The Optimal Classroom Chair? Let Learners Decide.

Kids and teens seem to intuitively know how and where they concentrate best.

Just look in a modern K12 classroom. Students might be sitting, standing, kneeling, rocking, or even propped on the floor.

This, of course, begs the question. How can schools possibly find optimal classroom seating for optimal learning? Is it a chair? A stool? A rocker or cushion? Empower your learners. Provide options, then let students pick their preferences.

What is an Empowered Student?

Not what you may think. Creating empowered students doesn’t mean letting minors rule the classroom roost or catering to their every entitled demand. As a concept, empowerment was first used in the workplace to describe a healthy, productive manager-employee relationship. Eventually, it migrated to education, with “manager-employee” becoming “teacher-student.” Dr. Maryellen Weimer, an educational expert and author, clarifies what empowering students means today.

“It’s about how students approach learning – motivated, confident and ready to tackle a task.” And, she says, teachers can play a critical role in doing so, with meaningful academic results. “When students are empowered, they learn more, and they learn better.”

Seating as an Empowerment Tool

There’s no shortage of online listicles about how to empower students. But a common denominator consistently appears. Give students choices in how they can personalize their learning experience. Seating is a great entry point.

The good news is that modern classroom design now embraces flexible seating plans to accommodate 21^st Century pedagogy. Teachers see tangible benefits in tailoring seating configurations for independent work, STEM or STEAM, collaborative learning, and fishbowl or large-group discussions.

It’s natural for this movement to evolve into providing physical seating options. That means letting students trust their inner gravitational pull to a specific chair or chairs (in the broadest sense), be it Flavors® Noodle Seating or a new Oodle® (more on this below.)

Understand Student Preferences

It begins with engaging the sitters. Ask them what seating they feel suits them best. Keep in mind, every kid is different. Some may know, some may not. And some may need to experiment and then switch it up, especially as they grow. For example, an active kindergarten kid might

Smith System's Oodle® Stool

love flexible seating that moves with his or her busy body. A few years later, that same student might prefer less movement, but like four-way directional seating on wheels for collaborative learning and lounge seating for quiet reading.

Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, CA, took a highly collaborative approach to understand how its students learn best. Summit is a high-performing 9 – 12 charter school of about 400 students. It leverages a personalized pedagogy and smart use of technology to help a largely underserved demographic. In her recent story for Edutopia, educational writer Emelina Minero explained.

Minero agrees on the importance of knowing student needs upfront before planning a classroom’s physical space. It’s a perfect time to also ask students about their favorite seating. She recommends a survey or classroom-wide discussion.

Questions can include asking sitters seating questions like: Hard or soft? Traditional size, stool or adjustable? Firm or flexible? Stationary or rocking? What about casters? Do they want their chair paired with a desk or table?

Remember, it’s not enough to ask students about seating preferences or make empty promises. True student empowerment and self-confidence grows from collaborating with them to make real solutions materialize. Granted, budget limits exist for every school. At a minimum, provide a realistic timeline for phasing seating options into the classroom, or work on alternatives. Students will appreciate the personalized effort to help them learn.

Smith Options: A Buffet of Seating Choices

Smith System® gets that students come in different sizes with vastly different learning and seating needs. Classroom furniture must also fully support 21^st Century learning, not detract from it. Smith offers educators several practical, durable and flexible seating products that are investments in timelessness, not trends. Each can help students figure out how they learn best.

Flavors® Noodle Chair is like sitting on an exercise ball, but with the stability of four legs and a backrest.