The first thing I want to discuss with you on this blog is our classroom. I do not have a traditional classroom setting. My classroom is designed with a flexible seating arrangement. Below is a picture of an almost finished classroom, but overall, this is the design of the room.
For years I have taught literacy and as I watched my students read and discuss in traditional desks, I would think to myself, "Man, I used to hate sitting at my desk to read." This is true. When I read, I like to lie down on the couch or curl up in my big comfy chair. I DO NOT sit in the hard chairs around my dining room table. I always thought it would be cool to have a classroom set up like a living space. However, these were just "dreams" until one day I stumbled across an article titled Why the 21st Century Classroom May Remind You of Starbucks. You can read the article yourself by clicking the title. In this article, Kayla Delzner discusses how she redesigned her classroom after having an epiphany in Starbucks one day. Suddenly I knew that my idea wasn't totally crazy...at least ONE other teacher in the world had thought of it. I began to put together ideas for making it work. Then a classmate from high school posted a picture of her classroom on Facebook. Guess how it was designed? That's right! She had a flexible seating arrangement, too. At that moment I knew that it must be destiny and if I didn't change my classroom, the cosmos might implode! Okay, okay...that's a little dramatic, but you get the idea that this was very important to me. I emailed Mr. Pennington a copy of the article, the Facebook post from my friend's page, and said, "Unless you have an objection, I'm going to do this." His response..."Go for it." So I did. My students left a traditional classroom on Friday afternoon, and when they returned on Monday, it was a COMPLETE re-design. When I blogged about this last year to inform my parents, some were very generous and donated money to purchase lamps, rugs, and pillows. They were as excited as the students. It was a blessing to both the students and myself because all I had to start with were some crate stools and one lonely love seat. Now, I have several seating options that students can enjoy (I could use a couple more gaming chairs because I only have one and it is a VERY popular spot. So if you have one you want to dispose of, I'll gladly take it off your hands).
Now that I have given you a little background, I want to explain how this arrangement works. In the beginning, no one sits on anything except the carpet. Day one is spent explaining, discussing, and co-creating norms for a productive class. The next [however many] days are spent with each student trying out each space so that they can familiarize themselves with the type of seating that works best for them. Students must take into account that the work space must be one that provides them with the BEST place to work. Students also know that at any time, I reserve the right to move them from where they are to a more appropriate space if they can not get their work completed. Your child will receive a contract that he/she will sign stating that he/she understands the requirements for flexible seating. I included a picture of the contract below. I will file the contracts and in the event that I need to remind someone of their responsibilities, I will show them the contract (promise) that they signed.
All whole group instruction is done on the carpet. Students will sit upfront and center to listen to lessons so that I can insure that all students are attending to my instruction. Once students are allowed to work independently, they then move and find an appropriate spot for working. During this independent time, I may be working with students individually or in small groups. We only have 85 minutes within our class period, so I try to utilize every second and avoid as much wasted time as I can.
If you have any questions or concerns about this classroom arrangement, please let me know. I am more than happy to conference with you.
Happy reading-
