Flexible classrooms scrap desks, add couches and bean bag chairs
Kate Dubinski | CBC News | Posted: September 5, 2017 9:00 AM | Last Updated: September 5, 2017
Choosing where they learn best allows students to be in charge of their own education, teachers say
When students step into Jennifer Chelchowski's Grade 7 classroom, they'll find a couch, beanbag chairs and yoga balls.
They won't find a single desk.
When students step into Heidi Solway's Grade 7/8 classroom, they'll be able to choose whether they want to sit or stand.
Both teachers spent the last week in their rooms preparing for the first day of school, but they weren't putting desks in neat and tidy rows.
It's part of a move to flexible classrooms, giving students a say over how the room is structured and how they learn best.
"My vision for my classroom is to always create a dynamic learning space. The students are very much responsible for the space and the education. That's my philosophy," said Solway, a teacher at Emily Carr public school.
"Education is taking on the role of preparing students that are thinkers, decision makers, leaders, and so a lot of teachers are thinking about creating their learning space to facilitate that. So it's not a brand new experience when they head out into the world."
Last year, Solway's students were so taken aback by the lack of desks in their class, they thought she had forgotten to come in to set up the room. She lets her students decide how they want their classroom to look in the first few weeks of school.
"It's been a long time since I've used rows, and even pods and small group seating is out. I'm trying to take it to a different level."
Students learn where they want
Instead, students choose where they learn best, and go from there. That might mean working while lying down on the carpet, leaning up against a wall, or sitting at a table.
When she's giving instruction, Solway has students come to a common area in the classroom.
"As soon as I finish that instruction, they can choose to go where they want to go. If they're working on reading on the carpet, or standing up to do their math, it's their choice."
Furniture is above the classroom budget, so teachers beg, borrow and scavenge for what they can find. Solway says she's spent about $600 at garage sales and retailers for beanbag chairs, plants, or coffee tables.
School is a 'second home'
Chelchowski, about begin her second year teaching in a flexible classroom , said she wants to make the classroom a "second home" for herself and her students.
She's found things at garage sales, accepted donations from parents, and brought in her own items for her classroom, which includes a couch and two chairs, standing tables with stools, and a carpet area with pillows.
Students keep their work in a binder on a shelf - there are no individual desks.
"We spend a lot of time in the classroom and I want it to be a space that you want to come to every day," she said. "The students can choose where they learn best, whether that's sprawled out on the ground or moving on a yoga ball. Some kids want to stand, some kids want a regular chair.
"As long as their focused and learning, I don't care where they are."