Flexible Seating 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to room 153! I am absolutely thrilled your child is joining our family of students this year, and I can't wait to meet them on the first day of school!

The physical layout of our classroom looks somewhat different from a traditional classroom. This is because I am implementing a research-based concept for classroom design called flexible seating.  Flexible seating is a concept rooted in educational research that encourages students to choose their type of seating based on their learning preferences.

For example, some students prefer to stand while learning, so we have a high top table. Some students prefer to sit on the floor to work, so we have 3 stadium chairs with back support. Other students prefer a traditional setting to learn, so we have tables that provide 20 traditional seats. I am especially aware of students who might need to move while working. These students can enjoy doing their work seated on 3 swivel chairs, 6 wobble stools, and a yoga balance ball. All together, room 153 has over 40 different seating options available for our students.

Whether your child prefers to work in a traditional seat or explore a non-traditional posture, our classroom is designed to increase focus, collaboration, learning, and creativity. Students are not locked-in to a seating assignment and will have the ability to make a different seating choice when we switch subjects, as their academic needs dictate. The choice and freedom is theirs as long as they're exercising a responsible choice that helps them be academically successful.  To this end, we will devote time in the first few weeks to establish an understanding of how to make appropriate choices and how to self-monitor our behavior and focus in our student-centered learning environment.

Flexible seating in room 153 will allow our students the freedom to foster their creativity, work in groups, become mindful of their own learning behaviors and needs, and give them a feeling of ownership and peace while in an academic setting.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jackie Laurence