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Journal Review 1

The document discusses how flexible seating can increase student engagement in elementary classrooms. It summarizes a 2017 study that found 78% of students had high engagement using tall tables, 61% had high engagement using wiggle seats or low tables, and 52% had high engagement using traditional desks and chairs. The document argues that flexible seating allows students to learn in ways that match their individual preferences and styles, in contrast to traditional rows of desks. It concludes that flexible seating can help motivate the new generation of students by making learning more student-centered.

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54 views5 pages

Journal Review 1

The document discusses how flexible seating can increase student engagement in elementary classrooms. It summarizes a 2017 study that found 78% of students had high engagement using tall tables, 61% had high engagement using wiggle seats or low tables, and 52% had high engagement using traditional desks and chairs. The document argues that flexible seating allows students to learn in ways that match their individual preferences and styles, in contrast to traditional rows of desks. It concludes that flexible seating can help motivate the new generation of students by making learning more student-centered.

Uploaded by

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Running head: FLEXIBLE SEATING

Flexible Seating: Motivation in the Elementary Setting

Morgan Bamberger

Lebanon Valley College


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Running head: FLEXIBLE SEATING
Education needs to be constantly evolving to meet the needs of our students who learn in

different ways and by different means than previous generations. Technology plays a huge role

on the upcoming generations as they are going through school and preparing to eventually enter

the job field which will look a lot different than when we graduate and even more so than when

our grandparents were job hunting. These kids are preparing for jobs that may not even exist yet

in fields that are focusing more on their creative and collaborative minds. With this new

generation of kids being expected to do things in different ways than we were expected, we need

to be altering how they are learning to match the way they think. I believe flexible seating is an

important component to increasing student engagement and making the classroom a more

student centered environment for them to grow and learn. Traditional seating in rows may have

worked for past generations of learners, but this new wave of learners need to access their

creative and collaborative brains through a new design of classroom.

I chose a 2017 study called “Flexible Seating Influencing Student Engagement” done by

Northwestern College in Iowa. This study supports my belief that by giving the students some

more freedom in the class and making it a student centered learning environment, their

engagement in the material went up. According to the article, “the 21st century classroom is a

classroom that supports the growth of students in areas such as communication, creativity,

collaboration, and leadership skills (Burgeson, 2017).” I find this statement very important

because these students are growing up to pursue jobs in these categories, whereas past

generations were pursuing much more analytical careers. With a change in expectations, there

also needs to be a change in the educational process.

This study looked at 23 students aged 8 to 9 years old and a classroom with flexible

seating options including traditional desk and chair, yoga ball, standing table, low table, wiggle
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Running head: FLEXIBLE SEATING
seats, tall table and round chairs. The students started by being instructed where to sit to make

sure they got a chance in each option several times over several weeks before they were allowed

the freedom to pick where they sat. They were instructed to really focus on their level of

engagement while using each option. A Linkert scale was used where the students rated each of

their engagement levels on a scale of 1-3. The results showed that 78% of the students showed

high engagement while using the tall tables, 61% of the students showed high engagement in

both the wiggle seats and the low tables, and 52% of the students showed high engagement in the

traditional desk and chair (Burgeson, 2017). These were the three highest rated seating options

for these particular 23 students. The results show us that each child learns best in different work

settings and even at a young age, they can determine which setting this is.

It surprised me at first at how high of a percentage the traditional desk and chairs where

for a group of 8 to 9 year old students because of all of the options they were given. This just

shows that students have different preferences and work better in different environments. Choice

provides the students with a sense of freedom and the feeling that the classroom is in part theirs.

No two students are exactly the same and we need to make sure we are doing what we can to

address that. The traditional classroom had a place in time where it was effective for the types of

learners that were present in it; however, I believe it is time a for change to motivate the

upcoming generation to promote a want to be lifelong learners.

I like that this study looked at student engagement because I believe engagement in the

class is the first step to the learning process. This engagement is accessed in different ways like

the relationship the students have with the teacher, but also the environment they are being put

in. They need to feel comfortable and want to be there in order to embrace the learning process.

I agree with the information presented in this study and the way they chose to collect the data.
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Running head: FLEXIBLE SEATING
This issue will have a lasting impact on my future career in making sure I am providing options

for my students to be actively engaged and learning. It may not happen right away due to

financial reasons, but little by little I plan on integrating a flexible classroom and plan on having

student input on what helps them learn most effectively. I plan on involving both students and

parents in the formation of my classroom based on what they believe will be best for the

students. I would also involve administration with results of my findings in hopes to get more

classrooms to go student centered and maybe receive grants to help with the flexible seating

options. I cannot wait to get my own classroom and get the opportunity to try out the flexible

seating options with my students.


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Running head: FLEXIBLE SEATING
Reference

Burgeon, S. (2017). Flexible Seating Influencing Student Engagement. Retrieved February 6,

2020, from

https://nwcommons.nwciowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1055&context=education_masters

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