The extent to which students are able to reach their academic potential is surprisingly more dependent on their classroom furniture than you think.
The average student spends 60 per cent of their day sitting in a classroom. If they’re spending that amount of time sitting uncomfortably on poorly made school furniture, this can quickly lead to fatigue, neck and back strain, as well as restlessness and discomfort. This often results in a diminished attention span and reduced learning potential.
Research shows that ergonomic classroom furniture has a positive impact on student’s academic performance and behaviour. So, incorporating school furniture like sit stand desks, height adjustable chairs and swivel stools can all contribute to an improvement in their overall grades.
There simply is no ‘one-size-fits-all' approach to ergonomic school furniture. No one student is built the same as the next, so expecting students to sit comfortably on generic classroom furniture and stay engaged all lesson is highly unlikely.
Whilst it’s unrealistic for school furniture to be manufactured according to each individual student, investing in classroom furniture with height adjustable features will allow students to get a more custom seating solution for their individual height and weight requirements.
As we previously discussed, classroom furniture makes for comfortable students who are more engaged and attentive during class. The right school furniture will ensure students can maximise their concentration, improve their communication and take in the most information.
Using sit/stand classroom furniture that features a greater height adjustability range has been proven to significantly improve students’ learning, memory retention and exam outcomes, especially for kinaesthetic learners.
Adjustable, flexible chairs like the Jari Dynamic Activstool feature height adjustability features to accommodate for an extensive range of people, from kindergarteners through to teachers. Not only do they provide necessary ergonomic support, but they promote movement, which stimulates focus and concentration.
As classrooms become more dynamic and engaging, so should the classroom furniture. Flexible desks and chairs encourage active learning by allowing students to easily reconfigure classroom desks and chairs to form small groups and support collaborative learning.
This flexible classroom furniture and equipment can help support the creativity of your students and allow them to actively engage in classroom discussions to deepen their knowledge and cognitive function.
Source: Sylex Ergonomics
The best ergonomic practice within the classroom is to feature a wide range of furniture that allow for individual height adjustability. This doesn’t exclusively mean traditional classroom tables and chairs, but integrating flexible furniture as well. This enables students to select the desk and chair most appropriate to their own stature.
Using anthropometric guidelines, you can properly set the heights of individual, height adjustable furniture to the needs of your students. This includes adjusting the height of common tables and chairs to ensure students’ feet are placed flat on the floor and they have adequate back support to help maintain the natural alignment of their spine.
While most classroom chairs don’t offer individual height adjustability settings, it’s important to look for chairs that are manufactured to accommodate for a range of age groups. This is because high quality, ergonomic classroom chairs understand that each age group have specific height requirements to ensure they provide maximum ergonomic support.
We know this is a lot to take in, but ergonomics in the classroom is tantamount to the performance of your students. At Reed, we can advise you on best ergonomic practices according to each year level.
Help your students improve their academic performance, engagement and focus by investing in high-quality, flexible ergonomic furniture.
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