I'm enjoying this long (extra-long - four days!!) holiday weekend, and it especially pleasant because I am still on an all-natural high about how well my first week of school went this year. My students love my classroom set-up, they seem enthusiastic to come to class, and I heard from other teachers that students were telling each other that my class is fun and I seem "cool." Is there any higher accolade I could possibly hope to achieve? Well, maybe, but still. The best part of this week was when a former student of mine, now a junior, told me that a classmate of hers told their history teacher that they were familiar with the lesson because they had learned it in my class (the lesson was about fake news) and then she proceeded to tell the teacher about my class and how relevant it is. Boom! Because my course is brand-new to our school (this is the third year I've been teaching it), it is great when other teachers become aware of what we are doing in my class and how it relates to what they are doing in their classrooms. My top goal is to integrate lessons from my class with lessons in the academic and vocational classes as well. The more that the word gets out that I am not an "Office" teacher, the more traction I will gain in putting this integration into practice.
This summer I read Shift This, by Joyce Kirr. I loved the book and immediately wanted to put some ideas into practice. Some ideas, like not including behavior and/or class participation in the students' grades, are a little scary but I am committed to trying them. My favorite concept in the book is the idea of flexible seating options in the classroom. I had heard a bit about flexible seating towards the end of last year, and loved the notion. When I read Shift This, I was able to get some more solid ideas about how to set up the classroom. I started to beg for used furniture on social media, and didn't get too far. I got some rolling chairs from my parents, which are a huge hit. I then searched on Let Go and other online outlets for free furniture. Nothing clicked, until I went downstairs to my own basement and saw the perfect couch! It is worn, but in good condition. My son and a friend helped me maneuver the couch plus an upholstered chair into my classroom and I was hooked. I painted a side table and brought that in, bought some bungee chairs, a carpet and table from IKEA, and added that to the room. I also scored an oval conference table with four rolling chairs from an administrator at my school who was moving offices. My classroom lends itself perfectly for flexible seating. It was a science lab in its former life, so half of the room has black lab tables with stools, and the other half had desks. I asked for the desks to be removed to make room for the tables and furniture. My favorite feature in the classroom is a set of wooden shelves, built around the area where the SMART board used to be. They are perfect for baskets, decorations, supplies, etc. I spent a few days most weeks of the summer cleaning the room, setting it up, moving things around and trying new arrangements, and covering old yucky items with contact paper. I also brought in some decorations from my former days as an event planner, like some decorative chandeliers. The classroom has more of a Friend's coffee shop/living room vibe (Friends is one of my favorite television shows! I watched episodes on Netflix while working in my room - it was heaven.) than a Starbucks vibe, but I love the results. Most importantly, the students love the results! It is fun teaching freshmen because everything is new to them; I spend no time trying to make my class different from what they are used to. This year's freshmen were very excited about the classroom set up, and it set a great tone for the first week. All the freshmen will be getting their 1:1 devices, HP laptops, next week. With their laptops, they will be able to sit on the couch, the chairs, at the tables, wherever they work best. For this week, they were on the desktops, which are set up on the black lab tables. There are four computers on each lab table, and they are set up in a U shape with the students' backs to me. I wouldn't want this set up for the whole year, but for the first week it made it SO easy for me to see who wasn't on the same page as everyone else, who was struggling, etc. I encouraged the students to ask each other for help, and they got comfortable asking the students sitting at their tables for help before they asked me. It lends itself to cooperation and collaboration, which is a top priority. I have gotten great feedback from the students regarding the physical classroom set up, and I have also been getting positive reviews from my colleagues. It is not the norm at our school, for classrooms to have couches and conference tables, and bouncy bungee chairs. I haven't heard anything negative, and I did read some articles as well as highlight some paragraphs in Shift This to back myself up in case of any jabs or pointed questions. My favorite explanation of the flexible seating arrangement is that classrooms with desks in rows were designed for 19th Century Learners, and it doesn't make sense for us to use the same layout while teaching 21st Century Learners. I wish I remembered the author of that (paraphrased) quote, because it really stuck with me. I fully expected the students to enjoy the furniture and the novelty, but I wasn't really convinced that it would help the tone and environment of the classroom. It absolutely did, though. The students were hesitant at first, standing near the couch and shyly asking, "Can I really sit here?" Once I said yes, explaining that after the introduction of the days' lessons we would be moving to the desktops, they were very excited to sit down and trying out different seating. They said it made them feel like I was trying to make them feel comfortable by allowing them to try different seats. I told them that they were 100% correct! I have been trying to call it "our" classroom rather than "my" classroom. This was noticed when I told them that one classroom rule is to clean up your space before the bell rings. One student said, "It's our classroom, so we are responsible for it." This was what I was hoping to hear, and it also made me think about the mess that students often left in my old classroom in previous years. If I made it seem like "my" classroom, they probably felt that it was my responsibility to take care of it. I will post more photos to showcase specific parts of the room, but the panoramic picture above shows the general set up pretty well. I am so excited that I put aside some doubts about redesigning the classroom, and went for it. The students are excited about it, other teachers are taking notice (I convinced my sister, our ESL teacher, to try it in her classroom as well!), and it has completely changed the vibe in our classroom.
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AuthorMom to two sons, married 23 years to college sweetie. Instructional Technology Specialist for a vocational high school. Educator for 20+ years. Love to read, do anything crafty, and spend time with friends and family. Passionate about education, technology, and the combination of the two! I'm a proud foster-failure with Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, having fallen head-over-heels for our first foster and adopting her :) Archives
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