |
0 1 2 3 |
| The content was fact-laden. There was a lot to keep track of and
remember. |
0 1 2 3 |
| The content was abstract. It was hard to get a handle on the topic. |
0 1 2 3 |
Relevance Factors |
Rating |
| There was nothing done explicitly to tie the lesson to the learners'
interests or past experience. |
0 1 2 3 |
| There was nothing done explicitly to tie the lesson to the learners'
future goals or to near term course goals. |
0 1 2 3 |
Interpersonal Factors |
Rating |
| Learners could not identify with the instructor. She or he seemed
very different from them. |
0 1 2 3 |
| Learners did not find the instructor completely credible with respect
to this content. |
0 1 2 3 |
| The instructor did not show enthusiasm for the topic. |
0 1 2 3 |
| There was no opportunity for learners to interact with each other. |
0 1 2 3 |
| The content was unrelated to people. There were no references to
individuals affecting or being affected by the content. |
0 1 2 3 |