What if I told you there was an easy and free way to help kids perform higher on standardized tests? And I'm not talking a .05% difference. I'm talking 20%. According to Dr. James Levine director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative (and creator of the first treadmill desk) there's a simple solution: standing.
As TIME reports Levine conducted an experiment in Rochester Minn. with the aid of Apple on a concept that revolutionized a traditional classroom style. In a lot of classrooms students are sitting at a desk with desk chairs and they listen to the teacher talk. However Levine rethought the traditional classroom model and encouraged students to move stand and be active during their classroom time.
Levine and his team strapped sensors to students' legs and backs. Each student had a mobile station with their laptop (a standing desk if you will) and they could sit on provided benches when they wanted but primarily they would be standing and moving around during the school day.
After two months the results were pretty impressive. According to teachers "the students took fewer bathroom breaks engaged in less frivolous movement and related better to each other." And teachers weren't the only ones who noticed a change. Their kids were less stressed at the end of the day ... and more excited to do their homework. Plus the sensors showed that compared to their regular classroom students with a mobile desk doubled their activity level. And the best part? Students scored up to 30% higher on state standardized tests than previous testing. Coincidence? I think not.
As we talk about in our ebook the benefits of standing and using a stand up desk are incredible. They're noticeable. And they make a difference in lives--from young impressionable students to the CEO of a company. Find out how you can incorporate a standing desk into your everyday work life. And you might want to consider throwing away the kids' desk and chair ... and replacing it with a standing desk! It's never too early to start teaching your kids the value of standing.
