My students are part of a STEM/LATIC Magnet school. They come from all over West Pasco County to be educated in a relatively new way with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math.
LATIC is a ramped-up flipped classroom.
Students are posed with a problem to solve. My World History students will be examining the past to pose solutions for the present and the future: How can we apply the rise and fall of Rome to encourage the continuance of the United States? Devise a solution to ensure human survival after a major worldwide catastrophe by learning how Ancient Egypt lasted 550 years.
Students work collaboratively in groups and pairs as well as independently through tasks designed by teachers. They not only learn about the past, they find the past's relevance to the present and the future while also learning executive function skills that will prepare them for college and life.
My Project
In every classroom, there are learners who do not learn best by sitting at a standard desk.
My STEM/LATIC students require flexible seating because, other than mandatory testing days, they will be moving around, working in pairs/groups/individually, going to different resource structures, using technology, and making choices as they learn content and apply it to real-world problems.
Some students work best standing up with short breaks of sitting down. Some like a desk, some like sitting at tables, and some have a need to be alone for short periods in order to concentrate. My plan is to offer a variety of seating choices.
Most seating preferences can be satisfied with typical school furniture, however, counter height tables with stools would satisfy the needs of those students who prefer standing part or all of class time. It would allow them to have a place to set their materials while they are working and sit as needed at stools that match the height of the tables. By choosing narrow tables, I can put tables together for group work or separate them for pair and individual work.
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