If children had one request to make about recess time, they would want it to be longer. Kids are so full of energy they want to play outside, not sit in a stuffy classroom. The children of one elementary school just may have gotten their wish.
Eagle Mountain Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas, is on the brink of a major breakthrough in child education. They have decided to triple the amount of time allotted for recess. Obviously, the children are thrilled. But this decision was about more than popularity. Officials from the school board truly believe the practice will be beneficial to student learning.
Children, like adults, benefit when they are able to take little breaks from their work. This gives them time to recharge, allowing them to return to the task with even greater focus.
“If you want a child to be attentive and stay on task, and also if you want them to encode the information you’re giving them in their memory, you’ve got to give them regular breaks,” advises Dr. Bob Murray, a professor in Ohio State University’s Department of Pediatrics.
That is exactly the advice these administrators are following. They have already restructured the schedule for kindergarten and first-grade students. These children are given two breaks in the morning and two breaks in the afternoon, with each break lasting for 15 minutes. Each year, the school will adjust another grade to the new schedule.
This new system has already worked wonders for the students. Their teachers have reported that they are “more focused [and] have better problem-solving skills and fewer disciplinary issues when they return to the classroom. It seems that burning off all that extra energy really does make a difference.
“You start putting 15 minutes of what I call ‘reboot’ into these kids every so often and … it gives the platform for them to be able to function at their best level,” observes Debbie Rhea, a professor at Texas Christian University and an engineer of the new program.
This woman was inspired by the schooling system of Finland, where students rank exceptionally high on international education tests. These kids have sharp minds, but what really inspires Debbie is how healthy they are in general. She hopes to cultivate an education system where American students are able to reach their full potential.
The policy of lengthening recess is obviously popular among children, but many psychologists have also found value in this practice. Hopefully soon we can completely restructure our education system so that students can get the most out of their resources.
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