Students “Desk Cycling” During Math Class: Not from The Onion.

Lambeth said she began using desk cycles at the end of last year.

“Before, they were drumming on their desks, they were touching other people, they don’t do that anymore. Their feet are getting the movement out,” she said. “There has been a huge increase in the quality of our student’s work and a decrease in the amount of missing work.”

Quinn Spear said he pedaled 5.5 miles and burned 133 calories, all before 10 a.m.

“I’m a really energetic person, so this takes all my energy out,” Spear said.

Each desk cycle costs less than $150, which includes a warranty. The cycles were paid for by a private donation and a grant from the 4-C fund. No taxpayer money was used.

“(The kids) are not picking on each other, they are not needing to walk around, they are not needing to go explore, they are able to get their activity out and get their work done,” Lambeth said.

School officials said they hope desk cycles will make an even greater difference in Special Education classes.

Isn’t this what recess and playtime was for in schools just a few years ago, to let kids be kids and exert energy creatively so they could come back to the classroom ready to learn?  What has fundamentally changed in public school that kids can’t/won’t learn without outside stimulus calming them so they ostensibly can learn?

Deskcycling is described as kinesthetic learning: Kinesthetic learning (American English), kinaesthetic learning (British English), or tactile learning is a learning style in which learning takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations.  Is there an omission of kinesthetic learning in Common Core aligned curriculum necessitating these machines during academic learning?  Maybe this is teaching kids the skill of multi-tasking at an early age? 

Here’s another video illustrating cycling while reading.  From School Kids Reading while riding DeskCycles:

screenshot

Another article about cycles in Charlotte County: