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Ms. McPhail's Classroom Edit display name

  • Hope Valley Elementary School
  • Durham, NC
  • More than half of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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Throughout my teaching career of 16 years, I have placed great importance on the physical environment of my classroom. I have worked hard, and somewhat expensively, to make it genial and adaptable, with places for group work, partner work, and places to be alone, quiet, and peaceful. With the rise of departmentalized rotations, the old norms of one student per one seat are no longer as workable as they once were. What I am looking for is a way for students to choose the working environment that suits not only their own working style, but the style that best fits whatever work they're doing. Alternative seating is just what we need: pillows, comfortable chairs, and lots of flexibility! Toward that end, I have read, researched and loved the different versions of alternative seating arrangements I have found on the internet and would like to begin implementing such a structure in my own classroom. I know such a change will require a great deal of modeling and repeated expectations, but believe that the engagement, ownership and empowerment that students will feel more than compensates for the effort and expense. Slowly, I have begun compiling certain items, but need more.

About my class

Throughout my teaching career of 16 years, I have placed great importance on the physical environment of my classroom. I have worked hard, and somewhat expensively, to make it genial and adaptable, with places for group work, partner work, and places to be alone, quiet, and peaceful. With the rise of departmentalized rotations, the old norms of one student per one seat are no longer as workable as they once were. What I am looking for is a way for students to choose the working environment that suits not only their own working style, but the style that best fits whatever work they're doing. Alternative seating is just what we need: pillows, comfortable chairs, and lots of flexibility! Toward that end, I have read, researched and loved the different versions of alternative seating arrangements I have found on the internet and would like to begin implementing such a structure in my own classroom. I know such a change will require a great deal of modeling and repeated expectations, but believe that the engagement, ownership and empowerment that students will feel more than compensates for the effort and expense. Slowly, I have begun compiling certain items, but need more.

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About my class

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