Near the beginning of the semester, once we had laid out our idea for this project, we wanted to get an impression from the students of where they were at before we integrated these practices. We gave them an online survey, and this is what we got back. 

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1. What word comes to mind when you hear brain breaks? 

The responses we got ranged from resting, fun, taxing, talk, relaxing, chill and stress. Based on their responses, we figured students had a good idea of what we meant when we said brain breaks. 

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2. What word comes to mind when you hear the term "Mindfulness"? 

The responses we got were breathing, aware, quiet, positive, meditation, calm, connections, and reflection. We really liked the fact that the students had such a strong understanding of mindfulness prior to our integration within the classroom. 

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3. I find it hard to stay on task in class... (Scale of 1:Never to 4:ALL the time) 

8% of the students said 1:Never, 8% of the students said 4:ALL the time, 15% of the students said 2:Sometimes, but 69% of students said 3:Frequently. 

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4. I find my mind wandering and I realize I missed what the teacher had just said... (Same of 1:Never to 4:ALL the time) 

10% of students said 4:ALL the time, 43% of students said 2:Sometimes, and 48% said 3:Frequently. 

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5. I am continually distracted by classmates, phone, etc... (Scale of 1:Never to 4:ALL the time) 

14% of students said 4:ALL the time, 14% of students said 1: Never, 14% said 3:Frequently and 57% of them said 2:Sometimes. 

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6. I am often tired and struggle to feel awake and energized in class... (Scale of 1:Never to 4:ALL the time) 

29% of students said 4:ALL the time, 36% of students said 2:Sometimes, and 36% said 3:Frequently. 

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7. I am often not motivated to try my best in class... (Scale of 1:Never motivated to 4:Always motivated)

2% of the students said 3:Frequently Motivated and 97% of students said 4:Always Motivated. 

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8. We asked the students to rank three main types of brain breaks. 1. Active but in your desk (puzzles, brain teasers). 2. Active out of the desk (games, or sorting activities). 3. Meditation at your desk. 

The students ranked the three as follows - 1. Active but in desk was around 50%. 2. Active out of desk was around 35%. 3. Meditation was around 15%. 

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9. Are there any strategies that you have been taught or used in the past to stay on task?

- breathe in for 10 seconds and out for 10 seconds. 

- using an agenda. 

- phone breaks. 

- finish the task before getting off track. 

- 5-minute breaks between 35-minute work stretches. 

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10. Do you think to have small brain breaks during a class would help you stay focused?

90% of students said yes. 10% of students said it depends on the class.