Seating-ADHD Focus 

What is teacher Research Inquiry? Teacher research Inquiry refers to a process where teachers actively investigate and reflect on their own teaching practices to improve their effectiveness and student learning.

Investigation: Teachers look closely at what’s happening in their classrooms. They might ask questions about how students learn, what methods work best, or what challenges they face.

Reflection: Teachers think critically about their teaching methods and the impact they have on students. They consider what’s working and what isn’t.

Improvement: Based on their findings, teachers make adjustments and try out new strategies to enhance their teaching and help students succeed.

What are the steps to teaching Research Inquiry? 

Step 1: Identify a Research Question

• Help students choose a clear and focused question they want to explore. It should be specific and manageable.

Step 2 : Conduct Background Research

• Teach students to gather information on their topic. This involves reading books, articles, and credible online sources to understand what’s already known.

Step 3: Develop a Research Plan

• Guide students in planning how they will find more information. This includes deciding on methods (like surveys, experiments, or interviews) and organizing their approach.

Step 4: Collect Data:

• Show students how to gather the information they need. This could be through experiments, surveys, observations, or other methods.

Step 5: Analyze Data

• Teach students to examine and interpret the data they’ve collected. They should look for patterns, trends, and insights.

Step 6 : Reflect and Revise

• Encourage students to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved. They should consider how their inquiry process could be refined for future projects.

 Benefits and skills students develop:

 Critical Thinking: Students learn to analyze information, question assumptions, and think deeply about problems, helping them become better thinkers.

Problem-Solving Skills: It encourages students to identify problems, gather information, and find solutions, which is useful in many areas of life.

Independence: Students become more self-reliant as they learn to conduct research and make decisions on their own.

Curiosity and Engagement: It fosters a love for learning and curiosity by allowing students to explore topics they’re interested in.

Adaptability: Students learn to adapt their methods and approaches based on their findings and challenges, which helps them handle various situations.

Data Literacy: It helps students understand how to interpret data and use it to support arguments or decisions, which is important in many fields.

Arnold, L. E. (2021). Editorial: An inconvenient finding: School accommodations for 

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & 

Amp; Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(4), 435-437.

The research of his editorial, Dr. L. Eugene Arnold addresses the challenges surrounding school accommodation for students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and also stands for ADHD. He points out that while these accommodations aim to help students succeed academically there is a lot of variation in how they are applied and understood across different schools. He argues that this inconsistency can lead to ineffective support for students with ADHD. He is suggesting that more uniform and evidence-based approaches are needed to ensure these accommodations truly benefit students. This happens by improving how accommodations are implemented and evaluated in schools, he believes we can enhance the educational experiences and the outcomes for students with ADHD.

Bluteau, J., Aubenas, S., & Dufour, F. (2022). Influence of flexible classroom seating on the wellbeing and mental health of upper elementary school students: A gender analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(821227), 1-12.

This article refers to different seating arrangements that are helpful for some students. Although, not all students will benefit from flexible seating arrangements. For instance, the article states that the girls in a classroom are more successful in a flexible seating arrangement while a fixed classroom seating for the boys was more effective. Furthermore, the article encourages cluster groups that are in circle or U-shape form to encourage collaboration among the students. Flexible seating, which is something that has become more popular, is used in all sorts of classrooms now; this just means that students could have different seats for different tasks that they are to perform throughout the classroom. There are many other components to this type of strategy. Amongst a few includes flexible furniture, student-centered groups, individual, etc depending on the activity.  The authors used the data from 5th and 6th-grade classrooms with 107 students, the groups broken up into 3 classrooms were matched at a convenience sample with a differentiated analysis on boys and girls in the classroom. The study shows that there is a significant difference between the way boys learn in a fixed classroom and the way girls learn in a flexible classroom. The study states that it’s important for a teacher to be open to flexible seating to keep in mind the different successes that some students have. 

Gao, N., Rahaman, M. S., Shao, W., Ji, K., & Salim, F. D. (2022). Individual and group-wise 

classroom seating experience. Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, 6(3), 1–23.

The research shows information about how students engage in education and how seating in the classroom impacts their engagement. A study was conducted to show the traditional seating and how it is beneficial or not. Throughout the research, it is discussed how individual and group-wise classroom arrangements can affect our students. In the research, they analyzed both group seating and individual seating and the factors of interaction and getting students' attention. It gives insight to educators on how to effectively design their classrooms in ways that will benefit the students and fit the needs of the subject being taught.

Alomar,J.M. & Strauch, C.(2014). The affect of mentoring on academic achievement in a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Case Study. Journal of Young Pharmacists, 6(2), 70-73. 

This article goes into details that connect to students having a neurobehavioral problem. It gives examples of what teachers should be using in the classroom. The article states how children end up suffering more if they don’t have the help they need early on. It’s interesting how the articles give different characteristics that students would have in the classroom. This article expands and focuses on the different methods and techniques that teachers and others should be aware of when it comes to students with ADHD. Its focus is on the importance of being aware of these methods and techniques and the difference they create for the environment of a classroom or the environment surrounding said students with ADHD. Furthermore, the article states the importance of parent involvement in the classroom and connecting with teachers to create a plan to adjust learning for students. 

Stapps, A. C. (2019). Reconceptualizing the learning space through flexible seating: A qualitative analysis of select third-grade students’ and teacher perceptions. Research In The Schools, 26(2), 32-44.

           Having a classroom design adapted to your students’ needs can impact the way students learn and behave in a classroom. Students are expected to sit in a classroom for very long periods. Flexible seating in a classroom can help engage students and reduce behavior issues. Sensory stimulation is extremely important and knowing what a student's sensory needs is to create that space for them. Suggestions for types of seating stability balls that helped stimulate and engage students diagnosed with autism and dyslexia. Students who had a cushion were less likely to get up and interrupt the class. 

Umbreit, J. (1995). Functional assessment and intervention in a regular classroom setting for the disruptive behavior of a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Behavioral Disorders, 20(4), 267–278.

The journal Behavioral Disorders discusses strategies for managing disruptive behavior exhibited by a student with ADHD in a mainstream classroom. The study employs functional assessment techniques to identify the underlying reasons for the behavior, such as attention-seeking or avoidance, and then implements targeted interventions to address these root causes. The interventions are designed to be implemented within the regular classroom environment, emphasizing the importance of inclusion and support for students with ADHD. The article underscores the effectiveness of tailored interventions based on functional assessments in improving behavior and academic outcomes for students with ADHD in mainstream educational settings.

1. What do you want to change based on data collection? 

Providing them with flexible seating in terms of wobble chairs, mats (floor seating), or even bean bags. Also, try to provide a quieter setting if possible for less distraction. With the help of flexible styles of seating, we can provide opportunities for movement for students during instruction time which can help them focus.

2. How will you implement that change? 

Keeping track of progress made at different seating locations and seats. based on students' different levels of hyperactivity. Another thing we will take into consideration is the boys as opposed to the girls. Some boys work better without flexible seating more so where they are comfortable, as opposed to girls who excel when they are moved around more often. 

3. How often? 

We will arrange accordingly once a month according to the progress they make at their current seats. Or as it is needed with certain students.

4. How long will it take?  

This will continuously develop throughout the year. The progress won’t be the same for all students. 

5. How will you track progress? 

Through reflection logs and anecdotal notes. We will also note resources through spreadsheets that can be shared with parents, admin, and school psychologists, such as parents and or school facilities 

6. How will you collect measurable data? 

We will collect measurable data through observations, and parent-teacher conferences, teachers could also have a seating chart, with a section for those observation notes, along with keeping ourselves up to date with new resources, research, and practices to accommodate future upcoming students. 

7. How will you document and reflect? 

We will collect documentation and reflect on a Google spreadsheet where teachers will have a section for each student's progress from beginning to end. In this way, we can reflect and make adjustments throughout the year. 

Throughout our research, we learned that flexibility of seating is very crucial for our students, the minimizing of distractions, opportunities for movement, and an organized individual seating plan, especially for our students with ADHD or any students who find it hard to concentrate during class instruction.  As a group, we learned that there are different steps to take as future educators when it comes to setting up our classrooms and knowing our students who need different accommodations.  The topic that continued to be highlighted to us was how flexible seating is important for our students to be able to focus having wobbles, standing desks, or chairs that were yoga balls, etc. Research stated, "The classroom teacher’s perceptions of her students’ positive feelings regarding the classroom also were a recurring theme throughout the interview. One child noted that she had “never seen a classroom with different flexible seating.” After asking if she enjoyed flexible seating, her immediate response was “Yeah! I’m so glad that I have this teacher this year.”  (Stapps, 2019, p.37-38) Students feel like it was a great safe environment that was positively different seating and helpful. Having all student but also ones that are struggling with ADHD change their perception of the classroom is very crucial because it makes them feel like it is more relaxed and not just a regular come-in and sit down and learn environment. Instead, an environment where they get to sit in different types of chairs that are adjusted to what their needs are.