Here at LTS since our inception in 1996 as the only tuition centre in Wolverhampton then, we have always used brain breaks with our students. We were then, ahead of the game as they say-
Now neuroscience articles shows us through imaging and research, that our brain is wired for novelty, not routine. In fact our survival as a species depends on this aspect of brain development-we see this when threatened with flight or fight, or where we pay attention to new environments, particularly if they feel threatening or out of the ordinary.
So, when we take a brain break,it refreshes our thinking and helps us discover another solution to a problem or see a situation differently.
Take art- when I draw, I move around constantly, often away from the piece of work ( currently,a sketch of a face by Joshua Reynolds) that I’m drawing. I was having trouble with positioning of the eyes and after several attempts walked off, decided to do a crossword and have a coffee. When I resumed I spotted the mathematical proportions and the perspective that was missing from the previous result. What I did without realising, was to take a brain break and then a focused attention activity.
During this break, the brain actually helps to incubate and process new information.
See the next article for tips and activities for your class or tutorial group.