Taking breaks in between study sessions is not looked upon very kindly by students and teachers sometimes. We like to think that taking breaks will make a child inefficient and lazy. The lesser known fact is that taking frequent breaks can improve the performance of students, at school and back at home.
With technological advancements, students find themselves sitting in front of the screen all the time. They attend classes through an LMS portal, submit their assignments online, and even do educational research on the Internet. Thus, students need to take a break not only while studying but also while using so many digital devices. Prolong usage results in eyesight problems, headaches, and drowsiness.
Break from screen time
The school learning management system of almost every school has made online learning compulsory. If not online, hybrid or blended learning forms are the new normal. Students are coping with the digital shift, but they still need some reforms to help them. One such reform is taking frequent breaks from the screen. Here is how they can do that;
- Completing assignments by studying books available for reference first, and then surfing the Internet in case they are still missing the information required.
- Trying to make as many offline notes as possible that can be physically carried by them rather than depending on the Internet.
- Taking notes during the class through an LMS portal, and using these offline notes to study later rather than sitting in front of the screen.
- Printing out lessons, assignments, and study materials uploaded by the teacher in the online school information management system.
Break from study time
Studying a lot throughout the day might sound good to parents because they fail to understand the need for a break sometimes and only want their children to be interested in their academic life and not disrupt it while they study. However, studying for long hours without taking a break will not help their academic performance because it reduces their efficiency.
Research says that studying for short durations in great intensity is more advantageous than studying for long hours while being bored of the topic. But the break that they take between study sessions should also be productive. This is because sometimes students like to take a nap for a break, and when they wake up they feel like they have not taken a break at all because they were mentally not present in the time that they had off for themselves. Here are some productive ways to take some study time;
- Take a walk outside, and indulge in nature and natural factors to stimulate your senses.
- Have discussions or debates about the topic you are studying with your classmates, teachers, or parents.
- Make a quick meal or healthy snack to eat.
- Bathroom breaks or shower breaks to refresh yourself before sitting down to study again.
As much as students like playing games and watching TV in their break time, it is still a form of consuming media. This will tire out their brain and they won’t feel up to studying again.
Advantages of taking a break
- Sharpens comprehension and memory skills
Sitting down for two hours to study can be monotonous and boring. Most students don’t like doing it. Try giving them frequent breaks and make them sit to study only for 30 minutes, increasing the time as the day passes. Research has shown that the attentiveness of students increases when the classroom and study hours are less. They realize that they have only a given amount of time to study and hence to make the most out of it they would like to focus entirely on their study material.
- Promotes creativity
When students take frequent breaks, the load on their brain activity decreases. This provides grounds for promoting creativity in their life. They can get creative in how they take a break, by adapting new hobbies such as playing an indoor or outdoor game or developing a liking for certain kinds of books that they read from time to time. Creative thinking allows students to build intellectual values, and become self-aware. All of this ultimately results in their academic progress too.
- Improves communication skills
When students take a break, they mostly like to have a conversation with their friends, siblings, or other family members. Their communication skills benefit from here.
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