I can't believe the changes in my classrooms since I started this blog! I've been rolling with the Responsibility Classroom, but I see it more by another name. The Choice Classroom. I still expect students to be responsible, but I have come to believe they develop responsibility most through the choices they make.
Over these five years, I have started to allow more and more choice. I do a lot of small groups based on need and require students with those needs to participate. I also allow anyone who wishes to join us to come and be apart of the group. It is an open invitation that some take advantage of every now and then and some never have. That's okay though. Part of being responsible is making choices, and for some the skill is something they excel at so joining would not be beneficial to them.
I also do thumb checks on math skills. Thumbs up "I totally get this and could show others how"; thumbs down "I don't get this at all"; and thumbs sideways "I get it most of the time, but could use more practice". It's a quick check for me to identify who needs more practice or reteaching. It also is beneficial to them because it allows them to self check and make a responsible choice. The choice being remaining with the thumbs down students to practice more. My thumbs up are allowed to leave and work on other math skills. Thumbs sideways are to stay until they feel they are more thumbs up and then are free to choose math skills to work on. Many times, a thumbs up person will stay just to practice more.
I still do I Mays and I Wills, and love it. We periodically will review what are some good I Mays in a given subject. I now simply write "review _____" in those spaces or "practice _____" because a county visitor didn't like that I referenced so many online resources in those spaces. Meanwhile, we have been asked to use more technology and less paper in our upper elementary grades. That's a whole other issue.
We still cushion seats; regular seats in groups, pairs, and by themselves; and stools with high desks and tables. We were up to four stability balls last year, but one student purposefully popped one and then two were accidentally popped this year. Including one very funny moment when a pretty skinny kid sat on one and it just popped. His facial expression was priceless, and obviously it popped because it was getting old. The last one was deflated, because my current group couldn't handle not bouncing to the ceiling on the thing. Next year, it will come back out and I will need to get more as well. A major difference this year is that I took 4 area rugs and put them together to form one large carpet area. Around this area we have a number of low desks that can be sat at or sat on. We also have some camp chairs that may be used around the edges of the carpet. Our whole group instruction happens in this carpet area. When working alone or in groups students can spread out around the room, including to nooks that I have created with bookshelves.
A great change happened last year, and my state decided that flexible seating was allowed during testing. Last year's class and this year's decided what kind of seats they want to sit at for the long hours of testing. I arrange my rows accordingly. Yesterday, four students helped me arrange the room to what the class wanted.
Are there still kiddos who make irresponsible choices? Yes! Are their still parents who don't support my efforts? Yes! But over these last five years of responsibility/choice classes developing responsibility students far out the ones who choose not to be. Each year more parents request me for their child's teacher because of my classroom. Ones who walk in at Open House in August, skeptical usually walk away in June pleased with their child's progress in responsibility. And the classroom that I model has begun to spread across the school. There are many varying degrees of flexible seating classrooms in my school now. Last year, I was asked to do a training of flexible seating for my colleagues. I am not an expert and not into what research says, but I believe in trying ways to help my students to make more responsible choices and develop more responsibility. I couldn't be more pleased with my five year experiment and look forward to the years that are ahead that include new ways to help my students succeed.
