Photo by Karen H
In the book Switch, Chip and Dan Heath discuss self control as a limited resource. They summarize their thinking in this article:
Psychologists have discovered that self-control is an exhaustible resource…This helps to explain why, after a long hard day at the office, we’re more likely to snap at our spouses or have one drink too many — we’ve depleted our self-control.
Students only have so much self-control, and occasionally they need a chance to let off some steam and recharge. Especially those kids who struggle to keep still or quiet.
When I hear the phrase “maximize instructional minutes” I cringe because it usually means jamming as much work in as possible.
It’s like going on an ultra-strict diet. Sure, it will have incredible results, but the demands are simply too much. You’ll have better results with the occasional, reasonable snack.
Maximizing learning sometimes means an occasional, reasonable snack. This might look like a monthly “bonus PE”, a quarterly afternoon of board games, or simply listening to the teacher read a chapter from a novel.
The wise teacher knows how hard to push a class and when to ease up. The master teacher makes these decision on a student-by-student basis.
I think Rick Morris has some of the best ideas for integrating these small classroom breaks, especially in his book Tools and Toys.