My students are bright and curious. They love to interact with teachers and peers and they deserve better opportunities to reach each other and collaborate in class. The current seating we have in class are the single desk chair, one size fits all (but not well) in a classroom that does not have enough space for those 30 desks. I want to be able to encourage constructive collaboration through more flexible seating, as does my teaching partner, Ms. Broccoletti.
My Project
I have one of the smallest classrooms in the building. I love it, it's cozy and my students feel mostly at home, except for their seating. I want my kiddos to feel at home in the classroom and not constrained by desks that do not have enough space for them to effectively work on projects, or collaborate in groups. This type of desk and chair arrangement would also allow for better mobility and the change to effectively create stations.
Having separated tables and chairs that can fold and be put to the side for activities and group work will help them to work together and give them a better sense of structured freedom.
I am imagining a room where camaraderie is created through the use of group work tables, and station work is looked forward to through movement and activity.
I am a very hands on teacher in a currently rigid room. We do our best to foster groups and change up the layout of the room, but with joined desk chairs there is only but so much that can be changed. These materials would help me to better facilitate group reading, changing up our layout for group and individual work, and encouraging collaboration and discussion in a flexible setting.
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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 Ms. Waters and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
