Feedback on the Recess Debate

Research

Shekeria Wright

Ashworth College

January 21, 2021

The Recess Debate

Article Summary

Making implicit consideration upon the aspect of education recess, the article insinuates towards the existence of empirical evidence supporting the need for recess to the improvement of children academic performance and social competence. By comparing recess survey findings in US and the UK, the research summarizes the justification for the existence of recess towards ensuring improved school performances. The issue of education recess has been subject to various critics and support with most individuals seeing the program as ‘mere play’ as the involved children often lack commitment. Particularly, the need for recess has been questionable amongst many districts due to the lack of seriousness and the emerging perception that such programs usually interfere with existing schools’ educational mission. Comment by Skelton: Good introduction.

The notion of recess as a trend detailed through the research has always been subject to attacks both in the UK and the US. Irrespective of the educational value realizable through recess, there have been relentless onslaughts against the program. According to the author, the existing critics of recess are usually centered upon the importance of ‘school breaks to students’ that should have similar position to work breaks awarded by factories. By this, it is their reasoning that students/children have an obligation to a break after the tiresome productivity of school periods. For students to become more attentive with school work after a lengthy school session; breaks are a necessity and without them, most of the recess participants would present uneasiness or cumbersome tendencies upon school resumption (Pellegrini and Gettler, 2013). Comment by Skelton: Use the ampersand (&) in in-text citations.

Denouncing the replacement of physical education with recess, most physical educators insist that the paradigm is of great significance in determining and nurturing hobbies among children. Posing another argument against recess, other critics ponder on the rising cases of playground bullying. Most recess programs lack school and necessary adult supervision, thus warranting the emergence of aggressive behaviors during peer interactions.

The academic psychologist is majorly concerned about the learning and development paradigms that children undergo in school. Children are questionably unreliable test takers, such that their participation in recess would guarantee the gain of the necessary skills needed for consistency and cognitive development (Ramstetter, Murray, and Garner, 2010). In this case, the researcher insinuates that educational recess should be in place for respective educators to utilize different assessment strategies to improve children/student cognitive thinking and development. According to Pellegrini (2008), tests should always be used in conjunction with measures like grades, attendance, teaching evaluations, and behavioral competence.

Notably, the stipulated recess elements aggregate towards the attainment of performance improvement especially amongst children who are seemingly poor in class curricula. Playground activities promoted through recess programs warrant social cognitive competence, which essentially motivate kids/children to implement the gained skills and peer interactions in the classroom. By this, the playground interaction with peers and the gaining of behavioral measures during play interactions necessitates the eventual improvement of cognition, with most kindergarten children able to enable improved class test achievements. Comment by Skelton: Good paragraph

The erosion of recess in the last fifteen years as indicated by the author has been consequential upon the education system in both the United Kingdom and the US. Schools that put forth recess programs in elementary schools as indicated through various surveys were able to facilitate the essential improvement with student performances while other districts against the recess programs often receiving declining variations regarding class participation and grades (Pellegrini, 2008). Recess programs need teacher supervision, such that well trained supervisions supported the emergence of positive social interactions amongst the children. Through these supervisions, it is clear that the participating children have experienced the necessary guidance that limited the emergence of aggressive behavior and bullying. Comment by Skelton: Numbers one through ten need to be written grammatically.Number 11+ need to be written numerically.

From the article readings, it is my conclusion that recess programs should be a continual practice in primary schools. The perspective of recess affords beneficial learning attributes through distributed learning practices (Pellegrini and Gettler, 2013). With the undertaking of recess programs in schools, existing evidence indicates that children are able to develop cognitive efficacy needed to facilitate the attainment of learning prospects especially among the younger and immature children. Using the increased distributed practices gained through recess, children often gain more attention in their classroom tasks, hence a solution that would be reliable in establishing the needed education paradigms. By this, the instigation of recess paradigms facilitates the essential break that ensure children gain more from distributed practices and peer interactions compared to the normal school tasks. In essence, the author Pellegrini (2008), is right by exclaiming the need for recess programs in education because the foundations seek to ensure the improvement of both cognitive development and peer interactions amongst children outside classroom activities. Comment by Skelton: Good conclusion.

Reflection

Going through the article on “A Disjuncture between Education Policy and Scientific Research,” it is quite clear that the author Pellegrini is a proponent of recess programs. The article critiques the various pros and cons concerning school recess programs and significantly determines the importance of such foundations towards the realization of better teaching and student performance standards. My response to this article is characteristic of being in support of education recess because such programs are proven to being helpful towards improving children education standards and cognitive growth.

When determining the validity of any information, it is important for researchers to always put into consideration the peer reviewed nature of the information presented. By fact checking the facts put forth in an article, a researcher essentially proves how valid the information and data presented is in correlation to other scholarly articles. Comment by Skelton: Good work

References

Pellegrini, A. D. (2008). The recess debate: A disjuncture between educational policy and

scientific research. American Journal of Play, 1(2), 181-191.

Pellegrini, A. D., & Bohn-Gettler, C. M. (2013). The benefits of recess in primary school.

Scholarpedia, 8(2), 30448.

Ramstetter, C. L., Murray, R., & Garner, A. S. (2010). The crucial role of recess in schools.

Journal of School Health, 80(11), 517-526.