Flexible Seating Grant awarded to Lafayette Mills School and Wemrock Brook School
Jessica Young and Jackie Widom (Lafayette Mills School) and Missy Cullen and Stefanie Zammitto (Wemrock Brook School) were awarded $2,000 for their respective schools to purchase Flexible Seating.
The goal of this grant is to change the traditional classroom design into a more flexible seating environment. Flexible seating incorporates movement into daily learning by providing students with different types of equipment in lieu of traditional desks and seating. The flexible seating will set up a learning environment that utilizes a kinesthetic approach. Utilizing the various seating and standing arrangements students will have the ability to use movement to facilitate cognition, maximize brain function, and anchor learning.
“There’s a lot of research showing a correlation between the subtle movements that flexible seating allows and an increase in student focus and engagement,” says Pat Berger, President for The Foundation for MERS. “It makes classrooms more accessible for students, increases student engagement, and opens the room to a variety of learning styles.”
Flexible seating promotes a sense of classroom community and accountability. It minimizes off-task behaviors and helps meet the unique needs of all learners. Movement stimulates and enhances cognitive development. The backless design promotes proper posture, increases the ability to pay attention, improves short & long-term memory, and forms
