If you were to walk through Southwest classrooms you would notice furniture and tables that, at first, look a little out of place. Thanks to generous donations from the Southwest Boosters, teachers are bringing a new look and learning environment to their rooms. One of the key tenets of the D124 Strategic plan is, “Inspire students to create, innovate, and collaborate globally in order to prepare them for the dynamic and unprecedented opportunities that await citizens of the 21st Century.”  Flexible seating options and new furniture in the classrooms is one way Southwest is adapting to help prepare students to meet these new opportunities. The seating and furniture allow for a more student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Classrooms can be quickly changed and tailored to match the needs of students or specific projects and assignments. Gone are the traditional single file rows of desks with a stationary teacher at the front of a classroom. Students can be seen engaging in group discussions and other forms of peer to peer learning. Teachers are more able to differentiate and tailor their teaching to meet the individualized needs of students.

You’ll see students sitting around tables of all sizes on a variety of seating choices. Ball chairs, wobble disks, and stools are just a few of the options that students have. Nora H., a 4th-grade student at Southwest, is pleased with the updates. “We have four different seating options at five different locations around the classroom.   We like having a choice, and we get to choose every Friday where we will sit for the next week.” The class has a lottery each week to determine the order students get to chose. Wobble chairs and ball chairs are favorites of the students, but with the lottery, the tables and groups are never the same. The increased options also come with increased responsibility. Charlie A.(4th Grade) knows that with the weekly change comes a new group of peers to sit and work with. “We have to be able to get along with different people.” Other students echo that sentiment. Students know that by having the freedom to choose their seat and location, they are more accountable for their work. “We have to be responsible,” says Jasmine A(4th Grade).

The options and choices help students feel more comfortable and increase engagement because student place themselves where they know the will work best. Southwest would again like to thank the generosity of the Boosters who are making these classroom updates possible. Check out some pictures the updates.