RE: Should Hillsborough County school district extend recess time to elementary school students to improve student performance?

RE: Should Hillsborough County school district extend recess time to elementary school students to improve student performance?

In this letter, I would like to showcase some of my ideas for a feasibility study that will showcase some of the benefits of providing more recess time, especially for elementary school students.

The famous saying, “All work without play makes Jack a dull boy,” rings true today as it did in the past. Indeed, when it comes to schooling and learning, the classroom set up is the first thing that comes to mind. While the school remains the site of much knowledge and educational activity in many countries, a lot of research has been conducted to assess and better understand how the modern classroom set up can be best designed to meet the academic needs of students. However, as many studies point out, work just like rest is essential for the holistic development of a child. Indeed, in addition to focusing on the classroom, it is critically important to consider other factors that can also affect student education and learning in the school set up.  One such important factor is recess.

According to Brez, Caitlin & Sheets, Virgil. (2017), while recess has traditionally been part of the children’s school curriculum, over time, recess has been significantly cut or reduced in many school programs. As further pointed out by Waite-Stupiansky & Findlay (2002), this continuous reduction in the recess is potentially harmful to school children as recess is vital for various reasons.

Firstly, recess offers many social and emotional benefits for children. As per Ramstetter et al. (2010), “…recess will promote social-emotional learning and growth for children, offering them a time to engage in social interactions, and to practice and role-play essential social skill” Indeed, it is only during periods like recess when children can learn to play, engage with each other, create meaningful networks through social interactions, and enhance their communication. Through playtimes in recess, children are able to learn some specific valuable skills, including negotiation skills, problem-solving, and cooperation skills. Furthermore, they learn how to be independent thinkers in learning to solve their own problems and navigating social interactions. They also learn how to adjust to the complex school learning environment through their complex experiences, which in turn helps to adapt and to extend the child’s growth and development. It is a much welcomed relief for students after a confined learning environment, and the students are better able to perform even better in class. When stressed, recess provides children space and time to relax and relieve their minds, thereby acting a stress-reliever. A relaxed child will be better capacitated to work harder, while comfortable, which will improve their overall performance and well-being. Therefore, Hillsborough County should consider upgrading recess time, as this will lead to better performance in the school.

In addition, recess provides numerous physical benefits for children. Although not all children play during recess time, recess still provides children the opportunity to be fully active and practice movement. Indeed, even minor change, through recess, can counter the adverse effects of the sedentary lifestyle, which is characteristic of most classroom setups. When students move more often, they are less prone to developing lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and other conditions. Children also tend to get happier when accorded the opportunity of movement, as play and activity is inherent to a child’s growth, happiness, and physical development.

Academic benefits. When children are allowed the opportunity to play, they develop intellectual and cognitive understanding, through their interactive and manipulative experiences while playing. As many studies indicate, brain processing functions best when children get a period of interruption after a period of intense, concentrated activity. Thus, after a period of play and interaction, a child’s brain is more active and tends to perform better, as a student’s ability to focus cognitively was much more improved after an intense period of concentration. Moreover, the socializing characteristic of students during recess periods means better focus and better communication over the concepts taught in the classroom. This allows the students to develop their communication and cognitive skills, which will prepare them for the 21^st-century workplace.

Lastly, kids should be allowed recess time so that they could fully express themselves as children. As is characteristic of children, play and rest are essential for their overall development. Therefore, by increasing recess time, the county would be fulfilling a crucial need in a child’s life; the need for growth and development.

Summary

In my proposal, I present a plan to the professor of communication at a local college, proposing that the Hillsborough County schools should increase the recess time for school-going children, as this would potentially benefit the children, parents, schools, and the entire society.  As highlighted above, some of these benefits include educational benefits, proper physical development of the children, educational benefits, and social benefits.

Figure 1 Adapted from voiceofplay.org

Goals

1. The goal of this feasibility study would be to determine and showcase the benefits of recess for school-going children.
2. To determine how extending recess time could possibly improve the school performance of students.
3. To present the analysis as part of my feasibility plan to Hillsborough county.
4. The goal of this plan would be to convince the professor of a local community college that recess was important for school-going children.

Audience

The feasibility plan is intended for the professor of communication at a local college.

Timeline for Timetable

References

Brez, Caitlin & Sheets, Virgil. (2017). Classroom benefits of recess. Learning Environments Research. 20. 1-13. 10.1007/s10984-017-9237-x.

Waite-Stupiansky, S., & Findlay, M. (2002). The Fourth R: Recess and Its Link to Learning. The Educational Forum, 66(1), 16-25. doi: 10.1080/00131720108984795

Ramstetter, Catherine & MD, FAAP & Garner, Andrew. (2010). The Crucial Role of Recess in Schools. Journal of School Health. 80. 517 – 526. 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2010.00537.x.

(2020). Retrieved 26 February 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/pape_executive_summary.pdf