Innovative desks installed in three schools in Lviv, where you can work standing and sitting: photo
Innovative desks have been installed in three schools in Lviv, where you can work standing and sitting. This will allow children to be less tired from sitting and concentrating.
This was announced during the presentation by the head of the "Let the Children Move" project, Bohdan Tsiuvanyk, Ukrinform reports.
"I have four children myself and every day I use their example to make sure that these desks work. Since we set up such a desk at home, it's easier for the little ones to concentrate on their studies, and even now no one will slouch doing their homework. When talking to the teachers within the project, we had a problem. Some children, on the other hand, don't want to go back to their regular desks and ask to stay behind a "standing desk." We're happy with these responses because they mean that children really lack movement, so we're on the right track," said Tsiuvanyk.
According to him, in Lviv, the pilot project is being implemented based on three educational institutions: in school №31, lyceum named after Vasyl Stus, and lyceum №52 named after Mykola Lobachevskyi. Currently, it operates only in the first grades, but the project also accepts applications from teachers or parents of senior students. Every 15 minutes, students change their position from sitting to standing and vice versa. This change of posture takes less than one minute and doesn't interfere with the learning process. Teachers and initiators of the project in no way force children to stand all the time, but only recommend a regular change of posture and create appropriate conditions for this in the classroom.
"The most important thing a teacher should take care of is the child's health! That's why I support everything that will help me implement this principle. I'll say frankly that at first, I was skeptical about trying desks with students. Students like desks. Change of posture helps change the activity. This project takes care of the children! About their comfort, health, educational achievements, which are already improving significantly," said Natalia Yaiko, a teacher-methodologist at the Lviv National Center for Education and Science.
The pilot project is under the supervision of physicians from the medical centers, "Innovo" and "Haiduk Pediatrics."
The first-graders from the pilot classes undergo a medical examination in September-October and a similar examination will take place at the end of the school year. In addition, regular testing of students' attention and memory, as well as their living conditions, will be conducted during the training. The desks will stay with the children until the 11th grade, so if necessary, the research will continue.
According to physical therapist Yaropolk Pshyk, this project will contribute to the education and formation of a healthier nation. This counteracts hypodynamia, which, in turn, leads to several diseases and disorders.
The initiators say that the research methodology itself was developed by specialists from the Laboratory of Social Determinants of Children's Health, Marzeiev Institute of Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.
Their research focuses on school factors and children's lifestyles that affect health. In previous years, it was found that a sedentary lifestyle is characteristic of 75.6% of modern urban middle school students. Moreover, girls are 2.5 times more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle than boys. Experts in the laboratory have proved that at a low level of motor activity, the probability of multiple pathologies (more than 3 diseases) increases almost 4 times in children and adolescents, and the probability of developing neuroses increases 2.5 times.
From July 2021, the "Let the Children Move" project is part of the Action Plan of the Lviv City Council to implement the UNICEF initiative, "Community friendly to children and youth."
If positive results are confirmed, with the help of UNICEF, such a methodology can be scaled to all schools in the country. However, today teachers and parents of students of all ages can apply to join their school in the movement for healthy learning and receive funding for the re-equipment of their class in the future.
Similar projects are being implemented in the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Australia, and more than 1 million students are already studying in the United States, and their number is growing every year. The results of this technique are only positive.
In addition to improving posture and vision, students become more focused, their memory and even behavior improve.
