Requested by the students themselves, the afternoon siesta is designed to improve concentration levels and protect the environment.
Kakogawa Junior High School in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture, is currently trialling a ten-minute afternoon nap time for students in order to increase attention spans and conserve electricity. Dubbed the “Kakogawa Siesta”, the idea was first raised by members of the student council in a meeting with the Mayor and members of the local council at City Hall in August last year during a special session called “Kakogawa Junior High School Parliament”. During the meeting, the 12-member student body mentioned that a previous afternoon nap trial at a Japanese high school showed positive outcomes for student learning, and requested that the system be implemented at a junior high school level. They also expressed their desire to conserve energy as another reason to go ahead with the project.
I – Word Understanding
Siesta – afternoon rest or nap
Dubbed – to give an unofficial name or nickname
II – Have Your Say
1.What do you think are the benefits of this proposed afternoon nap at school? In what grades should it be implemented?
2.What are the most common behavioral problems of students in Japan?
3.Why do you think children have attention span problems? How should schools and parents deal with this?
4.Even though most non-academic activities may not be directly associated with educational goals, students can learn valuable lessons from such experiences. Please share some non-academic activities that are mostly practiced at schools in your area.
543 Junior high school in Japan introduces trial afternoon nap time for students
