Standing Desks Simplify Collaboration and Get Kids Excited to Learn

“The whole atmosphere of the room changed,” Irving says. “They just became all business. They were very impressed and very proud of their desks.”

Since the LeanFit desks are on wheels, collaboration became instantly easier. Students didn’t have to drag furniture across the room to work together, they just wheeled their desks over. Irving, a math and science teacher, has even found ways to incorporate the standing desks into her lessons. When she taught angles, she had her students physically make angles by moving their desks around. The students wheeled their desks into a straight line, then a right angle, then an acute angle, etc.

“There’s just so much more collaboration going on over here,” Irving says.

The students also use more of the classroom space. Irving has the ability to create workstations and groups with ease. Three or four students can huddle together in one corner of the room using their desks and their iPads. In another corner, a group of students can work together on a different activity. In a matter of seconds, students can switch stations by rolling their desks over.

Although students technically stand all day, they aren’t rigid or idle, which keeps them from developing sore feet or backs. “We stretch when we need to. They prop one little foot up or sometimes they’ll sit down underneath the desk for a minute or two and pop back up,” Irving says. Students are encouraged to listen to their bodies and move or sit as necessary.

According to DiPuma, this change has had a tremendous impact on how students view school. It’s hard enough for adults to sit at a desk all day, never mind children.

“I definitely see more engagement. The kids seem more amped to be in the classroom,” he says. “It opened so many more doors for them and just made school more exciting.”