Choice Seating: Genius or Asking for Chaos?

As a classroom teacher, I've always liked the idea of little nooks here and there for kids to read in.  Before this year, it was just a funky spot in a corner, maybe with a pillow or two and a comfy chair. Most kids love this...and by love, I mean it's a great opportunity to show dominance by racing to the chair and then giggling at the poor soul who did not make it to the coveted spot. To be clear, I am referring to my students, not adults.  Although, to be fair, I think there are still plenty of adults to do the same thing but are a bit more sneaky about it.  And it's not typically chairs they are vying for.  Just saying.

This year, though, I wanted to do something more dramatic.  I wanted to overhaul my whole classroom into an area similar to what you would find at the Google campus (or what I have seen in pictures at least).  I wanted my kids to sit and work where they were most comfortable.  I wanted to provide PLENTY of places for kids to fight over! :)  And fight they did.

Couch seating area.

When I started the year, I had four table groups of 7 students each.  Every day, I allowed for one group to enjoy "choice" seating.  I had set expectations on how to WORK in choice seating.  I just forgot to mention how to FIND choice seating.  In observing my students and their choice seating behaviors, it was clear that I needed to clarify that "shoving a friend to the ground so you can sit on the couch" was not part of my expectations, nor was "5 kids on the couch bouncing around for kicks" going to cut it.

Tabletop painted with white board paint!

Ok, I set out some expectations, but found that I needed to use "choice seating passes" for my 4th graders, a visual ticket type thing that I would take from kids if they chose to act crazy-town either on the way to choice seating or while working...and I mean "working."

Hey 4th graders: Supplies go back HERE!

That seemed work much better and over time (a few months), I was able to have 2 tables per day using choice seating with little issue.  One thing I had found, though, was that students were leaving supplies all over the place!  They would take their supplies with them for choice seating, but not return them back to their tables.  I am (clearly) an organization freak (in my classroom only, of course) and all these pencils rolling around were driving me BANANAS!


I'm still not sure how to manage this choice seating along with being responsible for supplies.  I don't have a "classroom currency" in my classroom...aside from getting some sweet high fives from me...so, I can't really "pay" someone to help clean.  Unless they will work for said high fives.  Meh. Maybe no.  I'm thinking of sectioning off parts of the room and assigning groups to check those areas before going out for recess.  I'm open to ANY ideas at this point.

Ikea shelves used for student storage: books, notebooks, folders, etc.

Spring Break is always a good time for me to reflect on the year and set up new systems/social experiments to try during the remainder of the year.  You know, use my 4th graders this year to see what I can improve for next year's group of kids.

Hokki Stools for wiggly friends!

I had an opportunity to visit Cove Elementary in Marin last week. Teachers at Cove Elementary do an AMAZING job of giving students choice in where they are comfortable working.  Rooms are HUGE and full of so many types of chairs: bean bags, Hokki Stools (jealous), soft benches, and comfy chairs from Ikea.  I was blown away when a 2nd grade girl asked, "Can we take our book club outside on the grass?" She and her small group went (for their Daily 5 reading) outside and when I checked in on them a few minutes later outside their classroom door, they were totally focused.  After visiting Cove Elementary last week, I was reinspired to give choice seating another go...a fresher look to it. Even though I teach in an office park with no grass or windows (wah, wah, wahhhh).

New bean bag chairs.

Into Walmart I went (cringe) and bought more chairs and some new carpets to make choice seating more welcoming.  My plan going back next week is to allow all of my 4th graders choice seating when there is not direct instruction happening on the front carpet.  I'm still thinking of all the expectations I will need to have and share with my kids when we get back next week. Although the management piece has been more challenging than I had anticipated, it is well worth it.  The kids do so much better with choice seating than they did in August.  I imagine with more trouble-shooting, choice seating will be awesome for everyone...even though I WILL miss seeing the daily dominance challenges.