Help me give my students 3 flexible seating options to boost their intrinsic motivation, collaboration, and creativity!
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Gans's classroom raised $573
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
I work in a Title I school in a suburb of Portland, OR. Roughly 51% of the students receive free and reduced-price lunch. I have 25 different learners; 13 third graders, 12 second graders, nine English language learners, students with ADHD, autism, and other special needs. My students are capable and eager to learn, but their bodies and brains aren't always working together. I'm constantly looking for innovative ways to engage my students, enable growth mindset, and encourage the curiosity of the world around them.
Next year, I will be moving my classroom to a portable and traditional desks and tables will be too large for my small space.
I am concerned that my students will feel too cramped to be creative and collaborative! With your help, I would like to offer the students flexible seating options. Flexible seating will give students more choice on how they will like to learn. Marzano research says, "providing choices to students of all age levels often increases their intrinsic motivation." I want students to feel empowered and that their choices will make a difference in their own learning and increase their performance.
My Project
Flexible seating allows students to take charge of their learning and make the choices that work best for them. I am moving to a portable classroom which will eliminate much space my students are currently used to having. I don't want my students to feel constrained in the portable and flexible seating options will give the illusion of more space. Research also shows that students are more intrinsically motivated when they get choices in how they learn. Making sure students are comfortable is an essential component in motivating them. I have noticed amazing differences in my students when they are given a choice in their seating, such as the wobble stools I currently have. They almost always make good choices about where they sit, are more engaged, and get more work completed than when they are just sitting at their desk.
My students are noticeably more engaged in their work and less disruptive of their peers when they are given a choice of where to work.
The products that I have selected will help my students by giving them additional seating options to make more effective learning choices. The comfy floor seats and the beanbag chairs will allow for additional comfortable floor seating options. They are lightweight and can be easily used in many areas of the classroom.
I have seen how choice can positively affect my students work and demeanor and hope that the additional options will help us grow even more!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Gans and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
