I teach in a Title I school in Austin, TX. We are the day school for the deaf and service multiple school districts. Our program has deaf and hard of hearing students in 6th-8th grade.
Several of our students come from Spanish speaking homes and are totally deaf; they use American Sign Language to communicate, but most of their parents don't use sign language, so there is not a lot of communication at home.
They're functioning multiple grades below grade level, and we try to encourage language development by using technology.
Each child in our classroom is eager to learn, although the methods and environment in which they learn best vary greatly. We often have these students for 3 years and we become a family. We try to incorporate a variety of learning strategies, group work, alternative seating and learning options to ensure that each student's needs are met.
My Project
Education is never static- the same holds true for flexible seating! How can I expect my students to sit straight all day in an uncomfortable desk and chair if I can’t do it? We are looking to add more flexible student desks for our classroom, to give the student different choices to enhance their learning environment and make it the best place for them to learn.
Flexible seating empowers students by giving them some degree of choice and control over their environment.
It allows them to change locations and positions. Flexible seating has a direct impact on student learning and it makes learning fun, more active, engaged, enthusiastic and relaxed. It helps keep young minds more alert and focused.
Giving students a choice of where to sit in the classroom, makes the classroom more student-centered and allows the students to choose a “smart spot” to learn, which enables them to move more, burns calories and increases metabolism, which enhances learning.
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