Materials
FLEXIBLE CLASSROOM
The classroom physical set-up generally meets the needs of most students. However, our Tier 2 & 3 students are easily distracted and benefit from having an area that is away from others where it is easier for them to focus and concentrate. Setting up a few individual workstations within classrooms is an asset for students who need to be more secluded, or who need to move when working. This also helps to reduce distractions for other students and helps them remain focussed. For students who have a greater need to move, considering alternate seating options and different types of workstations is also beneficial. This section will share such intervention suggestions, however if there are ongoing struggles in this area a consultation with an Occupational Therapist is recommended.
Tier 1 Intervention
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Tiers 2&3 Intervention
Maximizing your Room
Flexible Classrooms: Research Is Scarce, But Promising
By Stephen Merrill - Edutopia
There are plenty of studies that isolate the effects of light, acoustics, or air quality on learning. But the research on flexible classrooms is frustratingly scarce. Despite the challenges, an ambitious effort to study the design of lived-in classrooms, including looking at hard-to-define factors like flexibility, was completed in 2015 by the University of Salford, in the United Kingdom.
Flexible Seating Elevates Student Engagement
By Emelina Minero - Edutopia
Flexible classrooms give students a choice in what kind of learning space works best for them, and help them to work collaboratively, communicate, and engage in critical thinking. Since implementing flexible classrooms, Albemarle County Public Schools have noticed that:
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Their students' grades have improved.
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Their students seem happier and more engaged.
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Their students are participating more and having more invigorating conversations.
How It's Done.
25 of the Best Flexible Seating Options for Today’s Classroom
We Are Teachers
Once upon a time, classroom seating was so inflexible that desks and chairs were literally bolted to the floor. These days, though, flexible seating options have become game changers for teachers and students.
“There’s a lot of research showing a correlation between the subtle movements that flexible seating allows and an increase in student focus and engagement,” says Joe Russell, principal at Washington Elementary School in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. “It makes classrooms more accessible for students, increases student engagement, and opens the room to a variety of learning styles.”
To read more: https://www.weareteachers.com/best-flexible-seating-options/
Your Flexible Classroom Questions, Answered
By Christopher G Johnson - Edutopia
Flexible seating is transforming classrooms, enabling new modes of learning, and deepening student—and teacher—engagement. Many educators have questions about how to make the leap. We answer the flexible seating questions that many teachers have—like how to keep fire marshals happy.
10 Common Flexible Seating Myths
By John S. Thomas - Edutopia
An elementary teacher who has been using flexible seating for over a decade responds to the concerns he hears most frequently from other teachers. During my 14-year flexible seating journey, I’ve taught a mix of first through third grade classes, including multigrade classrooms with up to 28 students. I’ve encountered plenty of challenges, but through research and some trial and error, I’ve been able to create a sustainable flexible seating environment that is differentiated for my students’ needs.
No Grade Is Too Early for Flexible Seating
By John S. Thomas - Edutopia
I noticed that kindergartners could learn while standing, kneeling, huddling under a table, and even sitting in a wooden cubby. I saw my principal take a reading group to the office, where students loved to cram themselves beside the copier, between UPS boxes, and under a table. All this got me thinking: Why do we work at desks? Why stop students from wiggling? Could we purposefully educate students to recognize the locations they work best in?