Page 19 - Quintile_37 web

QSI Quintile • Issue 37 • • • 19

HUnGAry

QSI International School of Pápa

classroom, in an inviting environment where two, students move to a new “home base,” so they
they have choices for comfort. After all, students are exposed to the variety of seating possibilities.
are at school over eight hours a day, and normal
chairs get hard and uncomfortable for a prolonged I am grateful to the 10- and 11-year-olds’ parents
period of time. who have donated exercise balls to our classroom,
and I look forward to continuing to think of
A second benefit of flexible seating is the new ways to make our classroom environment
concentration factor. I have found that students welcoming, comfortable, and fun!
are more likely and able to concentrate when they
Pápa model United have a comfortable place to sit. Some may fear that
nations (mUn) having an exercise ball in the classroom is a recipe
for bouncy-human-rocket-balls-poised-for-chaos- why does the earth’s
The QSI Pápa MUN Club attended their first and-classroom-destruction, but in my experience Surface Change?
conference of the year in Sarajevo, Bosnia. It was this is not the case. By Jessica Sanders, 8- to 9-Year-Old Class Teacher
an exciting event, and had the feel of the real
United Nations. Many of the participants at the In my classroom, there are currently eight Beginning a recent unit with the question
conference aspire to work as delegates at the United different types of seating possibilities: numerous above had students answering based on their prior
Nations. Our students benefited from this wealth exercise balls of different sizes, two tri-pod stools, knowledge. As teachers, we aim to elicit this prior
of experience, and have shown remarkable growth. one bird-nest chair, three different heights of knowledge not only to assess what our students
Their teachers have noticed the differences they student desks or tables, two carpet spaces, one already know and need to learn, but also to create
see in their students since they returned from this padded area atop wooden crates (aka, The Bat some relevancy and confidence for our students as
four-day event. Cave), a rectangular stool, and normal chairs. they approach a new topic. The students realize that
Students will rotate the exercise balls on a daily they have some ideas, but they need to know more.
“It’s funny how we walked into the Conference basis, and once independent work or partner work And this motivates them to find out.
not knowing anyone and four days later we’re begins, they are able to move to a more comfortable
hugging everyone goodbye, crying and telling and conducive space if they choose. Every week or Instead of textbooks and worksheets, we took
them that we will advantage of what Hungary’s geography has to
keep in touch and offer us, and headed to Kemenes Volcano Park
making arrangements to witness millions of years of natural influences
to see them at another and decades of human influence on our earth.
conference. Never have We created clay models of our earth’s layers, then
I developed that deep of pushed our “glaciers” full of rocks and dirt over the
a connection in such a “earth’s surface” to see what changes these massive
short amount of time. formations make. We then waited for them to melt,
Everyone should be to observe how water carries sediment over the land
presented with a chance and what effects this has. Students then worked
like this.”— Katarina in small groups to create models and diagrams of
these changes, and finally, we paired with our six-
“MUN was a very year-old students and our parents to present our
eye-opening experience. learning through guided tours.
We were exposed to
different cultures and As a teacher, I am supported and encouraged
cultural traditions. I was by QSI to bring this style and level of learning to my
able to meet new people students. QSI encourages all of us to keep learning,
and form friendships— to get outside the classroom, to get our hands dirty,
as well as alliances. and to involve the community, which is why I want
Throughout the trip, to be with QSI. And why I’m glad you’re here.
I was thrown into
situations that tested
my quick thinking,
strengthened my
negotiating skills, and
pushed my confidence.
Through heated debate,
I learned that if you wait
for someone to call on
you, you will never be
heard. MUN taught me that if you want to be heard,
you cannot let other people intimidate you. No
matter the age, no matter the status. I believe that
this is a lesson every student should learn firsthand.
I enjoyed representing QSI Pápa at Sarajevo MUN,
and I hope my fellow students and I are given the
opportunity to represent our school again.”—Elesha

Flexible Seating with a
Purpose
By Mike Wood, 10- to 11-Year-Old Class Teacher
Flexible Seating is a purposeful way to design a
classroom that offers students a more comfortable
variety of options for sitting, not only with seats,
but also with tables and workspaces. This is how
I have designed my classrooms over the last three
school years, and I have been pleased with how
successful it has become.

As I see it, the benefits of flexible seating are
twofold for students. First, flexible seating allows
students to feel more at home and relaxed in their