Pulling apart education and trying to fix it can be a totally overwhelming thought. Teachers are already notoriously thinly-stretched, and getting students the results they need to succeed later in life at university and in the workplace can seem like the only thing to focus on. However, if we take a moment to breathe and think if there are better ways of doing things, we might just come across ideas that could help students to succeed later in life and may in fact help their grades along the way.

When you think of a classroom, what springs to mind? More than likely, a room filled with rows or clusters of tables and chairs facing a desk at the front with a whiteboard. Little has changed since the early 1900s, despite the evolution in technology and amount of resources. So why, then, are we so surprised when children become disengaged or demotivated to learn? It has been proven time and time again that pupils learn better when they can directly interact with resources and experience things first-hand. The likelihood of pupils enjoying their school time - as well as gaining and retaining valuable knowledge - significantly increases when they are allowed to lead themselves to the solutions.

For many kids, getting home after school is the most exciting time of the day. Bored of reading, listening to teachers and facing forward, their minds almost immediately turn to playing with their friends, toys or consoles.

If you have a kid of your own who reads, where does he/she sit when reading at home? Everywhere and anywhere is the answer.

They lay on the floor, they slouch on a sofa or sit upside down on a sofa hanging over the arm.

They don’t of their own volition sit at a desk or table. Why? Because, duh, it’s not comfortable!

If you want kids to read and lose themselves in a story, or use iPads or other devices naturally as they would at home, then give them beanbags, floor pads, soft bucket seats and sofas. If they need a desk, just make it comfy to sit at.