Flexible Seating Experiment

Experiment 1 for 2016-17:

Flexible Seating for Middle School

I am moving into a new classroom for the new school year. The room has pretty much the same set up with less space. No complainants here (under my breath: except putting my 8th graders in the middle of the 6th graders) because there is a wealth of opportunity here. Here are some of the risks I plan on taking in this Flexible Seating for Middle School Experiment!

Flexible seating to me is make different options available for students to make a choice on what is the best learning/working "sit"uatation for them during each activity. Lucky enough I store an iPad cart in my room so I can pretty much have a 1:1 classroom (depending on numbers next year).

Seating options I hope to have available:

Expo Pallet Table 

• What: 
• White Board Table with Expo markers: a pallet with short legs on the bottom and a piece of Shower Board attached to the top. There will be a carpet and floor pillows options for students to sit on. 
• Uses: 
• Students can work in small groups/partners/individuals and mark up the table with the Expos. 
• They could actually do their work right on the table. 
• Take a Pic, Drive it, Classroom it and turn it in. 
• It can be erased or saved for another group or another class to read, add-on, or ...

No Teacher Desk

• Note: There is currently a giant wood desk in the room that I was told was leaving. I was okay with this because horizontal surfaces are an enabler of my ability to clutter up anything! So, this is another opportunity for me to go to a semi #paperlessclassroom.
• What: 
• Painted kitchen table with shower board again!! There will be a nice comfy office chair that the students will assume is mine and other chairs that can be moved.
• Uses: 
• I would host small groups here. (How I form groups is another experiment!). I could mark up the table myself and keep common notes on it for all classes to see. 
• Students could work in small groups/partners...
• The big flat surface allows for projects to be made!

Movable Desk Area

• What: 
• According to the custodian she found a bunch of desks (wood tops with chair attached). There will be an area here where the students will be able to move the desks.
• Uses: 
• Large group/Whole Class to Small groups/Partners or Individual working stations.

Please comment below with questions, concerns, ideas, suggestions...

Thank you!!

Other experiment ideas coming soon including: Skill Labs, Automatic Group Making with Google Forms/Sheets, Multiple types of #HyperDocs