Biological+Reasons+For+Why+We+Need+a+Break

=Admit it, You Know This Has Happened to You Before=

Do you ever "zone out"? Have you ever felt like you just couldn't attend to a book, movie, lesson, etc.? You might feel yourself tapping your foot or fidgeting, or you may begin yawning. You could start getting a "glazed look" in your eyes, or you may even start falling asleep. Your body physically reacts when your brain needs a rest. There are physical and biological reasons why these things happen. To learn more about the biology behind brain breaks, let's hear from my sister, Brooke, who is a fellow teacher. Lucky for us, Brooke also has a background in biology, so she's the perfect person to introduce the biological reasons for why our brains need a break.

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=Yawning, Fidgeting, and Other Signs that You Have Lost Your Students=

Have you ever wondered why we yawn? There are many reasons why this could happen, but there is no definite answer for this. One reason is that we are bored. According to Eric Chudler (2008), researchers have proven this by observing teenagers watching music videos versus teenagers watching a color test pattern. Chudler also points out that we yawn for the same reason that we stretch. This helps to increase our blood pressure and heart rate, and it flexes our muscles and joints. So, it appears as though we yawn because we have lost interest in our current activity, and we are trying to stimulate our bodies to "wake" ourselves up. If our students are yawning during a lesson, activity, story, etc. during class, then we as educators need to do something to stimulate our students' brains. This is where the brain break comes in. Common knowledge tells us that our metabolism lowers while we our sitting. This is another reason that our students need to be more active while at school. Just as yawning is a sign that we have "lost" our students, fidgeting also shows that students need a break. As educators, we often want fuss at students who appear to be listless during class. As Eric Jensen points out, "sitting for more than 10 minutes at a stretch reduces our awareness of physical and emotional sensations and increases fatigue" (as cited in Pica, n.d.), and this is what generally causes discipline issues and restlessness in our students. Understanding what causes inattentiveness in our students leads us to what we can do about it.

=The Connection Between Physical Activity, Concentration, and Academic Performance=

There is a reason why many school districts have a required amount of recess time per school day. Students need to have a break and physical activity so that they can perform to their fullest for the rest of the day. Recess and physical education are integral parts of students' school day. Most schools, though, do not even have physical education every day of the week, and most classes' recess times only lasts for fifteen to thirty minutes. So, what do you do with the other hours of the school day? As educators, we need to start incorporating brain breaks. Rae Pica understands the importance of physical activity as she asserts that "most of the brain is activated during physical activity" as opposed to when students are "doing seatwork" (n.d.). Pica further goes on to explain that "students that are physically active have improved academic performance, achieve higher test scores, and demonstrate a better attitude toward school". It really just makes sense that when students are having fun in class that they would have a better attitude towards school. If we could take out just one or two minutes of instruction for a brain break, then we would find that our students could become much more productive.

=The Argument for Brain Breaks=

Wouldn't we all like to have students who are happy to come to school? Isn't it encouraging to see students who have smiles on their faces as they get off the school bus? As educators, we could see more of this by incorporating brain breaks. There are so many times during the day that we could just stop and take a small break. If students could have just a little bit of physical activity, then everything would run so much more smoothly. As Dr. Spencer Kagan asserts, "with more oxygen and glucose pumped to the brain, students are more alert" (2004). Having brain breaks keeps our students focused. Another argument for brain breaks is that in the long run, these can help to improve test scores. Kagan points out that "frequent brain breaks" make for a "more interesting, fun class", and this class "achieves at a higher level academically". With all of this research and evidence, how can one not want to incorporate brain breaks into the classroom?

=References= Chudler, E.H. (2008). //Neuroscience for kids//. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/yawning.html  Kagan, S. (2004, Winter). Silly sports and goofy games - The tenth reason to play: Brain-friendly instruction. //Kagan Online Magazine,//,. Retrieved from http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/290/Silly-Sports-and-Goofy-Games-The-Tenth-Reason-to-Play-Brain-Friendly-Instruction  Pica, R. (n.d.). 7 reasons why kids need recess (even the kids who misbehave). //,//, . Retrieved from http://www.movingandlearning.com/Resources/Articles30.htm