Effective Use of Breaks in the Classroom

[Niko]

Get students to use English

A classroom break does not mean the student should forget their English and start talking in their native language. The idea of a break for students is to:

• refresh the mind
• waken up students
• grab a coffee
• visit the toilets and so forth.

Typically, every hour a 15 minute break should be assigned to students. With shorter classes, the teacher may assign a 5 minute break. Even children classes of 40 minutes should have a 5 minute fun time where they can play games and relax towards the end of their English class.

It's a good idea to assign a task that is to be completed during classroom breaks.

Ideas to get you started are:

• Pair review activity.
• Mingling (in English of course). Mingling techniques may need to be pre-taught.
• "Find someone who ..." activity.
• Show and Tell by a different class member every week.

Assign very simple tasks that are 1 or 2 levels below the student's ability. After all, the idea of the break is to refresh, not to put a strain on students.

Create accountability by having student's report to the class after the break.