Dive Brief:

• Writing for Edutopia, first and second grade teacher John S. Thomas says students at the lowest grades can be taught to recognize their optimal work environment via flexible seating arrangements.
• Creating "work nooks" around his classroom, he arranged spaces where students could work while standing, laying on the floor, or sitting on T-stools, cushions or a variety of other furniture options.
• He notes that such a transition to more freedom requires adequate planning around offering a variety of workspaces, setting clear guidelines and expectations for behavior and where students can work, and identifying consequences for not following those guidelines — as well as a consideration of necessities like comfort and flat, stable surfaces for writing and electronics.

Dive Insight:

Recent years have seen a rethinking of classroom design as educators look to provide students with a more personalized education experience, breaking away from the one-size-fits-all approach of a teacher speaking at students seated uniformly in rows of desks. Open classroom designs, for example, seek to more closely mimic many modern collaborative work environments, and a number of studies have shown benefits for students using flexible seating options like standing desks. Data cited in an infographic from Ed Tech: Focus on K-12 suggests that less time sitting can lower insulin levels 15% and boost neurocognitive function from 7% to 14% over time.

Flexible seating approaches aren't entirely new in all areas of K-12, though. They've been a staple of the Montessori approach for years, and have also grown popular among private schools.