My students need additional choices for seating; included on my list are: stools, durable pillows, a children's furniture set, and an additional stability ball with stands.
We are a busy group of first graders from a low income, military, and small town school. We have a variety of backgrounds, academic abilities, and home lives. When we come to school we are fed breakfast, lunch, and a healthy snack before we go home. On weekends a local group provides a sack full of items to get children through the weekend. Some days we come to school exhausted, sometimes dirty and we can get cleaned and received clean clothing. We also know when we walk into Mrs. Campbell's room we are loved and safe. At school our needs are met. We are a group that loves school and doesn't want to go home most days. We study hard despite not always having many opportunities, the latest technology, or an updated library. Our title one school has a heart of gold. Our students love to help in anyway they can. We are one of four elementary schools in a very rural county.
My Project
Our classroom has been designed to utilize flexible alternative seating as a tool for students to understand how they best learn. By students picking an area or seat daily, this choice will help them achieve metacognition.
Students enter the classroom in the morning and choose from a variety of seat choices daily.
Some students will spread out a yoga mat where they may lay and use a clipboard. Other love that they may bounce and listen to the daily lessons on stability balls. I have found used furniture where students will study as if they were in a home setting. This process started with just a few choices and has grown since the start of the school year.
I have noticed a reduction in behavior and an increase in retaining attention. Our building's occupational therapist also praises the class design and the students' ability to choose their seats.
I have introduced some items already like stability balls, yoga mats, floor seating using pillows; however, I am finding that I need to find durable materials that will withstand many children over time.
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