STUDENTS HAVE A BALL

STUDIO CLASSROOM MAGAZINE, TAIWAN.   SEPT. 2009.

Former teacher Lisa Witt felt so strongly about the use of balls as chairs, she started WittFitt. This company encourages the use of the balls. In addition, the company educates not only teachers but also students on how to use them.

Sitting on a chair all day in school can make anyone want to move around. So, more and more teachers are letting students have a ball. By replacing chairs with exercise balls, teachers find students’ posture and attention improves. Dottie Pownall, a fifth grade teacher in West Virginia, has been using balls as chairs since December 2008. “The students love them,” she says. Pownall took a survey of her students. She found that 80 percent thought sitting on the balls helped them focus better. Former teacher Lisa Witt felt so strongly about the use of balls as chairs, she started WittFitt. This company encourages the use of the balls. In addition, the company educates not only teachers but also students on how to use them. “We have clients in 24 states, three provinces in Canada, Puerto Rico and Japan,” says Witt. “Research shows that sitting on the balls promotes sitting up straighter. You can slouch on a ball,” says Witt, “but it feels awful.” Because the students are moving, their blood flow increases. That carries more oxygen to the brain, so the kids have more energy and can focus longer. “Furthermore, they’re fun,” says Pownall.