Breaking down breaks: There are better ways to stay refreshed in class

Graphic by Isabelle Wang

During break time, students get distracted by their screens.

We all know the sinking feeling that accompanies a teacher not managing to cover necessary material by the end of class, and you get stuck learning the rest of the lesson on your own at home, adding onto the pile of homework you already have. 

One reason teachers run out of time is the mistake they make when they offer a short 5- to 10-minute break in the middle of class. Although these short breaks might sound good on paper, they are not always effective.

Of course, students may request breaks because they feel the need to “refresh” their attention. Instead of teachers complying to these requests, they can give breaks from lectures by incorporating active learning into their lessons, such as having students work with their peers in group activities or holding fun demonstrations.

A science class with a packed schedule may not even have enough time to go over homework, complete a lecture and finish a lab in the first place, much less include a short break for students. Breaks are sometimes distracting to a point where students lose their focus and momentum, resulting in them not being able to resume their work after a break.

AP Computer Science A implements 5-minute breaks into the class. While many students greatly appreciate this break, I find it difficult to jump back to the task I was working on before. And this happens to other students in the class: Phones get picked up, students open video games and thumbs scroll through endless loops on social media apps. Then, before my classmates know it, their 5-minute break has passed, and they still want to continue using their phones. Most end up not being able to switch easily back to their working mode. 

In reality, the best way to offer effective breaks is to integrate it into the class routine. For instance, Chemistry Honors students take a break in between lectures when students are asked to pick up a whiteboard from the back of the room. Students aren’t picking up their phones to start scrolling through social media apps, but they also aren’t staying silent and in their seats the entire time.

As a way of keeping students engaged, teachers should integrate class activities into their routines like group worksheets, Socratic Seminar discussions, and demonstrations like the elephant toothpaste demonstration in Chemistry Honors, which helped students learn the concept of decomposition.

Although staying fresh is important in the learning process, breaks aren’t the only means to this end. Instead, more active learning and the incorporation of necessary but different tasks are more effective than allowing students to play games for five minutes on their phone.