Choice and comfort seating

[tiptoetulips]

My room was remodeled this summer. I also got all new furniture. Choice and comfort has been really big in my district. I went from 25 of the same blue plastic chairs to 32 chairs that all move in some way. I have 2 styles of wobble stools, rolling desk chairs that spin, spinning rolling stools, bar height stools, chairs that can bounce (but no wheels, these have the last movement of all). Now I'm sort of at a loss over 2 things.
1. How do I let students have some choice vs. picking for them/assigning, I do have enough seats that don't wobble to assign. 
2. The other thing I'm struggling with is the amount of movement it allows. I have kids spinning and moving allllll the time! It's hard for me to stay focused and sane.

[sugarbear]

What grade(s)?

[justkeepswimming]

I would start by making sure everyone has a chance to try each kind of seat that they are interested in. This may mean assigning different chairs each day for the first couple of weeks, or leaving it on the kids to let everyone have turns and just deal with conflicts as they pop up (depending on the group of kids). After everyone has had a turn you could ask each kid to list their favorites and then try to give everyone something they are happy with. You could switch once a month or something as needed.

I have some flexible seating and tons of different fidgets, and I tell them frequently that these things are "tools, not toys". At the beginning of the year, we talk about the difference between using something as a tool for learning and using it as a toy. I find that the first couple of weeks, they drive me insane with constant motion and EVERYONE swears they need a fidget/special seat/kick band. After that, the novelty wears off and only the kids who truly need them are left using them. They are far less distracting because they are actually using them as tools. Hopefully you'll find the same things!

[tiptoetulips]

Sept 3, 2017 21:01:41 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

What grade(s)?

6th grade science- middle school

[sugarbear]

Sept 3, 2017 20:12:58 GMT -5 tiptoetulips said:

My room was remodeled this summer. I also got all new furniture. Choice and comfort has been really big in my district. I went from 25 of the same blue plastic chairs to 32 chairs that all move in some way. I have 2 styles of wobble stools, rolling desk chairs that spin, spinning rolling stools, bar height stools, chairs that can bounce (but no wheels, these have the last movement of all). Now I'm sort of at a loss over 2 things.
1. How do I let students have some choice vs. picking for them/assigning, I do have enough seats that don't wobble to assign. I have a ton of flexible seating options as well as traditional seats. I allow them full reign over the class and their choices, and don't intervene until they've proven they can't handle the freedom. Sometimes kids will need help figuring out how to advocate for themselves among their peers, so I'll help them with that privately. My rule is that kids begin class in their assigned seats and once I'm finished teaching directly-- usually ~5-10 minutes, they can move wherever they want. In some classes, some seats are coveted more than others, so I might dismiss by quietest or cleanest table. I also have quite a few students who prefer to stay in their traditional seats. 
2. The other thing I'm struggling with is the amount of movement it allows. I have kids spinning and moving allllll the time! It's hard for me to stay focused and sane. This would be a lot for me. I don't think you need so many moving parts, really. Can you limit some of them by removing wheels or whatever? Flexible seating isn't always about movement. 

[erbear]

Sept 3, 2017 23:18:04 GMT -5 justkeepswimming said:

I would start by making sure everyone has a chance to try each kind of seat that they are interested in. This may mean assigning different chairs each day for the first couple of weeks, or leaving it on the kids to let everyone have turns and just deal with conflicts as they pop up (depending on the group of kids). After everyone has had a turn you could ask each kid to list their favorites and then try to give everyone something they are happy with. You could switch once a month or something as needed.

I have some flexible seating and tons of different fidgets, and I tell them frequently that these things are "tools, not toys". At the beginning of the year, we talk about the difference between using something as a tool for learning and using it as a toy. I find that the first couple of weeks, they drive me insane with constant motion and EVERYONE swears they need a fidget/special seat/kick band. After that, the novelty wears off and only the kids who truly need them are left using them. They are far less distracting because they are actually using them as tools. Hopefully you'll find the same things!

This is great advice and how I run my class (6th and 8th grades). I have a bunch of yoga balls, wobble seats, floor seats, etc. Everyone tries everything; "tools, not toys" is my line too. It takes a few weeks for kids to settle in but they have. There is still a lot of movement in my room but I'm ok with it - it's why I got the flex seating in the first place