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pictures of Amber's flexible seating arrangement in her classroom

Pictures of Amber's flexible seating arrangement in her classroom.

Flexible Seating for Social Communication

September 7, 2023 | 2 comments

Flexible Seating for Social Communication

It is my philosophy, based on years of experience, that students will learn from me as a part of a community; and this community just happens to be flexible.

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I’m sitting at my kitchen table writing this blog. All of my blogs and books have been written at kitchen tables. Some years, I could hear my kiddos playing Mario Kart, and I’d type as fast as I could before they started to squabble, and I’d have to lower my screen for the afternoon. Other years, I tried to write the same paragraph for an entire day because I’d be running someone to play practice or picking someone up from guitar. Today, I’m watching my phone for texts from my daughter who is in her first weekend of college, and I can hear my son mixing music upstairs in what I’m calling his Rave Cave. I write best like this. 

Though Virginia Woolf extolled a “room of one’s own” in her book with that name, (and I don’t disagree!), I find that I just work better in the midst of the chaos. If I’m away from home, I write in a hotel bar, lobby or my favorite: a coffee shop. My husband, on the other hand, has to listen to music. My son needs silence—not even the television can be on. My daughter writes while lying on her bed with “Dance Moms” playing in the background, even though she’s seen every episode a ridiculous number of times. This family portrait is meant to paint a picture for you of a house full of people who all work in different ways. When we think about our classrooms, we must think of the exponential ways that students learn best. “Flexible” is the word I’ve landed on for how I teach, how I view students and families, and how I approach my teaching career, so it’s only natural that my classroom would have flexible seating! 

My classroom is, on its best days, an English language arts workshop. I want students to have the freedom to do their best work, and learn in a way that meets their needs. Over the years, I’ve found that flexible seating is key to creating an environment where more students have successful interactions with reading, writing, speaking and listening. I’ve written a whole lot about this topic, so if you want to learn more about that journey, here you go: Creating a Flexible Classroom (webinar, 2016), The Flexible Approach to Social and Emotional Learning (blog, 2017), and Six Months of Flexible Seating (blog, 2018). When the pandemic hit, all of my flexible seating was stored; rows of desks that were six-feet apart appeared, along with a giant six-foot shield around my own desk, and I felt the intensity of separation even more than other teachers. I was thrilled to write The Return to Flexible Seating (blog, 2022). 

flexible seating in Amber's classroom

I’ve doubled down on flexible seating for the coming year. I brought in floor gaming chairs, giant cushions, couches, and replaced all regular student chairs with “spinny” office chairs. I already owned lots of these items; but I do pursue grants, and thrifting is my middle name. Here are three “lessons learned” over the years: 

It is not the ‘party room’

One of the ruder reactions I’ve had to my flexible seating room was from a teacher who stuck his head in the door during my class, saying: “I had to come see the party room. Mrs. Chandler sure must want to be your favorite teacher.” It is not, in fact, the party room. Though his comment was mean-spirited, I do make expectations clear that we are a community of learners, and flexible seating is meant to help all of us. Some students will see the room setup and immediately think that I’m a pushover or just a fun teacher. If some students are unable to control themselves, say, on the yoga ball, then they will need to move for their own sake and for those students in our classroom community who are trying to pay attention. This is the slideshow I share with students and families; it explains the flexible seating arrangement and the expectations regarding cellphones. 

Your tolerance level matters

I tried y’all. I really did. I can’t stand yoga balls. First, I made sure to get a variety of sizes to fit all types of kiddos. Then, I bought the kind that are weighted, so they don’t roll around. Finally, I bought these stability circle things that really held them in place. I still hated them. Kiddos using them correctly—to bounce a little as they worked—gave me anxiety. I’d lose my train of thought when kiddos sat there. The yoga balls were also difficult to maintain. Even though the ones I bought were really nice, they still lost air over five periods a day. For flexible seating to work, it needs to be about what you can tolerate. My students can sprawl on the floor, lounge on couches, and even lie down under tables (I have a bunch of kiddos who love being under stuff, even in eighth grade), but I can’t handle the bouncing. So, they are gone. It will be OK. 

Not everyone will appreciate your approach

I’m not going to lie; it is fun to have families on back-to-school nights come to my room. Most love it, claiming they would have been better students if they’d had this freedom. Many want to guess where their kiddo sits. However, there’s usually one or two (isn’t there always?) who want me to understand that they expected that I was going to prepare their child for high school, and my classroom seems very elementary. I am kind, but I am firm: It is my philosophy, based on years of experience, that students will learn from me as a part of a community; and this community just happens to be flexible. I solemnly swear that your child will be ready for high school! Give this space, your child, and me the opportunity to learn together this year, and I promise you’ll be happy with your child’s growth.

Amber's classroom rules

This year, I made some changes. As I mentioned, I’m done with yoga balls. I’m trying to keep my “squads” smaller, and I am not having students use any particular system to pick out their seating choice. Whoever gets there, gets there. They can’t save seats because we are all members of the same community. Once they have come into the classroom, they can’t dump their belongings and leave. I moved the papasan chair nearer to my desk because it is usually a loner who picks to sit there. This way I’ll have natural access to chat.

It is my philosophy, based on years of experience, that students will learn from me as a part of a community; and this community just happens to be flexible.

The most important change to the seating is that I’ve created it so that we can go into “rotating chairs,” a type of class discussion that you can read about here. I’m committing to myself that at least a few times a week we will engage in large class discussions, as I’ve noticed that students are lacking in their social communication skills. The rolling chairs from the center tables can be moved easily to form a circle with the rest of the flexible seating options. I’ll share how this emphasis on social communication goes in a future blog! I’d love to hear about your adventures in flexible seating and teaching social communication. Follow me on Twitter @MsAmberChandler or Threads @AmberRainChandler, and use the hashtag #flexibleclass to share your room and strategies. 

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Amber Chandler
  Amber Chandler is a National Board Certified middle school ELA teacher in Hamburg, New York with a Master’s Degree in Literature, as well as a School Building Leader certification. She is the 2018 Association for Middle Level Educators’ “Educator of the Year.”  Amber has enjoyed a wide variety of... See More
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Valcarce
Valcarce September 7, 2023, 12:17 pm

Ms. Chandler, I am a parent, I have an IEP kid and he always had difficulty reading and writing. I see your flexible seating classroom approach and I think my child would have loved English if he would have had the opportunity of learning in a class environment like you provide to your students. You are amazing!

Valcarce
Valcarce September 7, 2023, 12:17 pm

Ms. Chandler, I am a parent, I have an IEP kid and he always had difficulty reading and writing. I see your flexible seating classroom approach and I think my child would have loved English if he would have had the opportunity of learning in a class environment like you provide to your students. You are amazing!