Help me give my students flexible seating like jellyfish and wobble chairs that will provide children options and stimulate brain power, attention and thinking.
We are an amazing Early Learning Center that provides inclusive preschool experiences for the Central Falls community. Our children are 3-5 years old from diverse backgrounds, mostly low income Latino based and second language learners. We are a Bright Stars certified school where children learn and play in a safe, warm and highly supported learning environment with state certified highly qualified teachers that provide activities to engage children in higher level thinking though the building of a learning community.
The children in my fully inclusive school are eager to be the leaders of tomorrow.
We aim to provide each with the opportunity to reach their hopes and dreams by providing the tools needed for success. This work includes building strong social emotional and thinking skills through each child's best learning venue, play. Logical thinking through science and math builds a foundation for this work and is often overlooked with this age group. Attention of young children often waivers and as such providing variant seating increases attention as children learn to gain self-control as they grow.
My Project
Providing flexible seating options in the classroom has shown many positive outcomes for students with and without disabilities. Flexible seating has even been deemed "critical to enhancing learning across all ages." I want to enhance my students' learning, and attention as they learn to engage in learning.
There are 6 key benefits of providing flexible seating in the classroom- choice, movement, community, comfort, collaboration, and sensory input.
Choice: Students feel more comfortable in an environment in which they are provided choices. Flexible seating choice = comfortable environment that allows learning to take place.
Movement: All children, especially young children, need to move. Young students do not have the ability to sit still for very long, providing flexible seating will allow them to move around some while they work.
Community: By providing students the ability to pick and choose flexible seating options, students learn to share their space and to share these flexible seating options.
Comfort: If a student is uncomfortable, learning cannot take place. Flexible seating options allow children to feel more comfortable to effectively learn and work in their environment.
Collaboration: Traditional seating in the classroom does not allow students to work together. Flexible seating allows students to interact with one another and work together.
Sensory input: Most flexible seating options stimulate the our sense of touch, which activates a part of the brain that can help children focus and learn more effectively. Activating this sense is particularly beneficial for student with disabilities.
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