Stand and Deliver!

School:: Golden Gate High
Subject:: Language Arts
Teacher:: Courtney Cassidy
Students Impacted:: 150
Grade:: 9
Date:: August 30, 2016

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Michael and Andrea Schroeder - $375.00

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 90

Through this grant, our classroom environment has become even more conducive to the various learning needs of my students. Numerous school research studies have shown that students are more engaged in activity-permissive learning environments. Students have to sit in various classrooms throughout most of the day, so having the option to stand up and utilize a standing desk allows students the freedom of movement, something which is particularly helpful to the learning needs and styles of more active students and students working through attention issues. Students who have utilized the standing desks which have been placed around the classroom have reported increased focus, increased understanding, and increased overall feelings of well-being! Any student has access to the standing desk as long as they're available. Other teachers in my building have also asked to borrow them for their students! They've impacted the learning of every student in our classroom by creating a more focused, more engaged overall classroom experience and we are so thankful! We will be using these desks for years to come in many different classrooms.

grant photo

Francesca focusing on her assessment using a stand

Original Grant Overview

Goal

Have you ever sunk further and further into your chair during a meeting, feeling more and more confined or cramped to the point where you can’t wait to run out of the room kicking and screaming for your life? Have you ever felt sore or achy or sleepy at work and just longed to stand and stretch to rejuvenate? Well, our students feel the same way…and they have to sit for seven periods a day! Current research studies are showing that standing desks help students focus attention, feel more energetic, and fight obesity. Through student choice in the use of standing desks, student engagement and classroom interaction will positively increase, thus improving student learning. By offering this option to students who may feel overly confined or lethargic in traditional desks, we are catering to the learning needs and styles of our students!

What will be done with my students

Students will have a choice each day as to whether they would like to utilize a traditional desk or a standing desk. We are all different, and our needs change each day as well. Students will always have the choice as to whether they’d prefer to sit or stand during class. Through choice, students will feel more empowered in their learning styles, and their engagement will increase.

Benefits to my students

Are you sitting down? Well, maybe you shouldn’t be! Standing throughout the day increases blood circulation and alertness. It provides a sense of resolution to focus and gets thing done. Adults in the workplace report increased productivity when standing. Likewise, children, no matter their age, pay more attention when they aren’t sitting for long periods of time. The Ohio Education Association reports that research by the Mayo Clinic indicates that by allowing students to move and channel their energy during class, standing desks may help students stay more alert and feel more energetic. Burning off energy by standing up and moving around may also reduce behavior problems. Other potential benefits associated with stand-up learning include improved behavior and learning for ADHD students. In addition, the CDC-funded study in Texas reported that students in standing-desk classrooms who chose to stand for most of the class period expended 11 more calories per hour and 300 more per week than their sitting peers.
Amazon: Five height-adjustable desks: $75 each ($375),
“Standing Desks Fighting Obesity, Boosting Attention Spans in More US Classrooms” by Benjamin Fearnow, CBS Houston, August 28, 2014.
“Standing desks: The classroom of the future?” by Julie Deardorff, www.chicagotribune.com/news, August 7, 2012.
“Stand Up for Learning,” Ohio Education Association, www.ohea.org/stand-up-for-learning.

Budget Narrative

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Five height-adjustable desks/carts ($75 each)	$375.00
	Total:	$375.00

Please share this page to help in fulfilling this grant.