When students are off-task some teachers might have a natural inclination to take away recess from a particular student or the whole class. Is this a best practice, an okay practice or a poor practice? This is still currently being used in schools in my district. Inside city limits recess stops after 5th grade and PE is the only physical activity students are provided for 6th grade and beyond during school hours. Rural schools in my area tend to provide recess at least through 6th grade.
The question is, does withholding recess help or hinder behavior issues in class? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides a sharp answer. If you would like to skip my summary you can find the AAP's position about recess here: pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183 Basically, the AAP goes through the social-emotional, physical and cognitive benefits of recess. They also state, interestingly, that the idea of "Recess Before Lunch" is advantageous and reduces food waste vs. kids who have recess after lunch. Essentially, having recess first makes kids hungry and when lunch time comes they are quite hungry, eat their whole lunch, and food is not thrown away. Back to withholding recess... The AAP states, "On the basis of an abundance of scientific studies, withholding recess for punitive or academic reasons would seem to be counterproductive to the intended outcomes and may have unintended consequences in relation to a child’s acquisition of important life skills". Per edutopia.org, Missouri, Florida, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Connecticut and Virgina all require a recess anywhere from at minimum of 20 minutes to 50 minutes. (https://www.edutopia.org/article/time-play-more-state-laws-require-recess) My particular state does not mandate recess, but our district sends emails out to parents stating that children will be sent outside for recess until -15 degrees and they are serious about this. If the AAP's beliefs are not enough to back the idea that recess is necessary, there are other studies out there such as: Campbell, A. E. (2012, January 1). A Case Study of Teachers’ Recess Practices Related to Students with Exceptional Learning Needs. ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. that again express withholding recess is not beneficial as a form of punishment for children with behavior problems. How important is recess? An NFL future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning said, "I didn't play organized football until I was in seventh grade. Up until that point, I only played at recess and in the backyard" (brainyquote.com). Ultimately, taking away recess is only hurting the teacher. He/she does not get that 20-30 minute refresher they probably truly need. In that 20-30 minutes a positive behavior support ( www.pbis.org ) can be found to replace the idea of withholding recess and it's a win-win for both the teacher and the student.
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AuthorSpecial Education major in a university teaching program. Substitute teacher, previous homeschool mom, wife. Archives
September 2019
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