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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — As English class started at City High Wednesday, some students took their seats. Others chose to stand at the school's new standing desks.
Less than two weeks ago, English teacher Ali Borger-Germann installed 32 standing desks with flexible footrests and stools in her classroom to give students the option of learning on their feet.
On Wednesday, several students said they support the new classroom arrangement, while Borger-Germann said the desks brought about changes in the classroom's atmosphere.
Borger-Germann said she's noticed how the new desks changed the power dynamic in her classroom by allowing students to stand eye-to-eye with her as they learn.
"We are functioning on the same level, and I think that's appropriate for high-school learners," she said.
Serena Collins, 15, a 10th-grade student in Borger-Germann's class, said she loves the standing desks so much, they were the first thing she mentioned when she found out her cousin was planning to visit the school.
Collins, a cross-country runner, said sitting all day "makes you feel antsy." She said she prefers furniture that promotes motion and exertion.
The plan to install standing desks at City High began with a personal choice Borger-Germann made in 2014. She said she brought a standing desk into the classroom for herself to help with her neck and back issues.
Borger-Germann said research on standing desks piqued her interest in outfitting the rest of the classroom with them. She said the research she read suggested the desks help students learn more attentively and burn calories.
A recent study on the neurocognitive benefits of standing school desks, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2015, suggests continued use of standing desks is associated with improved thinking skills and memory capabilities. The research, which looked at high school students in Texas, also suggested the standing desks activated students' frontal lobes, which control cognitive skills.
Borger-Germann said that while standing desks might not work in all classrooms, she wants to see how they work in her own space, noting students have had mixed reactions.
"I think it'll just take time," she said.
Tenth-grader Max Meyer, 15, said some of his peers love the desks, while others seem to hate them. He said he is among those who love the desks.
Meyer said the desks help him use his laptop and make it easier for classmates to interact during group projects. He said he always chooses to stand rather than sit.
"I think it just feels healthier to stand up a lot of the time," he said.
City High is not the only high school in eastern Iowa trying out standing-height furniture. Matt Cain, a teacher at West Branch High, said he began using standing lab tables in his classroom in December.
Cain said the taller tables promote movement and allow students to collaborate, because they make it easier to huddle around a laptop, for example.
"They wouldn't really be able to do that at a sitting-height desk," he said.
Cain said his students seem to prefer the standing tables. He said a grant from the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council allowed the school to purchase taller stools and raise Cain's existing lab tables.
At City High, officials bought the standing desks to replace older desks in the building. Assistant Principal Scott Jespersen said the standing desks cost roughly $2,000 more than a traditional set of desks. The school paid for them from a school district fund for building needs, he said.
Jespersen said the decision to take the plunge on standing desks came after several teachers mentioned the idea. He said officials hoped the desks would help students pay attention and learn actively in class.
"We're always looking to increase engagement," he said.
Jespersen said any decision to bring more standing desks to City High would come after an assessment of how they worked out in Borger-Germann's classroom.
Jessica Sheffield, 15, also a 10th-grade student in Borger-Germann's class, said she likes the idea of adding taller desks in other classrooms, particularly for math class. She said the desks during English class help her get work done at her laptop.
Sheffield said she sometimes gets restless and loses focus at traditional desks but said the standing desks seem to alleviate these issues.
"At least, for me, that's how it is," she said.
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Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/
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