The consensus of the students in Mallory Warrick's second grade class in Hewitt, Texas is that they love the furniture. They won't get to keep it all semester, but during the next six or seven weeks students at Sun Valley Elementary School will enjoy it and be part of a research project.
The Student Engagement Research Project is a collaborative effort between the Midway Independent School District, the BRIC, Region 12 Education Service Center, and Huckabee, a design firm.
The colorful chairs, a mix of red and blue, and orange stools or stackable pillows are part of a study looking into how flexibility can affect student learning and engagement.
Researchers expect this furniture, which is designed to wiggle and be adjusted, may help students stay focused.
"There's a lot of variables in a classroom environment that have an impact on a child's learning and engagement,” Baylor Assistant Vice Provost for Research Todd A. Buchs said.
“It can be the lighting. It can be the furniture. It can be the noise level. It can be so many different things and it's different for every child,” he said.