Sometimes the best thing to do in class is “nothing.” Everything in my life was saying the opposite: Go! Go! Go! But I failed to appreciate what the science was saying: provide moments to mindlessly pause. It’s a powerful tool in our toolkit. 

Before delving into the science of pausing or stopping, it would be wise to consider that both teachers and students are experiencing a mental health crisis. Consider that in 2024, twice as many teachers reported experiencing burnout, and roughly three times as many teachers reported difficulty coping with job-related stress. 

In 2023, four in 10 students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness; two in 10 students seriously considered attempting suicide, and nearly one in 10 students had attempted suicide. 

The point is, we need to appreciate that many of us are struggling for reasons we might not ever know. But with a pause, a breath or a brain break, we are a breath away from mindfulness. Right now, stop and pause. 

Let’s reframe Lao Tzu’s famous saying this way: “The journey to a peaceful classroom begins with our first breath, for everyone.” 

Learning how to learn 

This is not “hippie-dippy” logic. This is based on the learning research of Barbara Oakley, a globally recognized expert. I recommend taking her free course “Learning How to Learn” by Deep Teaching Solutions on Coursera. 

Oakley explains that there are two mental modes for learning: the focus mode and the diffuse mode. We typically associate the focus mode with learning in the classroom. Imagine students concentrating nonstop, practicing a problem, taking a test or writing an essay throughout the class period. 

But the focus mode engages limited parts of the brain, only those areas immediately associated with a task. But there’s a bottleneck. This metaphor may clarify what we confront with the focus mode. Imagine working out to get huge biceps with no break for 54 minutes. What would happen? You would get injured. Muscles need rest as well as activity. If injured, what would happen to your fitness? You wouldn’t go to the gym. You would associate working out with injury. Furthermore, what would happen if you worked on that same bicep in the same way for 180 days straight? Burnout. Depression. Anxiety. 

Engaging the diffuse mode 

But here’s where the diffuse mode comes to the rescue. It appears when we stop, take a breath, get up from our chair and look out the window, perhaps for a minute or so. The diffuse mode is defined as specific moments of inattention. No phone. No substitution of one attention to another. What happens when we let the mind wander is the brain subconsciously rewires or “updates.” Oakley describes it this way: “Diffuse-mode thinking is also essential for learning … It is what allows us to suddenly gain a new insight into a problem we’ve been struggling with and is associated with ‘big picture’ perspectives. Diffuse-mode thinking is what happens when you relax your attention and just let your mind wander. This relaxation can allow different areas of the brain to hook up and return valuable insights.” 

Here are some examples of the diffuse mode at work: 

Those epiphanies appear during moments of inattention when the diffuse mode is engaged. Thomas Edison used the technique frequently when he was stuck on a problem. He stopped what he was doing and put ball bearings in his hand. Then he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. As he was about to fall asleep, he unconsciously let go of the ball bearings, which woke him up. Then he got back to work. Edison credited taking those brain breaks with helping awaken the epiphanies that led to his inventions. Salvador Dali, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and other luminaries credit their productivity with that practice of taking breaks. 

Oakley describes one such technique as the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of intense focus, which is followed by a five-minute break. No phones. Just let the mind wander. Take a walk. Converse with classmates. 

In my classroom, I made adjustments to the Pomodoro Technique. Instead of regular 25-minute breaks, I would observe when students looked petered out. Seeing it signaled to me, “Let’s take a two-minute break: Get up from our chairs. No phone. Talk with classmates. Walk around.” After two minutes, we got back to work. We might take another two-minute break later in the class period, if needed. Our motto was, “When we’re on, we’re on. When we’re off, we are off.” 

I also found that it was worthwhile to take a break at the beginning of class. We might exercise, play a game, sing a song, take a walk outside or do a brief dance. We liked “Just Dance” videos on YouTube. This is something learning scientists also recommend: Move before learning. Give the eyes a break from the screen. Take a moment to reset before intense focus begins. 

Joy enhances learning 

I’ve found that joy actually enhances learning. I’ve never had a worse class after we took a walk, nor with any of the above protocols. Class was always better. 

Last year, I surveyed 64 students on the benefits of beginning class with movement. 98.4% said it was worthwhile. Here are some of the students’ comments: 

What a difference a mindful breath can make. Consider movement or just a pause before deep learning begins. Engage the diffuse mode. It will help you and your students.