11 ms·

How Standing Desks Can Help Students Focus in the Classroom

56 points by shill 12y ago

iancarroll 12y ago
No... When I was in 5th grade, we did not have chairs or anything for our violin class. It wasn't fun, we had to stand for the entire class (which to 5th grade me was very annoying.) We got to sit down for 30 seconds in the middle of class as a "rest period" That didn't make me want to go to the class. If this gets implemented you might end up making kids dislike the classroom even more.
- 3rd3 12y ago
  Looks like they have tiny bar stools for that reason: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/files/2014/10/Stand-2-Learn-Standing-desk-1-300x450.jpeg http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/files/2014/10/Stand-2-Learn-...
- momokatte 12y ago
  If you pair a tall shop stool with a standing desk, like the Stand2Learn desk and stool shown in the article, you don't have to stand 100% of the time and the desk doesn't have to be adjustable between a sitting and standing position. I had this kind of setup in a drafting class in high school and a few art classes in college, and now I've spent the last 5 months with a similar setup for computer use at work and home. I probably stand 2/3 of the time and sit 1/3 of the time, and sometimes I hop up and down to really get the blood flowing or pace around when I'm frustrated with something or trying to wrap my head around an abstract concept. I feel significantly healthier these days than I did when I was sitting in a desk chair 11-14 hours a day (combined work and home). Just as an aside, if you're going to stand and read a book or use a tablet or phone, you'll want an angled platform to avoid neck strain.
MrZongle2 12y ago
Speaking as a parent: do you know how you help students focus in the classroom? Stop preventing them from socializing during lunch. Allow them to get outside for more than 15 minutes so they can work off some of that excess energy, both physical and mental. Stop helicoptering around them on the playground and let them be kids. Everything else (aside from diagnosed learning disabilities) is just treating the damn symptoms caused by "experts" attempting to "fix" what hasn't been broken in schools for decades. But don't take my word for it. Talk to a few involved parents of elementary school children. Are the kids forced to be quiet during their 15-20 minute lunch break? Have some traditional recess games such as tag been banned? Are troublesome students punished by being kept in during recess?
- Broken_Hippo 12y ago
  I agree completely: It isn't standing desks that are needed, it is more actual movement and breaks from sitting. I'll admit I would have used it some as a student, but I'd have been just as happy with a space on the floor I could move about on. Recess and down time is important, not just movement, which the article tends to overlook. Finland does this already - less lecture and breaks more often and have had fantastic results. In fact, recess and free time are something I noticed quickly after moving from the US to Norway. The nearby elementary almost always has children outside playing. Actually playing. In wet sand, in puddles, climbing, running, soccer... so many things kids do that they would forbidden to do in the states.
pbreit 12y ago
Ikea has recently begun offering a pair of electrically adjusting sit/stand desks: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022270/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022270/
- jseliger 12y ago
  Holy shit. That's amazing. I use a Geekdesk (http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-writing-space-post/ http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-writin...) and it cost twice as much. Is it twice as good? Maybe. But even something that's not as good but half the price will be within range of MANY more people. One question: do the Ikea versions remember their heights? That to me is a killer feature, because trying to figure out the "right" spot every time a desk goes up and down would make me insane.
  - grimman 12y ago
    I'm having a tough time tracking down anybody saying it does, in fact, have memory functionality. That's certainly a feature you'd want to advertise, so it seems reasonable to assume that it doesn't have that particular feature.
    - jseliger 12y ago
      Geekdesk does. I have four settings, presumably two for one person (an up and a down) and two for a second; I don't actually share my desk, though.
    - joezydeco 12y ago
      Would a piece of masking tape on the leg suffice as a memory feature?
      - joshkpeterson 12y ago
        Yeah or hang two pieces of string off the side of the desk. DIY it!
yzzxy 12y ago
I think a better solution is one of the several pedal desks available today[0]. Kids who are tired can relax without disrupting class or their learning, and those who have energy to get out can pedal all day. Standing in class all day would be a nightmare. I'm transitioning to a personal standing desk right now, but I would NEVER want to use one in class - school is physically tension-inducing and uncomfortable for a myriad of reasons and forcing students to stand up would only exacerbate that problem. [0] http://www.gophersport.com/item/kinesthetic-classroom-pedal-desks http://www.gophersport.com/item/kinesthetic-classroom-pedal-...
- deskamess 12y ago
  Off the main topic, but perhaps relevant.... based on personal experience, exercises like biking (esp stationary) and rowing (leg part) can cause piriformis syndrome[1] if not complemented with a set of actions targeting orthogonal actions/muscle movement. During the winter I knew I would not go to the gym, so I purchased an exercise bike and used it religiously every two days. I was exercising but there was a pain in the buttocks and it was getting worse and I finally had to stop. Sitting at work caused pain after 1 hr, then 30 minutes, then 15. Driving to work caused pain. Stopping the bike did not help alleviate the problem. Went to the Dr who referred me to a physio. None of the exercises given to me helped. It took me a while to diagnose what I was experiencing - googling symptoms finally led me to a set of exercises that has helped incredibly. I am not fixed yet; I have to do the exercises ideally twice a day or at a minimum once every two days. It is much much better but it was torture when undiagnosed. So if you have pain in the "middle of each or both buttocks" when sitting for a small amount of time, consider piriformis syndrome. If you feel you are constantly clenching your buttocks read up on it as well. The exercises to get relief are very simple, can be done lying down, and start showing promise after about 2 days. The exercises I do are on Youtube. Which reminds me... I need to call my physio and let her know... hopefully this information helps someone else. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome
  - j_s 12y ago
    Can you link the exercises? That would probably be the most helpful information.
judk 12y ago
Remember how Agile invented the "standup meeting" specifically to leverage the fact that no one wants to stand still for over 15 minutes? Maybe the problem is that demanding students focus in the classroom for 5 hours of lecture per day is a stupid goal.
eli173 12y ago
In the latter part of high school, I began standing in the classes where I both knew the teacher fairly well and didn't think I would bother anyone else by doing so. Since there weren't any standing desks, I would either stand myself near a wall or an unused desk I could lean on and carry a clipboard, or I would occasionally grab a music stand or an unused lectern. I had never felt particularly uncomfortable in a normal desk before, but for the first time I really felt unconstrained by my environment. I'm naturally somewhat fidgety, and gaining the ability to readjust my body comfortably without bothering anyone and to pace around the classroom (even in a very small area) really allowed me to get my blood flowing more easily and prevented me from being distracted from any discomfort I had in a desk built for people who were both smaller than I was at the time and who were not left-handed. Talking to the teacher (or even to other students) feels much more intimate, as your vision isn't obstructed by the back of someone's head. Something I didn't expect was that when participating in class discussions, I felt more expressive, as I tend to move my hands and arms when I speak, something I couldn't do easily in a sitting desk. I wonder, though, whether or not some of both the student's and my improvements were caused by being on a different plane from the rest of the class. I also wonder what effect having some standing students in a classroom would have on the seated children. I was once told that I was somewhat intimidating when I was the only one standing in the classroom. I don't know whether standing desks are the best option for everyone, but they're certainly a better option for some, and I'm glad to see standing desks being given greater consideration nowadays.
jesserwilliams 12y ago
I use a standing desk for work, the majority of the time I sit on my chair. But around 2:30pm, the ability to stand up for the rest of the day is a life saver. I know if I had a standing desk thorough high school, my 5th & 6th block classes would have been much easier to stay awake through.
sparkzilla 12y ago
As if school isn't bad enough for many kids. Hey teacher, leave the kids alone!
nnnnni 12y ago
I used to get trouble in school for standing at my desk rather than sitting... They thought that I wasn't paying attention because of some behavioral problem. It turns out that I was finishing/understanding my work early and getting bored. I think that the standing desk with bar stool combination that someone else mentioned would be a great idea for schools!
knope 12y ago
lol... this trend is striking me as stupid. perhaps it works for a few... perhaps switching from standing to sitting to get the jitters out.. but i would adjust an adjacent desk to the height of a chair and sit on it halfway through the day... cause then im not wondering why the fuck im in a standing position doing something my brain tells me i should do sitting...
Scribblenaut9 12y ago
Is there any reason we need to buy a special desk just so kids can stand? IMO you could get the same result by allowing kids to stand up if they need to or even better: stop killing recess, defunding gym, and banning dodgeball. Besides that, I don't think I would like the standing desk thing. I'd want to sit sometimes and lean back in a chair.

56 points by shill 12y ago

No... When I was in 5th grade, we did not have chairs or anything for our violin class. It wasn't fun, we had to stand for the entire class (which to 5th grade me was very annoying.) We got to sit down for 30 seconds in the middle of class as a "rest period" That didn't make me want to go to the class. If this gets implemented you might end up making kids dislike the classroom even more.

3rd3 12y ago
Looks like they have tiny bar stools for that reason: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/files/2014/10/Stand-2-Learn-Standing-desk-1-300x450.jpeg http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/files/2014/10/Stand-2-Learn-...
momokatte 12y ago
If you pair a tall shop stool with a standing desk, like the Stand2Learn desk and stool shown in the article, you don't have to stand 100% of the time and the desk doesn't have to be adjustable between a sitting and standing position. I had this kind of setup in a drafting class in high school and a few art classes in college, and now I've spent the last 5 months with a similar setup for computer use at work and home. I probably stand 2/3 of the time and sit 1/3 of the time, and sometimes I hop up and down to really get the blood flowing or pace around when I'm frustrated with something or trying to wrap my head around an abstract concept. I feel significantly healthier these days than I did when I was sitting in a desk chair 11-14 hours a day (combined work and home). Just as an aside, if you're going to stand and read a book or use a tablet or phone, you'll want an angled platform to avoid neck strain.

MrZongle2 12y ago

Speaking as a parent: do you know how you help students focus in the classroom? Stop preventing them from socializing during lunch. Allow them to get outside for more than 15 minutes so they can work off some of that excess energy, both physical and mental. Stop helicoptering around them on the playground and let them be kids. Everything else (aside from diagnosed learning disabilities) is just treating the damn symptoms caused by "experts" attempting to "fix" what hasn't been broken in schools for decades. But don't take my word for it. Talk to a few involved parents of elementary school children. Are the kids forced to be quiet during their 15-20 minute lunch break? Have some traditional recess games such as tag been banned? Are troublesome students punished by being kept in during recess?

Broken_Hippo 12y ago
I agree completely: It isn't standing desks that are needed, it is more actual movement and breaks from sitting. I'll admit I would have used it some as a student, but I'd have been just as happy with a space on the floor I could move about on. Recess and down time is important, not just movement, which the article tends to overlook. Finland does this already - less lecture and breaks more often and have had fantastic results. In fact, recess and free time are something I noticed quickly after moving from the US to Norway. The nearby elementary almost always has children outside playing. Actually playing. In wet sand, in puddles, climbing, running, soccer... so many things kids do that they would forbidden to do in the states.

pbreit 12y ago

Ikea has recently begun offering a pair of electrically adjusting sit/stand desks: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022270/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022270/

jseliger 12y ago
Holy shit. That's amazing. I use a Geekdesk (http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-writing-space-post/ http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/the-geekdesk-writin...) and it cost twice as much. Is it twice as good? Maybe. But even something that's not as good but half the price will be within range of MANY more people. One question: do the Ikea versions remember their heights? That to me is a killer feature, because trying to figure out the "right" spot every time a desk goes up and down would make me insane.
- grimman 12y ago
  I'm having a tough time tracking down anybody saying it does, in fact, have memory functionality. That's certainly a feature you'd want to advertise, so it seems reasonable to assume that it doesn't have that particular feature.
  - jseliger 12y ago
    Geekdesk does. I have four settings, presumably two for one person (an up and a down) and two for a second; I don't actually share my desk, though.
  - joezydeco 12y ago
    Would a piece of masking tape on the leg suffice as a memory feature?
    - joshkpeterson 12y ago
      Yeah or hang two pieces of string off the side of the desk. DIY it!

yzzxy 12y ago

I think a better solution is one of the several pedal desks available today[0]. Kids who are tired can relax without disrupting class or their learning, and those who have energy to get out can pedal all day. Standing in class all day would be a nightmare. I'm transitioning to a personal standing desk right now, but I would NEVER want to use one in class - school is physically tension-inducing and uncomfortable for a myriad of reasons and forcing students to stand up would only exacerbate that problem. [0] http://www.gophersport.com/item/kinesthetic-classroom-pedal-desks http://www.gophersport.com/item/kinesthetic-classroom-pedal-...

deskamess 12y ago
Off the main topic, but perhaps relevant.... based on personal experience, exercises like biking (esp stationary) and rowing (leg part) can cause piriformis syndrome[1] if not complemented with a set of actions targeting orthogonal actions/muscle movement. During the winter I knew I would not go to the gym, so I purchased an exercise bike and used it religiously every two days. I was exercising but there was a pain in the buttocks and it was getting worse and I finally had to stop. Sitting at work caused pain after 1 hr, then 30 minutes, then 15. Driving to work caused pain. Stopping the bike did not help alleviate the problem. Went to the Dr who referred me to a physio. None of the exercises given to me helped. It took me a while to diagnose what I was experiencing - googling symptoms finally led me to a set of exercises that has helped incredibly. I am not fixed yet; I have to do the exercises ideally twice a day or at a minimum once every two days. It is much much better but it was torture when undiagnosed. So if you have pain in the "middle of each or both buttocks" when sitting for a small amount of time, consider piriformis syndrome. If you feel you are constantly clenching your buttocks read up on it as well. The exercises to get relief are very simple, can be done lying down, and start showing promise after about 2 days. The exercises I do are on Youtube. Which reminds me... I need to call my physio and let her know... hopefully this information helps someone else. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome
- j_s 12y ago
  Can you link the exercises? That would probably be the most helpful information.

judk 12y ago

Remember how Agile invented the "standup meeting" specifically to leverage the fact that no one wants to stand still for over 15 minutes? Maybe the problem is that demanding students focus in the classroom for 5 hours of lecture per day is a stupid goal.

eli173 12y ago

In the latter part of high school, I began standing in the classes where I both knew the teacher fairly well and didn't think I would bother anyone else by doing so. Since there weren't any standing desks, I would either stand myself near a wall or an unused desk I could lean on and carry a clipboard, or I would occasionally grab a music stand or an unused lectern. I had never felt particularly uncomfortable in a normal desk before, but for the first time I really felt unconstrained by my environment. I'm naturally somewhat fidgety, and gaining the ability to readjust my body comfortably without bothering anyone and to pace around the classroom (even in a very small area) really allowed me to get my blood flowing more easily and prevented me from being distracted from any discomfort I had in a desk built for people who were both smaller than I was at the time and who were not left-handed. Talking to the teacher (or even to other students) feels much more intimate, as your vision isn't obstructed by the back of someone's head. Something I didn't expect was that when participating in class discussions, I felt more expressive, as I tend to move my hands and arms when I speak, something I couldn't do easily in a sitting desk. I wonder, though, whether or not some of both the student's and my improvements were caused by being on a different plane from the rest of the class. I also wonder what effect having some standing students in a classroom would have on the seated children. I was once told that I was somewhat intimidating when I was the only one standing in the classroom. I don't know whether standing desks are the best option for everyone, but they're certainly a better option for some, and I'm glad to see standing desks being given greater consideration nowadays.

jesserwilliams 12y ago

I use a standing desk for work, the majority of the time I sit on my chair. But around 2:30pm, the ability to stand up for the rest of the day is a life saver. I know if I had a standing desk thorough high school, my 5th & 6th block classes would have been much easier to stay awake through.

sparkzilla 12y ago

As if school isn't bad enough for many kids. Hey teacher, leave the kids alone!

nnnnni 12y ago

I used to get trouble in school for standing at my desk rather than sitting... They thought that I wasn't paying attention because of some behavioral problem. It turns out that I was finishing/understanding my work early and getting bored. I think that the standing desk with bar stool combination that someone else mentioned would be a great idea for schools!

knope 12y ago

lol... this trend is striking me as stupid. perhaps it works for a few... perhaps switching from standing to sitting to get the jitters out.. but i would adjust an adjacent desk to the height of a chair and sit on it halfway through the day... cause then im not wondering why the fuck im in a standing position doing something my brain tells me i should do sitting...

Scribblenaut9 12y ago

Is there any reason we need to buy a special desk just so kids can stand? IMO you could get the same result by allowing kids to stand up if they need to or even better: stop killing recess, defunding gym, and banning dodgeball. Besides that, I don't think I would like the standing desk thing. I'd want to sit sometimes and lean back in a chair.