Awareness Leads to Consciousness!

Growth Mindset!

Flexible Seating

Studies show that students feel safer in classroom where they are more comfortable, emotionally and physically. Students love choice. Since I have had flexible seating, students have academically done better because not everyone learns the same way and students need different kinds of seating. Student's social emotional learning is improving because flexible seating allows freedom while learning. They are encouraged to take turns in different locations and with different seating options.

Students will choose a spot in the classroom every six weeks and they use the common areas to focus and do their work. Many students sit on the rug and use clipboards to write on while they are on the rug. We even can take our shoes off in the classroom to feel even more comfortable.

My goal is to create a flexible seating space for working that would mimic the real world and create safety in the classroom which would contribute to their overall well-being and increase their academic performance.

Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI)

We teach math using an approach known as Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) which helps students develop their own strategies to solve a variety of problems.

Number sense is developed through Number Talks, number sense routines, problem solving, Project Based Learning, whole class conversations, and sharing out.

CGI is based on research that shows that children come to school with rich informal systems of mathematical knowledge and problem-solving strategies that can serve as a basis for learning mathematics with understanding. Students who learn the standard algorithms often learn little more than a procedure to find the correct answer with little concept development.

I place an emphasis on reasoning, justification, explicit communication of ideas, rather than a right answer.

Mindfulness

In my room, we are working on being mindful through breathwork, somatic movement, affirmations, yoga and gratitude, all of which I personally practice.

Research has shown that providing mindfulness tools to students helps to calm them down and redirect their behavior for the positive.

Exercise such as yoga not only strengthens but calms the body. Somatic movement gets out their wiggles. Breathwork regulates the body. Affirmations build self-esteem, and gratitude provides a person with a profound sense of happiness and humility.