Any veteran teacher will tell you that education is always changing. New standards, new curriculum, new students, new staff - from one year to the next, something is going to be different. One thing that hasn't really changed, however, is the structure of the classroom. Traditionally, students sit in desks that are in rows, facing the chalkboard, with the teacher standing in the front, transferring his or her knowledge to the malleable minds of students. There are exceptions to the rules (did you know standing desks were around in 1899?), and there are many teachers who put their desks in groups or use tables, but overall, this structure has perpetuated.
I spoke with resident innovator and seventh grade ELA teacher, Deneen Schoenfeldt, who is boldly going where few teachers have gone before and trying flexible seating. Deneen was drawn to flexible seating after researching Genius Hour, something her team is implementing with students this semester. She came across a teacher Instagram community that documented their flexible seating journeys, and she was encouraged to dive in. Flexible seating is not something that can happen overnight. Deneen, like most teachers implementing flexible seating, has been curating furniture for her room slowly, and therefore still has some desks in her room. She is paying for the seating out of her own pocket, but slowly she is building a classroom that defies tradition. Now, this type of classroom is not for the faint of heart. Teachers need strong classroom management skills and high expectations of students in order for it to work. Deneen started with having her students read and discuss an article on "Starbucks Classrooms". They discussed pros and cons and then went over her expectations. She emphasized that the point was to optimize student learning and engagement, not to let them get comfy and fall asleep (aww man!). Since she does not have flexible seats for everyone yet, she is implementing a VIP system to start out. When I asked Deneen what advice she would give to those teachers looking to start implementing flexible seating, she said make sure you do your research. Over-plan everything and every scenario. Know what the pros and cons are, and make sure you know your students well. Be prepared that as the teacher, you are giving up some control. This can be really tough, but necessary! To facilitate cooperative learning and maximize student engagement, we have to give up some of that control. Flexible seating is a good way to move in that direction!
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AuthorChristin Barkemeyer Archives
April 2020
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