Why The Simple Solution To Academic Success Might Be More Recess
Play is so important.
As schools look for more time to squeeze in math, reading and other academic subjects, a long-time cornerstone of elementary school life has taken a hit: recess.According to national estimates, first graders in U.S. public schools in 2005 averaged just under 28 minutes of recess a day. By grade six, it's roughly 24.
But an alternate model, inspired by the Finnish system of peppering short breaks throughout the day, hopes to reverse the tide against unstructured playtime by encouraging schools to add back precious recess minutes in order to curb burnout and improve learning.
Dubbed the "LiiNK Project" and founded by Debbie Rhea, associate dean of research in Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences with Texas Christian University, the program has two arms: A character development component intended to foster intangibles like empathy and self-worth, and a restructuring of recess modeled after Finnish schools. In a conversation with The Huffington Post, Rhea emphasized the importance of the character development curriculum, which is taught through three, 15-minute lessons per week. But it is the call for more recess that has captured national attention.
Participating kindergarten and first grade classrooms aim to give students four 15-minute breaks a day. There are two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
"It's a very basic need for human beings to have these breaks," Rhea told The Huffington Post.
"It's great for the kids, but it's a really good break for the teachers also," she said. Overall, Rhea described the feeling in the classrooms as simultaneously more relaxed and more focused.
Gail Hutchinson, a first grade teacher with Trinity Valley, a participating private school in Fort Worth, Texas, says the frequent breaks help her young students "get their wiggles out" -- a benefit that cannot be overstated in the context of high-energy six- and seven-year-olds.
"We hit them hard with new skills in the morning, like math, then they go outside for 15 minutes. When they come back in, their brains are ready to absorb again," she said. Her students are more focused during classroom time, because they know they're guaranteed another play break soon.
Transitions in and out of recess were difficult at first, Hutchinson said. The students need to line up, get in and out of any outerwear and settle back down quickly when they come inside. But they picked it up within a month.
"They know, in order to keep having these breaks, we're going to have to work Why The Simple Solution To Academic Success Might Be More Recess: