A Flexible seating classroom is a trend in education where traditional seating maps are replaced with seating arrangements that are modeled more on a "Starbucks" paradigm. The Albemarle County, Virginia Public School system in Virginia has adopted this paradigm for classrooms with reported success. One of the principal objectives of Flexible Seating Classrooms are to prevent the dangers of sedentary periods of time, which research has identified as a grave danger to health. For example, studies have shown that sitting in stationary chairs potentially affects the development of the musculoskeletal leading to health disorders, poor posture, back pain, neck pain, etc. Furthermore, brain activity slows down when the body becomes stationary such as sitting in a traditionally mapped classroom, according to Breithecker. Breithecker recommends flexible seating arrangements to remedy these dangers.
The kinds of alternative seating offered in a flexible seating classroom include, but are not limited to