A study reveals the value of breaks for exercise in class, particularly during long lectures.
- In one study, a university professor set up one to two exercise sessions, each lasting five minutes, to help students keep up during long lectures.
- Participants said these breaks were a highlight of the classes and a positive experience.
- They helped improve their attention and appreciation of the lessons.
“Participants in previous research who took breaks during a video conference were more likely to be on task at the end of the course and performed significantly better on a multiple-choice exam,” said Scott M. Hayes, a professor at Ohio State University. He wanted to know if it could work in the real world. In a recent study, its objective was to establish the feasibility of integrating exercise breaks during face-to-face lectures, over the course of an entire semester, and provide evidence of their positive effects on attention, motivation, participation and appreciation of lessons.
Lunges, jumps, stretching: 5 minutes of physical exercises during lectures
For the purposes of this work, published in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, the researcher implemented one or two exercise sessions, of five minutes each, in each psychology lecture course, the duration of which was 80 minutes. In total, 20 to 93 students attended these courses. “I wanted the students to design and lead the sessions because I thought it would help them buy into the idea, become engaged and invested,” said the lead author of the study.
Based on observations, the sessions were a bit difficult at the beginning of the semester. The volunteers weren’t sure how to act and weren’t used to taking exercise breaks during a class. However, they quickly got into the game and had fun during the sessions. Among the exercises performed by the participants were jumping jacks, lunges, bench presses and hamstring stretches. “One of the groups chose apple picking in an orchard as their theme. So they asked their classmates to stretch as if they were picking apples from a tree and stretch to put them in a basket .”
Taking sports breaks improved students’ concentration
At the end of the semester, students reported that the breaks were a highlight of the classes and a positive experience. They said the exercise sessions allowed them to be more focused and enjoy their university classes more. Young people also added that, compared to other lessons, they preferred those with an exercise break and that they would like other teachers to offer such sessions.
“No one can stay on task for 80 minutes straight without their mind wandering and attention spanning. If you give students a break and get their bodies moving for a few minutes, This can help them focus on the course again and be more productive.” concluded Scott Hayes.
