1-Why are you considering it?
2-What will you do with the kids stuff?
3-How will you manage it?
4-How do you get the seating options?
1-Why are you considering it?
Are you looking to spice things up a bit for your students? Do feel there is a need in your classroom to change some seating options to help students perform or behave better? Does it look really cool when you walk into teacher's classrooms that do flexible seating? These are just a few of the questions to consider when trying to decide whether or not to give flexible seating a try.
If you feel your students just need a change, then you could try just rotating a few seating options through your whole class. I often do this early in the year when getting my kiddos ready for the most extreme seating options (aka-the yoga ball). I just keep a checklist up front on my board or easel and choose 1 student before lunch and 1 student after lunch so everyone can give it a try. As a class we discuss and practice how to use the seat correctly and I follow up with the students after everyone has had a chance to try it out to get their thoughts. Surprisingly enough, I've had children pass on their chance to even try some seats. I've also had kids who loved the special seats but are able to tell me it was a distraction to them. So letting everyone try it out is one way of introducing flexible seating into your classroom in small doses.
Another way to introduce it in small doses is to place the flexible seating options around the room for use during centers, group work or partner activities. I have several colleagues that choose this method of incorporating flexible seating into their classrooms because they just aren't comfortable with the controlled chaos of having all those seating choices everywhere for the entire day. This helps get the kids used to it, while not causing a huge change in your classroom set up. Then you can go ALL IN a little later.
Finally, you can do like me and go ALL IN! I'm an ALL IN or not kind of girl anyway, but my purpose was and is to help my little wigglers to stay focused in any way possible so they will listen to me, so I ditched my desks (not all, just most) and did a major rearrange. If you're willing to take the plunge then go for it but if not please feel reassured that it's okay to start on a smaller scale and work up from there. You can see an updated panoramic shot of my classroom below.
2-What will you do with their stuff?
This is a very important question to think through before going ALL IN with flexible seating. Before flexible seating, all my students had a desk of their own and that is where they stored all of their notebooks, journals, etc. When I made the switch to flexible seating, I got rid of most of my desks which meant now I had to find somewhere to put all that stuff. Just the thought of it gave me butterflies! Luckily, my classroom was designed with lockers that included cubbies on the top for each student. I chose to clean out all of the rarely used stuff and make room for the necessities in the cubbies. After all, my old way of thinking didn't want that much up and down in my classroom going to get stuff every time we switched subjects but I knew I was going to have to make a change. Now pencil boxes, journals, folders, etc. all stay in the cubbies. This can be daunting but dig in and you'll figure it out. Think like one of those fancy home organizers that gets paid the big bucks and just think about 1)What do your students need daily? 2)Where is the convenient place to store it? Teachers are terrific at organizing so think outside the box and you'll have it figured out in no time!
3-How will you manage it?
It's decision time...Do you want to assign seats? Do you want students to stay in the same place all week? Do you want your students to pick new seats daily? Is it important to you for them to have a "home base?" To be honest, I've done all of the above. In my current classroom, the students choose a new seat each day and that is their "home base" but for me it changes throughout the year. At BOY I often have mostly chairs and tables, then I introduce the more "fun" choices by using the checklist system mentioned above. Sometimes I have students who aren't making good choices about where they sit and who they sit with, so I assign them a seat (at least temporarily) after a discussion with them about whether they think their choices have been good/not so good and why.
I feel that it's important for my students to have a "home base" for the day so they know where to leave their pencil boxes, coats, etc. I still say "Go to your seats..." and they know where to go. However, unless we are taking tests, my students spend very little time at their "home base" seats. Nearly all of my mini-lessons are at the carpet, then group/partner work is usually an opportunity for them to spread out in places they choose around the room (which includes some of those seats that other students picked for the day as their "home base"). They only time my kiddos are usually at their "home base" is during independent work or if they choose to go to their "home base" during group/partner work.
Another thing to remember is that there will be a lot of movement throughout the day if you go ALL IN with flexible seating. I must admit some days it still drives me CRAZY but I have to take a breath and remind myself that I'm doing the flexible seating to help the kids! I have a hard time sitting at the same table, in the same chair, listening to the same person at professional development sessions and I have to remember that my students feel the same way! Here's an overview of the movement in a typical lesson for my classroom..."Bring your word list (from your cubby) and your clipboard (from a class bin) and pencil (from your seat) to the carpet." I teach the lesson, then..."Now you may choose a partner spot to work together." They work together, then..."Now complete the independent practice at your seat." Yes, it's a lot of movement but that's a win-win. Not only are you giving your students the opportunity to work in places that are most comfortable for them but they are given a lot of chance for movement. Remember those little wigglers? That's exactly what they need and you are the awesome teacher giving them that chance to move and wiggle.
Something else to consider is what your "rules" will be for flexible seating. There are lots of good resources out there if you need ideas. This is where you have to be willing to set aside some class time to teach the kiddos in your class HOW to make good seating choices and work in some follow up and accountability. One thing I do is check in with my kids from time to time with a Student Seating Inventory. I have them think about where they work best and who they can be around to do their best work. I use a google form but you can see a PDF version below.
4-How do you get the seating options?
Start by looking around your house or storage building. Are there some bar stools you haven't used in years? If so, add them to your classroom. You can talk to your custodian and ask them to show you some of the unwanted items they have in their secret hiding places. Local discount stores have a lot of the items (stools, yoga balls, etc) that are reasonably priced. Especially if you have to start with the cheap stuff (like me) be sure one of your rules is to use the seats appropriately and keep tools (pencils, scissors) away because these items aren't meant to last forever with day to day kid use. Once you get your feet wet, then you can begin to talk to your principal or PTO to see if they would help you purchase some "school quality" items. Plus, if you're good with data, you could have some behavior data to present them as you make your case for flexible seating. Most items aren't very expensive. You can find Yoga balls for $5-$10. Wiggle seats are less than $20 online. Stools can be $5ish. I'm currently still trying to get funding for a stand up table (I have one meant for older grades that is raised but it gets wobbly quite often) and those durable cushions (that are about $50 a set) for floor cushions.
One word of caution, please don't talk it up and get your kiddos all excited about flexible seating, let them try it out and then take it away completely. Remember the point isn't to be a reward or punishment. It's about HELPING the children who need it. It has been my experience that if you're having management problems, then it would be more appropriate to take away the seating choice that is causing the problem, address it with the student(s) having the problem or spend a little morning meeting time reteaching your procedures for making seating choices and using them correctly. Once the kids have experienced the freedom and independence of choice, they will not be fond of giving it up.
I hope this list has helped you in thinking about and planning for flexible seating in your classroom so you'll be all set to go ALL IN!
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