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Rochester, Minn. (WCCO) ― Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have come up with a plan to help school children shape up and it doesn't require special meals or extra exercise.

What's different about their classroom of the future? It's not what the classroom has, but what it's missing.

When you see schools in the news, the classrooms look a lot alike. There is a teacher up front and students in desks. However, one thing has changed over the years: the kids. They've gotten bigger.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 1980, the percentage of overweight six- to 11-year-olds has more than doubled. It's even worse for older kids. They're three times more likely to pack on extra pounds.

Obesity researcher Dr. James Levine thinks part of the problem is chairs, as he does not believe in sitting. For an earlier research project, he created the office of the future -- his own space at the Mayo Clinic. Using a treadmill instead of a desk chair, Levine walks while he works.

Levine believes people don't move enough at work or at school, which is why he's conceived the school of the future.

"It is a school without desks," Levine explained. "It is a school without chairs. It is a school where children can move and learn naturally."

For now, the idea is being tested in teacher Phil Rynearson's fourth and fifth grade class at Elton Hills Elementary in Rochester, Minn. Students wear leg bands which measure their activity levels. Researchers want to find out how many more calories students burn if they're not sitting in desks all day.

"I've had only one child say, 'I'd like to have a chair,' and it didn't, she got over it pretty quick," Rynearson said.

Instead of desks, children have work stations. They're actually adjustable laptop stands from IKEA. Fourth graders Mandy and Laura demonstrated how their new workstations work, saying they like how they can lowered or raised for their needs.

They also like the laptops and iPods, which are another change. Students use high-tech tools, including video iPods and laptops donated by Apple. The result is a flexibility they didn't have before.

"We have a couple choices," the girls said. "We can either listen to the book we're reading on a podcast on here, or we can take our spelling test."

Because Rynearson made a podcast of this week's words, 11-year-old Logan will takes try to spell words like vivid, dentist and antagonistic while watching his iPod. He can take his test whenever and wherever he wants to.

Many adults remember what it was like being in school spending eight hours stuck in a desk. Early results show kids may actually learn better when they're not fidgeting in a chair all day.

"It appears that the children are more focused than they were previously," said Levine. "The reason being of course is children have got all those antsy things out of their bodies and they're kind of relaxed and ready to learn."

"I do think it's better think the kids," said Rynearson. "Especially this age, need to move, they need, it's not real natural for them to sit still all the time."

If the research plays out, classrooms similar to Rynearson's could become commonplace around the world.

Rynearson's students think that would be just fine. Aside from some minor complaints such as sore feet and itchy leg bands, they give their new digs high marks.

Their class is the envy of the whole school. According to the superintendent, even teachers are asking, "How can we get rid of our desks?"

They may just get their wish. The superintendent is considering redesigning all of Elton Hills Elementary, turning it into the school of the future.

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