Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2017 | Page 22

Learning Environments
in class, regularly switch between sitting
and standing and improve their overall
well-being and academic performance.
With more attentive students, teachers
can build on lesson plans with supple-
mentary course material that leads to
better academic outcomes for students.
And when focus wanes, students intui-
tively know it’s time to stand.
“All teachers pride ourselves on
being able to know who our students
are. If we’ve been sitting and everybody
starts to get a little flat, it’s time to stand
up,” said Jason Rhodes, a ninth-grade
teacher at Dr. Kirk Lewis Career &
Technical High School.
Flexible Spaces Lead to
Greater Personalization
Integrating regular movement into
the classroom not only supports stu-
dents’ health and academic outcomes
– it promotes personalized learning.
Teachers must accommodate different
kinds of learners, but with out-of-the-
box classroom furniture, they’re limited
by time and resources to adjust.
As our digital world continues to
evolve, learning spaces need to also
evolve to promote collaboration and
flexibility. Many districts are already
adopting new teaching methodolo-
gies to approach education in a new
way for today’s learners. In flipped
classrooms where students tackle
detailed “homework” assignments,
learning spaces need to be instantly
adaptable to move from whole-class
instruction to collaborative groups
to individual student-teacher work
sessions.
Sit-stand desks help teachers meet
students where they are at, addressing
their individual learning styles more
effectively. Raising or lowering the sit-
stand desk allows students to learn in
the way that feels most natural to them.
“These desks are a part of personal-
ized learning because they give stu-
dents freedom to be more comfortable,
more focused and attentive,” said Alex
Brahm, a World History, World Reli-
gions, Theory of Knowledge teacher at
Lamar High School in Houston, TX
22 essentials | fall 2017
And with flexible class-
room furniture, teachers
can easily reconfigure the
classroom for group collab-
With more
oration, peer-to-peer work
or one-on-one instruction.
attentive students,
It no longer takes dedicated
desks, school
teachers can build
time to drag heavy desks
leaders can provide
on lesson plans with
into new formations that
the non-disrup-
only work for one learning
supplementary course tive activity that
style. Teachers can easily
both students and
material that leads to
experiment with new ap-
teachers need to
better academic
proaches and continuously
succeed. This sin-
innovate in the classroom
outcomes for
gle investment pays
without the constraints of
off in innovative
students.
traditional classroom fur-
teaching strategies,
niture. As they move away
assessment scores,
from a lecture-style format,
engagement rates
they take on the role of a facilitator
and overall student well-being. These
working to meet both individual and
desks also impact other departments in
group needs.
the school because with endless combi-
“There’s never a moment when
nations of classroom formats available
the actual physical space gets in the
without facility involvement, facilities
way of learning the material,” Mon-
staff can focus on other concerns
ica Escobar, a fifth grade teacher at
instead of directing efforts toward ful-
Alexandria Country Day School in
filling individual furniture requests.
Alexandria, VA, said after implement-
The next wave of technological
ing LearnFit desks.
advances will keep coming, bringing
Funding can serve as a barrier for
with it new opportunities and challeng-
some districts, but with a single invest-
es. But the fact remains, movement
ment facilities and operations leaders
matters for students, and flexible
have one solution for students and
classroom furniture like sit-stand desks
staff, reducing the number of costly
can convert student workspaces to be
orders and the management of multi-
healthy and personalized for their best
ple kinds of classroom furniture. It’s a
n
learning environment.
standardized solution that’s also flexi-
ble, encouraging teachers to broaden
their teaching approach and allowing
BOB HILL is the Healthcare and Edu-
cation Manager for Ergotron. He works
students to take control of their learn-
with schools
ing environment.
Stand Up for New
Learning Possibilities
Transforming a static, traditional
classroom into a learning environment
infused with movement opens doors
to renewed health and academic suc-
cess for students. No longer contained
in an environment that has a negative
impact on their bodies and well-be-
ing, students will be more engaged
and ready to take on new academic
challenges.
Equipped with tools like sit-stand
and healthcare
facilities around
the globe to
build greater
awareness of the
importance of
active learnstyles
and workstyles.
He helps build
ergonomic work
environments
that support the health and wellbeing
of employees, caregivers, teachers and
students in their diverse workflow and
workstyle requirements.