This is especially important at this time of year with examinations about to start.
Students who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk for many health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and injuries. They are also more likely to have attention and behavior problems, which can contribute to poor academic performance in school.
How much sleep someone needs depends on their age. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has made the following recommendations for children and adolescents:
|
Age Group |
Recommended Hours of Sleep Per Day |
|
6–12 years |
9 to 12 hours per 24 hours |
|
13–18 years |
8 to 10 hours per 24 hours |
What can we do to help our students?
Encourage habits that help promote good sleep. Setting a regular bedtime and rise time, including on weekends. Adolescents with parent-set bedtimes usually get more sleep than those whose parents do not set bedtimes.
Dim lighting. Adolescents who are exposed to more light (such as room lighting or from electronics) in the evening are less likely to get enough sleep.
Implement a media curfew. Technology use (computers, video gaming, or mobile phones) may also contribute to late bedtimes. Parents should consider banning technology use after a certain time or removing these technologies from the bedroom.
All-in-all we need to encourage our children to have good sleep habits as it will benefit them throughout the rest of their lives.
The readers of this article have all likely experienced a ‘traditional’ exam setting. Rows of desks, pen and paper, and exam papers that are primarily constructed to test knowledge and recall of the course content. There is certainly some value to an exam paper that assesses a student’s knowledge, but ultimately, knowledge and recall represents a very narrow range of the skills actually needed in the modern world. Recognising this, the IB has taken an revolutionary look at assessment in the middle years, with the eAssessment.
