Page 14 - The Edge - BTS 2019

SUMMER CONFERENCE AND EXPO

BY DON HARRIS

Flexible Classrooms

O er a Shift to the Future
Stacy D’Angelo Howard Kropp

Getting students ready for 21 century jobs may involve a e shift to exible seating in the learning environment was
st
shift from traditional-looking classrooms to innovative exible triggered by a change in the workplace, D’Angelo said. She
seating. displayed a photo of a 20 century workplace with uniform
th
That concept was described and illustrated for AASBO seating, all facing in the same direction with no apparent
members by Stacy D’Angelo, Professional Development collaboration. “ ey punched the clock in at 8 a.m. and out at 5
Specialist for Lakeshore, a leading developer and retailer of p.m. with very little interaction,” D’Angelo said.
educational materials for elementary schools. She noted that children were being prepared for those jobs
In a breakout session at the AASBO Annual Conference and in similar-looking classrooms: “ ey were facing the same way,
Expo on July 18, D’Angelo, who spent 14 years as a kindergarten and told to sit up straight, feet on the oor, look straight ahead.”
teacher, explained the advantages of exible seating. “I started Schools started to get away from that by pushing two desks
to think of a classroom from a student perspective,” she said. together, but the environment was relatively unchanged, with
“What would make the students more comfortable and become the teacher at the front of the class lecturing.
more enthused about learning?”
How about giant pillows, bean bags and rocking chairs?
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14 THE EDGE | BACK TO SCHOOL 2019