Alternative Seating

   I started my "flexible seating" journey three years ago in my 4th grade classroom. 

     I do not see my classroom as flexible. It is just a regular classroom with different seating options. Yes I have desks, kitchen tables, tall tables, stools and rugs but my classroom is not any different than a classroom with chairs and desks. To have different seat choices in the classroom does not mean you have to have organized chaos or a "flexible" teaching style. All I do is provide my students with different comfortable seating options. It has helped to lower student behavioral issues along with promote engagement. I have less students falling asleep in class and more students focusing during my lessons.  Prior to my alternative seating options, I noticed several students falling asleep during instruction and students started to get the "glassy eye stare" when I was providing whole group instruction. But after tons of research,  I decided to add different seating options to my classroom. I found that I did not have to wake students up during instruction and they were more responsive during a lesson. 

   Providing students with different seating options does not have to be expensive. You can keep it simple by adding a rug, bean bags or a tall desk. If you prefer desks and chairs, the students can sit in desk during instruction time but use the other seating options during independent work. By providing them with different seating choices, you will lower behavioral issues and promote student engagement. I am aware this will not work with ALL students; however, it will work with most.  There are several inexpensive ideas on pinterest. 

My Seating Choices:
2 Kitchen Tables and Chairs (Taller students love these)
Student desks and chairs with bouncy bands
wobble cushions (amazon)
rugs
foam mats (amazon) 
tall stand desks
stools (yard sales)
bean bag chair (Fred's)
couch cushion (from my old couch)
Outdoor pillows (Walmart)
wicker furniture (off my mom's porch) 
Glider (My old glider from my  house) 
ottoman cubes (amazon and yard sales)
Exercise balls (yard sales)
Stools (five below/family dollar) 

Before you decide to start your alternative seating classroom journey or not ask yourself:

Do students ever fall asleep during whole group instruction? 



Do you notice that students are wiggly or moving around in their desks throughout the school day? Do students try to get out of their seats often to sharpen pencils or get a tissue? 

Do your student sit on their feet in their desks? Do they try to sit on their knees? 

Do your students become unresponsive to classroom instruction after lunch? 

Do you ever have to say "Okay guys wake up and pay attention."? 
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If the answer is yes to these questions I suggest you TRY alternative seating options in your classroom. 
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1st choose if you want to provide them with (option A) kitchen tables, rugs, stools, short tables and tall tables or if you prefer to use (option B) student desks during whole group instruction and provide them with rugs and bean bags to use during independent work. Choose the option that will work best for you and your teaching style. 
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Option A:

Place name tags on seating options before school starts. On the first day of school instruct students to sit at their assigned seat. Then use the 1st day to explain your classroom seating rules. 

In my classroom every seating option such as the kitchen tables or short table have a "place" to put all their material such as books and paper. If you are seating at that area your material has a specific place in the classroom. I show them this on the 1st day of school. If you choose to move to another area at the end of the day then you have to move all your stuff to the assigned area. 

Students may only request to move seats at the end of the day. They may only move if there is a seat available. Some students ask to switch with each other. (I do not always say yes to their requests. Sometimes I make them wait until a later time.)
This is done during break time and does not effect instruction time. The students move everything on their own and therefore; does not effect my time. I have noticed after the 1st month or so students start to stay in the area that works best for them. 
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Option B 

When I started my alternative seating option I used option B in my classroom. All my students sat in their desks during whole group instruction; however, I had tall standing desk in the back of the room. If a student felt the need to stand, they would give me the American Sign Language sign for desk and I would shake my head yes or no depending on the situation. They could give me the sign during instruction or independent work. They would take their math book or reading book with them to the desk and continue to work,  There was enough room for 4 students and they would leave when they wanted to sit back down. This helped to keep their wiggles out and provided them with different options to be comfortable in our classroom. I also had a reading corner with different seating options that was available when they had completed their classwork. 

Good luck on your journey!!!!  

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