Should schools have a system of study breaks?

Have you ever lost interest in a class because it dragged on for so long? Chances are you
probably have. The human brain can only focus on something for so long before losing
interest. This is one of the reasons why students don't pay attention in class and learn
productively. If schools were to provide students with study break in between sessions, it
would greatly benefit them. Taking study breaks will increase your focus and productivity and
help you take a positive approach to learning while also keeping you in a good mental and
physical state.

P1
School plays a huge part in influencing students’ mental and physical health. It can get very
stressful as multiple assignments start piling on top of one another. Research shows that an
excessive amount of work can lead to issues such as anxiety, loss of appetite, burnout, and
fatigue. These issues will eventually lead to a decrease in academic performance, which
defeats the point of obsessively studying in the first place. Rather, it is better to take
occasional breaks as it will help take the students’ minds off the things that have been
stressing them out. When studying, students should have a clear mindset as it helps them
better focus on what they're studying and helps them remember things better. Taking breaks
helps boost their creativity when they change their surroundings and helps refresh their mind
after they've been in the same setting, doing the same work for an excessive amount of
time. Getting exercise in between these breaks will also benefit them by getting rid of fatigue
after sitting in the same position for hours on end. Although it may be for a short period of
time, giving the brain a break will greatly affect the students' mental health and keep them in
a positive, clean headspace.
(Cornell Health (N/A))
(UCL, (2020))

P2
Study breaks will help students take an optimistic approach to learning. 5-10 minute breaks
in between sessions can give students a chance to come together and do collaborative work
as they are required to do individual, quiet work in the class majority of the time. It will give
students a chance to socialise with their peers in between practical work where they can
have a discussion on the topic they’re studying and have their input on it while also listening
to others’ opinions. It is not as stressful and requires much less focus than bookwork or
whatever else they may be doing while also being productive. So although they may not
necessarily take a break from the work, it is still taking a break from the intense amount of
focus they had on that work, hence making them a lot more relaxed. This will help make
schoolwork seem like a lighter load and help them take a positive and enthusiastic approach
to it.

P3
Not only does taking breaks help make the work seem like a smaller load, but it also
increases productivity and boosts students’ overall performance. Now some may argue that
it lessens the time that students have to study if they are taking these breaks, hence making
their study time less productive; but sometimes more is actually less. Although students may
be spending less time studying, they are more likely to get things done, as opposed to them
sitting in the same position and staring at a screen or textbook for an extended period of
time. When they take breaks, it will help their minds relax, so that when they go back to
studying, they are in a clear headspace. Sometimes, a break doesn’t need to be completely
putting a pause on studying and doing nothing. If you still want to be productive during your
breaks and make use of your time, you can also switch to studying something else. This will
help prevent burnout from the activity you were doing previously. Many people disregard
work and study breaks for this exact reason. They believe that taking breaks is unproductive
and a waste of time when in reality they can help you be more productive and get you
started on other tasks that are required for you to do.
(Noisli, (2023))
(Skills Academy (2022))
(UW Medicine, (2022))

Providing sufficient time for a well-deserved break for students during subject lessons should
become more normalised within our society today. Taking breaks in between study sessions
in school will prevent health problems such as anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia. Not only that,
but it will also help students take the workload more lightly and also achieve better academic
results by increasing the productivity of the study sessions. Put yourself in the students’
shoes; wouldn't you rather have occasional breaks between classes rather than doing the
same work for hours? Although you may not be in this position now, your children and
grandchildren may soon be. Wouldn’t you like for them what you would've liked for yourself?

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Bibliography

Cornell Health (N/A), study breaks and stress breaks, Cornell University,
https://health.cornell.edu

Noisli, (2023), 10 benefits of taking breaks and why breaks are so important, Noisli,
blog.noisly, https://blog.noisli.com

Skills Academy (2022), pros of taking breaks while studying, Skills Academy,
https://www.skillsacdemy.co.au

UNC,(2023), Taking breaks, UNC learning center, https://learningcentre.unc.edu

UW Medicine, (2022), Taking breaks is good for your brain-here’s why, UW Medicine,
https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org

UCL, (2020), 5 benefits of taking breaks, University College London, https://www.ucl.ac.uk