Brain Boost Time (BBT)

Welcome to Brain Boost Time - the tech tool to use during in-class breaks!

You may head to the respective tabs if you already know the what, how and why of BBT. Tip: Start with the Randomisers to build up the suspense!

Otherwise do have a read below to learn more about the go-to in-class break tool we call Brain Boost Time (BBT).

What is Brain Boost Time (BBT)?

How to use Brain Boost Time (BBT)?

Why use Brain Boost Time (BBT)?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Brain Boost Time (BBT) Onboarding Deck

Brain Boost Time (BBT) Interactive Video

What is Brain Boost Time (BBT)?

Introduction

BBT is a tool for primary school teachers to use in class to get their students to the optimal zone of learning especially when the students are clearly lethargic or extra fidgety.

Considerations for BBT use include:

Students' Energy Levels (high, low or mixed)
Level taught (upper primary or lower primary)
Time of day (start of the day or near noon)
Nature of preceding period (after PE, recess or lunch)
Timing in planned lesson (start of lesson or transitioning between two activities/topics)

https://go.gov.sg/etdbbt

Features

Brain Boost Time has 3 main features:

Physical activity/Energisers (Fast/Slow/Both)
Reflective/Cognitive activity (Wonder)
Breathing/Mindfulness activity (Relax)

Click on the links above to read more about the different features.

Refer to the flowchart below for a quick look at the proposed BBT features to use in different scenarios.

How to use Brain Boost Time (BBT)?

Tips

We have tested BBT in several schools and we realised that the best outcomes were observed when the following were done:

1. Do BBT together with students making it a part of the class routines

2. Talk about the BBT experience and its intent

3. Share students’ responses/reactions and facilitate interactions

4. Read the room during BBT and ensure safety and comfort

5. Adjust BBT according to students’ profile and interest

Why use Brain Boost Time (BBT)?

Have you ever entered a class and observed that many of your students are tired and have their heads on the table or they are distracted and not attentive? We have, and we decided to do something about it.

We read up on the science of learning, educational psychology, educational neuroscience, and more. Childhood development experts generally claim that a reasonable attention span to expect of a child is two to three minutes (or up to five according to some) per year of their age. That's the period of time for which a typical child can maintain focus on a given task. We realised that students need in-class breaks and not just the scheduled recess time.

Thus, we came up with this site that contains physical, cognitive, and affective attention boosters and tested it with different classes across several primary schools.

Results

We noticed that after BBT quieter students (silent sufferers included) were more responsive and participative and students who were usually disruptive or distracted were on task for longer and were evidently less fidgety too.

The 5 positive changes we noticed in students during our observations include:

1. Less fidgeting and disruptions (or longer time-on-task)

2. Fewer heads on the table or propped up on hands

3. Faster response time from students

4. More participative in class discussions

5. Increased engagement and enjoyment in the learning process

What else is upcoming for Brain Boost Time users?

We have created a chrome extension called Brain Boost Time(r) which eases BBT usage as it allows teachers to set a prompt for when to use it in a lesson.

Please try BBT out and do give us your feedback so that we can improve the site!

You may also reach out to us at cotf@moe.edu.sg.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. How can I get higher participation for BBT?

A1. We suggest the following 3 Fs:

Keep it fun; Let BBT be light, easy and stress-free (give them some autonomy).
Keep it fresh; Offer a variety of activities.
Keep it factual. Provide students with clear expectations and share with them the benefits of breaks.

Q2. How can I support students to transition back to learning?

A2. At the end of BBT, you may consider the following activities:

Start a short calming [Relax (Video)] activity to prepare students for the transition back to learning,
Use a timer (Countdown) to give the students a clear signal that the lesson will be resuming,
Ask students to identify their levels of alertness
Take a 1-minute breather, and listen to calming sounds [Relax (Audio)]
Allow students to drink water and/or take a quick bio break

Q3. Is BBT backed by research and scientific studies?

Yes, the team behind BBT did literature scans (see below for relevant references and resources) and extensive testing in schools with Design Thinking in mind. We observed classes, interviewed teacher users and students and even did a quantitative analyses of students’ survey results which indicated that BBT was largely effective for both lower and upper primary students.