Flexible seating. Have you heard anyone talking about it? We certainly have. In fact, we wrote an article about it a year and a half ago giving a teacher’s perspective of flexible seating.
In a nutshell, flexible seating is about offering students choices in where they work, whether it is tables and chairs, traditional desks, a bean bag on the floor, exercise balls, or a standing desk.
Since the time of our last flexible seating blog post, it has become more commonplace in schools in varying degrees of implementation. We hear teachers talking about the benefits and potential drawbacks. We hear parents and administrators sharing their concerns and triumphs. Overall, the reviews of flexible seating are cautiously positive but we still felt liking something was missing.
Then it came to us…we hadn’t heard the STUDENT opinion of flexible seating. So, we found ourselves a 5th grader in a flexible seating classroom who was more than willing to share his opinions on flexible seating.
What would we see if we walked into your flexible seating classroom?
It is neat. Maybe not “neat” in the way of a normal classroom but it is a LOT better. You would find yoga balls, a table that is lower to the ground and one that is higher so you can stand up to work if you want. There is a table that you can sit at with the yoga balls that you can bounce on…but just a tiny bit…you shouldn’t really bounce much at all. There is another table with big dice for the seats that are much more comfortable than a normal chair. There are some couches and a few carpets that you can lay or sit on. There is another rug under the low table so it is comfortable to sit on the floor. There are no desks but there are baskets to put all of your stuff in. The baskets are in the shelving area in the back corner. Everyone has their own basket. They are metal.
Can you explain why you like the flexible seating?
It helps you focus. You don’t have to just sit in one spot. You know how sometimes your head can hurt… from too much work… or MAP testing… when you are trying to concentrate too much? This classroom is better because you can sit how you want so your head doesn’t hurt. We actually have a chair that is really comfortable and meant to help your back. It is soooo much more comfortable and easier to do work in. We can’t put our computers on the ground but we can sit at the tables or other places with the computers.
What are some disadvantages to a flexible seating classroom?
Some people can mess around in it and abuse what they have. Sometimes people will jump up and down on the yoga balls. That distracts you and makes it hard for you to read. The flexible seating is meant to relax you, not to distract you.
What happens when people bounce on the balls and distract others?
My teacher says, “No bouncing.” If people still keep bouncing, my teacher says they can’t sit in that spot for a day. If they keep bouncing, it could maybe become two or three days, I guess. I don’t really know because that hasn’t happened.
What else should people know about flexible seating?
Another good thing is that you can sit wherever you want. You don’t have assigned seating. You can sit by your friends. When you have to talk to someone for group work, the whole class can be talking at once with their partners and it doesn’t get loud because you are spread out and whispering.
Do you think teachers should switch to flexible seating classrooms?
Yes! It is so much easier to work in. In a regular classroom it gets a little hard and a little boring because you sit in the same spot every day for about a month or two before they switch the desks. In flexible seating, you don’t have to sit in the same spot. You don’t have to sit by a particular person 24/7. You can sit by different people on different days or by different people in the same day. You can sit wherever you want and where you work best.
It was clear by this fifth grader’s animated voice and positive description of his flexible seating classroom, that he loves the concept in theory and in action.
Are you as sold on the concept of flexible seating as he is? Do you share the same concerns about distractability? Or do the benefits outweigh the potential distractions? Has this fifth grader sold you on flexible classrooms?
Wishing you a comfortable place to work today so your head doesn’t hurt from concentrating too much (we used great restraint not to laugh during that part of the interview),
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