Flexible Seating

in the Classroom
By Haley Mattei
Liberal Studies
 The Agenda:

Methods/
Purpose Research Findings Conclusion
The Traditional Classroom:
The Flexible Classroom:
Arrival Story:

Growing up and
still today, I was
not a traditional
learner. Sitting in
rows and listening
to lectures never
worked for me.
The Purpose of my Capstone..
 Did you know? Children spend about 7.5 hours a
day sitting! 4.5 hours are from sitting at school!

www.heartfoundation.org
 1) How is flexible seating
Research beneficial to students?
Questions:
2) What are strategic ways
to implement flexible
seating into the
classroom?
Literature Review:

1997
January 2017 November 2015 THE ORIGIN OF EVERYDAY
MOODS: MANAGING ENERGY,
FLEXIBLE AND ALTERNATIVE SITTING TOO LONG IS BAD
TENSION, AND STRESS By
SEATING IN CLASSROOMS FOR KIDS HEALTH By Health Robert E. Thayer
By Yanina C. Jimenez Corps

April 2016 November 2015

FLEXIBLE SEATING AND IMPACT OF PROLONGED
STUDENT - CENTERED SITTING ON VASCULAR
CLASSROOM REDESIGN By FUNCTIONING IN YOUNG
Kayla Delzer GIRLS By Ali McManus
 McManus, Ali et al., “Impact of Prolonged Sitting on
Vascular Function in Young Girls,” Experimental
Physiology 100:11 (November 2015): 1379-1387. doi:
What does sitting 10.1113/EP085355.
in desks for
prolonged times do 1) Nine girls participated in the study.

to our body? 2) Children are spending more than 60% of their waking
day sedentary.

3) Early deterioration in vascular function, are significant

in the development of cardiovascular disease (Aggoun
et al. 2005).
 Jimenez, Y. C. (2017). Flexible and alternative seating in
classrooms. Retrieved July 08, 2017, from
https://jae.adventist.org/en/2017.1.7.
Strategic ways to
1) Teachers should encourage children to stand up and
implement flexible move around at least every hour.
seating into the 2) Teachers must ensure that the students’ postures and
classroom: movements do not impede their learning or that of
their peers.

3) “They (students) didn’t have to move out of their place

as much as they used to, since they could move in
place instead. This helped everybody to better focus
while enjoying more tranquility in the classroom.”
 Delzer, K. (2016, April 22). Flexible seating and
student-centered classroom redesign.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/flexible-seating-stud
ent-centered-classroom-kayla-delzer
How is flexible 1) When sitting in a coffee shop you see people sitting in
seating beneficial a variety of seats happily engaged in their work.
to students?
2) Some immediate benefits of flexible seating include
burning more calories, using up excess energy,
improving metabolism, increased motivation and
engagement, creating a better oxygen flow to the
brain, and improving core strength and overall posture.

3) With flexible seating, teachers are giving students the

opportunity to learn about themselves and choose
where they are able to better engage and participate
in activities
My Research Methods:

Method 3:
Method 2: Secondary Data
Method 1:
Literature Analysis
Observations
Review
 Implementing Flexible
Findings: Seating
I will share examples, quotes,
and stories that highlight my
findings.
Results

Health Risks that Flexible

Seating can Prevent
 Implementing Flexible Seating
● Giving the students the choice of being: on the floor (carpeted or tiled);
● on/under a blanket, pillow, or lap-sized bean bag;
● on a couch or futon;
● on various types of chairs.
● on large bouncy balls;
● standing; or even
● lying down on their stomachs or backs!
● “If we truly want to prepare our students for the real world, we need to put them in
responsive, dynamic environments that reflect life outside of a traditional classroom.
and what’s that life outside like? full of choices.” (Delzer)
 Results
● One teacher noted that in a flexible
seating plan, students took fewer
unnecessary trips to the bathroom
and water fountains, and readily
moved when they needed to remain
focused. (Jimenez)
● The overall comfort level of a
classroom environment plays a factor
in student achievement and success.
● Studies suggest that children who
participate in short bouts of physical
activity within the classroom have
more on-task behavior, with the best
improvement seen in students who
are least on-task initially (Mahar,
2006)
Health Risks that Flexible Seating Can
Prevent
● If children and young adults don’t ● Studies on classroom seating suggest
move often during the day.Their risk that sustained sitting in regular
for diseases such as diabetes, obesity, classroom chairs is unhealthy for
heart disease, and other metabolic children’s bodies, particularly their
diseases increases.(Health Corps) backs (Schilling, 2004).
● Unique to this particular study was
the fact that even if the person (child
or adult) exercised daily, the
worrisome changes remained if
much of the rest of the day was
sedentary in nature. (Health Corps)
Flexible Seating Elevates Student Engagement
Breaking up rows of desks fosters collaboration and empowers kids to
think about how they work best.
Works Cited:

Delzer, K. (2016, April 22). Flexible seating and student-centered classroom redesign.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/flexible-seating-student-centered-classroom-kayla-delzer

Health Corps, “Sitting Too Long Is Bad for Kids’ Health” (November 2015):
https://www.healthcorps.org/sitting-too-long-is-bad-for-kids-health/.

Jimenez, Y. C. (2017). Flexible and alternative seating in classrooms. Retrieved July 08, 2017,
from https://jae.adventist.org/en/2017.1.7.

McManus, Ali et al., “Impact of Prolonged Sitting on Vascular Function in Young Girls,”
Experimental Physiology 100:11 (November 2015): 1379-1387. doi: 10.1113/EP085355.

Thayer, Robert E. The Origin of Everyday Moods: Managing Energy, Tension, and Stress
(Oxford University Press, 1997).

Schilling, D. L., & Schwartz, I. S. (2004). Alternative seating for young children with autism spectrum disorder:
Effects on classroom behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34(4), 423-432
Conclusion:
Questions or Comments?