Many schools are now embracing a hybrid approach to learning, something which is a direct result of the recent pandemic. But this has also meant we are well on the way to the creation of 24-hour schools.
Children are subjected not only to physical teaching but a combination of pre-recorded content, extra consolidation, stretch and challenge resources, an online curriculum, millions of online video tutorials and tutoring companies.
And don’t forget parental input, with many gallantly rising to become home school teachers themselves, a role many continue to adopt despite schools reopening.
In short, children cannot escape learning; it is there to be absorbed even if they have little mental capacity left to take it in. In a society which creates high-pressured assessments for children, it is perhaps no wonder that there is perceived need to fit in as much learning content as possible, in the shortest amount of time.
It is well known that most plants need sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to allow them to create the oxygen and energy needed to grow through photosynthesis. However, too much sunlight can leave a plant wilted, with bleached leaves and difficulties producing healthy growth.
“Societal pressure to do well leads to a perceived need to fit in as much content as possible.”
Humans, like plants, also need sunlight to produce vital vitamin D, but too much sunlight can leave us dazed and confused, and running for shade. Too much food can make us fat, too much mental stimulation can lead to stress and burnout.
School leaders everywhere will experience exam year groups who dip in performance in the weeks leading up to the assessment. This may be down to detrimental last-minute cramming of content, which should always be avoided. Another reason is that often children have had very limited access to downtime and the space to reflect, reset and the bounce back even stronger.
“Athletes will train to a high level building up to race day, but then take rest time to taper.”
Rest is needed for high-performance, something well-known in the world of marathon running, where athletes will train to a high level building up to race day, but then take much needed rest time to taper, allowing their bodies to rebuild, preparing for the very highest level of performance when it most matters.
This is an analogy we must also apply to learning and forward-thinking schools must embrace the need to provide space in the timetable, in the school calendar and within the physical school environment to allow for this.
The timetabling process, even in the most complex of schools, gives the opportunity to build certain subjects, such as maths and English, into the first half of the school day. This allows children to do these when they are mentally at their freshest and therefore, retain more.
Any teacher who has taught Shakespearian pentameter to thirty 6th formers at 4pm on a Friday will recognise the challenges raised by timetabling content with a heavy cognitive load for later into the school day and week.
“What if, rather than being asked to revise from dawn to dusk, children are asked to switch off completely?”
The majority of schools will take formal assessment snapshots at least once a term and then work up to end of year assessment, either SATS, GCSEs or A-levels for example. Some will do it more often and some to the point where over-testing can be equally as detrimental, as it allows no time for children to embed what they are being taught.
What if however, children were given downtime in the days leading up to these formal assessments? Rather than being asked to revise from dawn to dusk, children are asked to switch off completely. This does not mean, down learning and pick up the smartphone, but instead involves children spending time in nature, eating healthily, getting plenty of sleep, hydrating and arriving to the assessment day recovered. All of this can be achieved by carefully calendaring this time into each term or half-term, depending on the frequency of assessment.
School environments can also positively encourage downtime. Downtime does not need to be hours or days or weeks, it can be minutes. Five minutes spent surrounded by some kind of nature can reduce blood pressure, anxiety, stress and mental fatigue. School design should aim, where possible, to incorporate quality outdoor space for children to take a moment out. Just a short exposure to plants, trees and green spaces has been linked to significant recovery from mental fatigue, something which can be used to counteract the fast-paced, information packed learning experiences many enjoy.
“Let us find the opportunity for a balanced approach, one which refuses to accept that more is better.”
By rewilding spaces, incorporating indoor and/or outdoor plants and through the investment in green areas, children’s academic performance will benefit. This was highlighted in the Journal of Environmental Psychology where a study showed children with a view of a green roof made fewer errors and were able to concentrate better than those with views of concrete roofs.
With a focus on building downtime into the school pedagogy, investing capital in the creation of green spaces and actively avoiding pushing children right to the limit and beyond in terms of cognitive capacity, it is clear that academic performance and overall positive well-being will increase.
Therefore, as we put our minds to the next academic year, let us find the opportunity for a carefully balanced approach to learning, one which refuses to accept the modus operandi that more is better.
Perhaps it is less at the right time which is better, and as a direct result, all will gain more with less risk of burnout.