Allier: office bikes in the classroom to channel the energy of middle school students

At Lapalisse college, four office bikes have been installed in classrooms. They allow restless students to channel their energy.

Imperturbable, Hugo Montagnier, a sixth-grade student, carefully follows the English lesson while he pedals: in Lapalisse, in the Allier, four office bikes are tested in college classes to “channel the energy of the students” . Identical to exercise bikes, the devices are equipped with four wheels for more mobility and an adjustable tablet instead of the handlebars, which allows you to write and put notebooks and pens.

” READ ALSO – This HEC student pedals with a bike that runs on solar energy

At the back of Nathalie Gardette's class, English teacher, Hugo is busy on the adjustable saddle while listening to the instructions and repeating the words spoken by the teacher. Then another student takes over on the saddle. The exchange is done in silence, the class remains concentrated. Candidates, all volunteers, register at the beginning of the course.

It is a question of "allowing restless students, in difficulty to follow the course and who will hinder their comrades, to be able to channel their energy to be available", explains Franck Boussahba, principal of this small rural establishment which welcomes 339 students. An "alternative to sanctions, deductions or exclusions", according to him. Location of the bike in the class, rotation of students: teachers were free to organize themselves.

"It's as if the bike had always been there"

The teachers “took full control of the device” and “the feedback is very positive because they realized that the bike had taken its place after a week. It's as if he had always been there”, welcomes Franck Boussahba.

The idea was born in June 2019: end of the school year, it's time to take stock. A question then arises: how to limit disruption while improving the well-being of college students? "I had heard of these office bikes, which are increasingly used in business, and in conjunction with the county council, we decided to try the experiment", says the principal.

More productive students

At the start of the school year in September, four machines were presented to middle school students, who were initially invited to try them out and familiarize themselves with them on the sidelines of class. Even the staff room served as a testing ground.

After the Toussaint holidays, four teachers agreed to install them in their class. From sixth to third, all levels experience it. “I immediately left aside the small a priori that I could have and now it rolls, it pedals! I pass two students per hour so that they have time to enjoy it,” says Nathalie Gardette. "It makes us move and then it's good, because we are high up and the others don't bother us, we can see the teachers better", assures Hugo for his part.

According to the teacher, "those who are on the bike-office are often a little restless students, and every time they are on the bike, they are productive". However, the interest and the involvement vary according to the level: “in sixth and fifth, they are at full speed all the time. In third, they are a little more hesitant, less enthusiastic, ”she notes.

More calm in the classroom

In the class of Ivan Zaborowski, professor of mathematics, the bicycle sits next to the front door, in the first row. A fourth-grade student pedals without any apparent embarrassment, while trying to solve equations, hunched over his notebook, pen in hand.

Magic bike? "It's a bit early to tell, but the soothing effect affects the class, as if it lowered the pressure by bringing calm, it's something we didn't expect at all", congratulates the principal of the college. “Some students say that after having done 20 minutes of pedaling, this beneficial effect, they find it the following hours”, according to him. Already, the manager is considering a new order for the next school year.