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What does flexible seating look like in the classroom?

As I begin my school year off in a new grade level there are lots of changes and adjustments that I must confront. One big change that is undeniably visible is the use of desks!!! When I taught Kindergarten my seating was flexible in the sense that no student had an actual assigned seat, but instead would rotate through centers and chose a seat at the table they were assigned to be at in that moment. As I walked into my into my new 2nd grade classroom I almost forgot that desks would be involved. Thinking back to my own 2nd grade desk experience, and honestly the majority of my primary school experience, I remember the rigidness of rows facing the black board! I knew for sure that is not what I wanted to do, but also felt a bit at a loss of what it "should" look like. I picked at my colleagues' mind in the building and got great ideas of how to clusters desks together. But, when I looked online for more ideas and inspiration I was greeted by the idea of flexible seating. ...

Calm-down Corner

While tweeting for my #EDUC502 class many tweets about began to show up on my feed about calm-down corners, here is one that served as inspiration for this blog. The use of calm-down corners seem to be popping up more and more in classrooms around my school building. The students' adjustment back to building from online learning has been accompanied by many behaviors. At all grade levels I have spoken with colleagues that have mentioned that they have noticed the increase of behaviors such as students being physical with one another and having outbursts during their class. I did not start the school year off with a calm-down corner in my classroom but hope to incorporate it by the start of the next marking period. After picking at many colleagues minds I have put together a few items and ideas I would like to include in mine. I have heard how successful these corners can be, although also it does bring up more questions on management. If you have a calm-down corner how do you use ...

Creating a safe community for our students

Especially at the beginning of the school year when students may be feel extra anxious about grade level changes, new classmates, new teachers, and in some cases a brand new school; it is important to create a welcoming environment where students feel safe and part of a community.  I know this year alone, I have 2 students that spent their last academic year in the virtual academy, 1 student who was home schooled, and 2 students who moved from out of state. I think about how different this must be for them and what I can do to help transition into this new reality for them.  After watching a video titled, "Starting Each Class With a Warm Welcome" on Edutopia.com, I was able to reflect more on my own morning meeting and got ideas of what I can incorporate into them to help create a trusting relationship with my students. Here are a few take aways I took from the video. How have you been utilizing these strategies and are you maintaining them throughout ...