My students need stools, bungee cords, zip ties, and pool noodes to create standing desks with footswings in order to help them focus and stay on task in class.
One of the biggest challenges for my students is staying on task and staying focused. Unfortunately, some of their behaviors often get in the way of showing how smart they really are. My goal is to help them find ways to focus and still find an outlet for their energy.
My students are special education students that need extra support in order to be successful in the general education classroom.
In beginning this project, I was aiming to help some of the students who just can't sit still and are often fidgety. In surveying one group of students about the use of standing desks and foot swings, I was in shock when I saw whose hand shot up first. The quietest, most well behaved student sincerely expressed how this would really help them in school. It was that moment that I realized sitting in school is not just difficult for those that outwardly show it, but there was possibly an entire group that inwardly struggle to stay focused, but never show it. My goal then changed to providing a way for ALL students to focus better and still have an outlet for their energy. General education teachers often express their stress over fidgety students. These desks and swings can also be set up in the general education classroom.
My Project
Brand new standing desks cost around $300 each and then need a stool. This would not fit within our budget. With the help of a parent, and a local hardware store, I spent the summer trying to reconfigure the desks we had to standing desks. We were able to use PVC pipe and convert each desk to a standing desk for about $15. Additionally, the foot swings I had been trying to design over the last year, were difficult and time consuming to set up. We worked on a new design using pvc pipe, covered in a pool noodle to reduce any noise. These are then attached to the desk with bungee cords, so it also bounces, and is held in place with zip ties. The ease of installing these swings also had made it possible to put them on the student's desks in the general education classroom. Teachers that do not even have any of my special education students in their classes are now requesting foot swings. One teacher has also had me set up 4 standing desks in her room that students rotate using.
To begin with, the stools will provide an option for students that do not want to stand.
I have been purchasing some at garage sales, however, have found that many of them are not sturdy. Data collected over the last two weeks has shown that 75% of the time students in my class are using the foot swings. Of that group, 82% were on task. Our first target is to hit 85% on task. The vision of having students on task will never be achieved by repeatedly telling the student over and over to focus.
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