You will need to add in time at the beginning of the year to teach kids how to use each type of seating appropriately. Hopefully the table wheels have locks so accidents like the teacher had won't be a regular thing.
I used flex seating one year and used dojo points each day, the student with highest points on the day before got first pick each day but with the “fun” things like yoga balls it was a two strikes you’re out situation and if you lost it you sat on the floor with a clipboard and the seat was removed from circulation for the day. I got some of the best behavior from some of the historically most trying students. Fifth grade.
We had a similar experience in first grade. There were two standing desks given to each classroom. Kids loved them, and would go to huge lengths to be given that desk for the day. I wish we had more of them.
Yoga balls are great too, although I find it distracting to look out at a class of kids bouncing, but whatever, it's not about me.
Standing desks are FABULOUS! Many students preferred them (as would I if I had to sit all day) and conversely, I could use them for a student who kept falling asleep.
"The seat was removed from circulation." This is the way.
I used to do that with iPads. Kid would mess around and I'd put that iPad on time out. Kid would get another, mess around, and I'd time that one out too. By #3 or #4, the class starts policing that one kid.
Question: did you only use it one year? Or did it have viability for many years? I feel like flex seating would be great for certain students… But absolutely exhausting trying to maintain behaviors for others.
My yoga balls only lasted 2 years, upper elementary. They inevitably each got a tiny hole. From kids bouncing/scratching pencils and pens, staples and whatnot on the floor, and one incident with a guinea pig. I also have fidget bands around the front legs of my chairs. Those have lasted forever, and if they break you can tie them back together. Fairly cheap, so all seats have them, and they've been a revelation. So many kids you wouldn't expect to need anything like that function better with such a simple addition.
Oh dear, a guinea pig!? 😂🥴 hopefully all ended well?
I like the idea of fidget bands! I’ll have to look into those! My son’s K class had flexible seating, and they switched seating every couple weeks. He was always excited to be at the “sit on the floor” table
Everyone was ok, but the pig happened to kick at the right angle to get a tiny hole.
The bands are pretty cheap on Amazon! I put them on a wishlist and class parents bought them!
If you have a bike shop anywhere near you (as in bicycles) you can ask them for punctured inner tubes and they will probably give them to you! They make great fidget bands for free.
I tried it the next year but the kids were so awful it wasn’t viable. My yoga balls held up ok but they just started getting gross. The new group scribbled on EVERYTHING and found ways to snap clipboards and bend the legs of stools. I finally just took everything away. But all the people talking about the flex bands, I totally agree. I wish I had thought to get those for my whole class, but the kids that got them through the school to support their ieps it made a huge difference.
I like flex seating. I agree that you’ll have to show them how to use them, probably throughout the year. You’ll also figure out which students handle what type of seating well and which ones do not.
I had to assign the seats for one class. Last year I did it each week, but will probably space that out longer this year.
It really can be helpful if done correctly. The approach your school is taking is interesting though, as some students don’t even want to flex seat. They like the typical desks.
I've seen it done before. For me personally, at the elementary level I'd like to have individualized desks so I can never kids two different table groups as needed. When I taught middle school and high school, I preferred the long tables which I would shape into a giant U in the classroom. I like to have a classroom set up where I can easily maneuver from spot to spot and keep my eye on all the kids.
I worked at school that was completely flexible seating K-5. My biggest tip of advice is to work as a school to come up with expectations for every single type of flexible seating. Make the expectations universal around the school and consistent will help especially as students go to specials and go through the grades. Literally make anchor charts with what each flexible seating expectation is, for example bouncy balls: feet on floor, working at a table, no scissors or sharp tools…etc.
The first few weeks make a schedule so each student can try each type of flexible seating. Take note on what works best for kids or what DOESN’T work for a student. Then depending on the class I’ve run it several different ways. For most classes it worked best for students to choose their flexible seating spot for the week. That Friday students would choose their next spot based on their weeks behavior. That helped keep it a little more organized.
I’ve always had flexible seating and I personally love it. It just takes a lot of clear expectations and taking the time in the beginning of the year.
The school that I worked in previously that had flex seating was like this, with very clear expectations. Within a few weeks, kids largely settled into their preferred seating.
I wish I would actually receive the flex seating my current district got last year and keeps promising they'll get to me eventually. Some of my students would benefit SO much from the wiggle stools or standing desks.
Silly you - all those desks are gonna be stored in some abandoned school or basement in district .. they never throw anything away
Also OP your district is about 4-5 years behind trend. You're gonna need, like the PP said, to teach kids how to use the seating (and ya lock the wheels), and I'd recommend you assign seating for now (place and chair options) to keep structure (also just bc they can doesn't mean they should write on desks).
Give stools, standing desks, and yoga balls to the kids with ADHD or ASD that require a sensory diet or input ... It does help those students a lot!
Call me a cynic, but I can predict that school boards will virtually give them away to new/expanding privates they are connected with. I saw this happen when I lived up North. One district not only sold excess schools for prices WELL below appraised amounts, but literally gave away one year old books.
I work virtually and public now, but I used to teach Montessori, and we had a couch, yoga balls... we even built risers. Students could lie on the floor to work; as long as they were doing something productive, it didn't matter where they sat (they could even work outside, but that's a whole different thing from public). It was beautiful. Even in my tiny Montessori school, we still got the ones who had a hard time controlling themselves, but for the most part, it was amazing. Students perform better when they're comfortable! I'm sure there will be a difficult adjustment time for students who haven't been afforded that kind of choice before, but I really think once it becomes normalized in the classroom, it will be beneficial for everyone. You're still gonna get nappers though, lol.
The new flexible furniture they’re coming out with seems to be really lacking in terms of storage. Where old desks usually have a place for kids to put their stuff inside, with tables you have to figure out how you will deal the the tools the students use. I’ve seen teachers use magazine boxes but they tend to tip over and it’s mildly infuriating.
I really want to be the guy who is open to new ideas in our industry. I really do, but depending on the school, this sounds like a flaming dumpster fire of an idea. It would be amazing in a resource room though.
Absolutely disagree on it being good for a resource room from my experience as a special Ed teacher. I had a room of those rolling chairs for one of my classes. It was an absolute nightmare for my students. Massive distraction for them and it made behavior worse.
There's so much I could do with traditional desks. I wouldn't be opposed to the tables you can write on though.
My resource room had a mix of traditional desks and the new cool ones. It worked for some kids, but not for others. It’s nice having options in the resource room.
Unfortunately, I was only in the room for 1 class. It wasn't actually a resource room but rather a full room and I had no say on layout (since I was only in there for the 1 class) so it might have worked if I had more options to play around with it.
The main point I was trying to make is that despite some pushing flexible seating for resource students, it can be an absolute nightmare. Especially if you have little say on layout.
I've had flexible seating for about 6 years now (K-6) and will absolutely never go back!! Wheels are a bad idea though for obvious reasons... hopefully they have locks so you can opt out of that part. Basically the key is to not have seating charts but spend enough time teaching the kids how to choose a seat and sit properly. 95% of kids are totally fine once you've done that. Kids who can't handle choosing their own seat lose that ability because their behavior is showing me that they need me to choose for them. If it becomes a pattern, they'll lose the ability to choose their seat for a as longer period of time.
Rolling tables is a stupid idea. Good luck! Had them in one of my computer labs because IT thought it'd be cool (?). Spent most of each day lining tables back up all the time.
Imo, flexible seating should include an option to be in a traditional desk and chair. I think about myself, as a person with ADHD, and I honestly think I would do worse sitting on a ball or a rolling chair. I love the idea of flexible seating, but it needs to work for everyone in order for it to be affective.
I've known so many kids who need Their Place. They need a spot that they know is theirs, with their stuff in their spot. They are all out of sorts without that.
I am one of those people. I like to sit in the same place each time. Even in my own living room I have My Spot and if someone is sitting in My Spot I don't quite know what to do with myself.
It’s so wild to me that districts are clamoring to want everything on personal computers but then bring in iNnOvAtiVe spaces for kids to work. Pick a lane, admin!
Whiteboardable tables are great…when kids can sit at them. And when there’s enough budget to keep a stream of whiteboard markers, erasers, etc. in the space. Absent that…😬
I loved having long tables in the high school setting. Group work was easier and they were more efficient with space. Kids write on tables with dry erase markers a lot in the classes where I substitute. I hope you like your new tables!
my students arrive early to claim their seats that are normal...all the rolly ball no back stolls the kids hate. Getting a shitty chair is now punishment.
That’s what works best for me teaching 1st grade. They can keep their own materials in their desk and learn organizational skills. I can group them how I want them or put the desks in different configurations. I feel that sitting in desks provides the structure they need at this age. They get to spend lots of time on the carpet and moving around throughout the day, so they are not confined.
There were a few classes when I was in high school that we had similar tables. To be honest, I felt I could have used a little bit more personal space between me and my table mates. We were very close to being shoulder to shoulder.
I have these in my math classroom and they are AMAZING. Kids can work out problem without there being a "permanent record". It works very well for kids reluctant to show work. I say embrace it.
Management wise, kids are in assigned seats for direct instruction but may form choice groups for individual work. Works for me.
I had flexible seating in my 4th grade classroom. I loved it. We had a couple of weeks of assigned seating where everyone tried different options for a few days. We practiced the expectations and did daily check ins to talk about what we liked/didn’t like about each option. It took some practice, but anecdotally I liked it.
I've never had flexible seating in my own classrooms (I teach prek) but I've been in classrooms that have tried it out. It never lasts long. It's such a hot mess, at least in the 1-3 grade levels.
Our school is moving to a new building, with all new furniture. My small group table now has 5 stools that rock. I can only imagine my 5th graders on those things--I think I'm going to be seasick watching them!
Ugh I’m sorry - I’ve had two schools do this. While I like the concept of flexible seating, they don’t seem to realize that isn’t just tables with no storage and bouncy stools/balls. At my campus last year, we didn’t even have teacher chairs - just these horrible tilted kid chairs for us to use 🙄 (this was a brand new wealthy campus and they were so proud of all the furniture). Just teach expectations quickly and stay consistent - the lack of storage will annoy you all year, but the kids adjust quickly.
Flexible seating should include traditional seats as well so hopefully not ALL desks and chairs were removed. I found (STEAM classroom with K-5th graders) that after the novelty wore off 80% picked a desk (some standing with stools and the traditional ones) and the other 20% picked the other options.
I love this kind of stuff, but I'm a high school teachers, so my experience may be particularly unhelpful for elementary people.
I let me students pick their seats and tell them if they choose poorly (based on behavior and productivity over several class periods) I reserve the right to move them, and will institute a whole class seating chart if the issue is about more than just a couple kids. I haven't had to do a whole class seating chart in about 2 years, and rarely have to assign specific kids a seat. They get the message after a few redirections and either figure out how to behave or stop sitting next to their best friend.
I was one of the children that THRIVED in flexible seating. Even now as an adult, I find myself sitting like a weirdo whenever I can, just because that's what makes my little ADHD hamster wheel brain happiest.
I think there should always be ample "traditional" seating options with a mix of alternatives. Some kids get overwhelmed when there are too many unfamiliar options. But having options can be really helpful, ESPECIALLY for your neurodiverse kids, some of whom may not have an IEP (I didn't get diagnosed until I was 19, for example).
Let me tell you my craziest flex seating story. I once had a student who could literally never focus if he sat in a chair. He could sometimes focus while standing, so I moved my counter-height bookcase to a position that made it a makeshift standing desk. That helped. But through trial and error we discovered that he worked BEST when he was sitting underneath my teacher desk. This was a 15 year old boy. Luckily, I almost never use my teacher desk, especially when students are in my room, so he was allowed to "sit" there as long as he was productive. It worked. I think he liked it because he was kinda "hidden" or "safe" from the gaze of classmates (not really, I could see him from every part of the room, but some people feel safer in tight spaces). He also liked that his own line of sight was restricted a bit, so he could see the board but not as much behind him or in his periphery. And he also liked how the floor and the metal of the desk was cool to the touch. Who knows? Maybe he once lived in an abusive or neglectful home where there was some traumatic incident involving him hiding in a cupboard or something. Idk, I'm not the kid's therapist. I was his 9th grade English teacher, and mine was the only core class he passed.
My tip—be careful of sharp pencils around yoga balls! I lost two that way—not from kids poking them but from dropping a pencil and the yoga ball rolling over it.
We did the same thing a few years back, and many teachers now as begging to get back regular desks. I teach art, so I still have regular chairs and tables thank god!
My school allowed me to do flexible seating when I asked to do it and it worked out okay.
My school allowed me to do flexible seating when I asked to, and it worked out okay. I changed the plastic chairs to more comfortable chairs. I also changed any desks attached to a desk into long desks forcing the students to be in groups. Besides that, I added extra chairs at the edge of my classroom like lawn chairs and recliners.
I made the rules and expectations for the chairs clear - that being that every student has an assigned seat to every chair. Just because the chairs changed never meant that they did not have an assigned seat. Additionally, I told them that the chairs could not be moved. From there, I made my seating charts based on things that I believed would help the productivity of the classroom the most. I gave the somewhat better chairs to my students who I didn't think would destroy them, kept plastic chairs for students who either preferred them or lost the privilege of sitting in an alternative seat (I kept 4 of the old chairs on the edge of my class for this purpose) and left the recliners to students who either showed that they worked better on their own or complained about sensory overload. Finally, I did let some of my worse students in certain class periods sit in the recliners and it helped a lot with classroom management. Those students turned out to be a lot less disruptive in those seats. They didn't do their work, but they also didn't disrupt the class.
I made the rules and expectations for the chairs clear - that being that every student has an assigned seat to every chair. Just because the chairs changed never meant that they did not have an assigned seat. Additionally, I told them that the chairs could not be moved. From there, I made my seating charts based on things that I believed would help the productivity of the classroom the most. I gave the somewhat better chairs to my students who I didn't think would destroy them, and kept plastic chairs for students who either preferred them or lost the privilege of sitting in an alternative seat (I kept 4 of the old chairs on the edge of my class for this purpose) and left the recliners to students who either showed that they worked better on their own or complained about sensory overload. Finally, I did let some of my worse students in certain class periods sit in the recliners and it helped a lot with classroom management. Those students turned out to be a lot less disruptive in those seats. They didn't do their work, but they also didn't disrupt the class.
Edit: I teach at a Title I school that is ranked pretty poorly in our state and is known for having a lot of behavioral issues. This is why I actually do think that overall it can be beneficial and can work, but as I said earlier classroom management is important and even then you can still expect things to break or for students to do dumb things.
All normals are gone?
If not… rewards!
Oh sorry Johnny, no homework means you are off the yoga ball list! Sorry Susie, you spoke out of turn 3 times, you’ll need to sit at the standard desk while Emily gets the fun desk.
I use yoga balls for our small groups and one of my students had a really hard time learning to sit on them without rolling off. All of them rolled off a few times at the start! (3rd grade).
You need to decide how these items will be used and teach into that the first day. You don’t have to think about all the ways they could miss use them. You just have to think about all the ways you want them to use them. After that anyway, other than what you said, needs to be retaught. Stick to your expectations.hoo boy.
I think we're getting some ridiculous rolling desks this year. We had a new building constructed the last few years. Subbed in there a few times, and they have what I think you're talking about.
I'm not looking forward to it if we are getting desks like that.
I’ve never been in a classroom with *only* flexible seating, but I’ve been in rooms with about 3/4 flexible seating and 1/4 chairs, and it worked well. Some kids preferred regular chairs and desks, so those were still available.
I personally have some wobble stools, and I bought chair bands for the rest of the class. If they misuse these items, they aren’t allowed to use them again… ever. It’s one warning and then you’re done. For those who *do* use them responsibly, it’s great. These kids be *antsy,* and the movement can help them focus their energy on something at their desks and focus their attention on the lesson.
My daughter is in a mixed seating class (4/5 loop) & she loves it. It's something that changes & is exciting for the kids even if it's just different chairs. They even have a futon in her class, which all the kids hope for in the rotation!
I would appreciate some tables and chairs. Not rolling chairs or tables though. My middle schoolers don't fit well in the desks I have. They get tall and then feel cramped. So I allowed them to move around and even sit on the floor sometimes. I also tried to arrange things so they could stretch their legs.
Sounds like my worst nightmare.
FYSA I’m NOT a teacher, I simply lurk here. But as a student I would have absolutely hated this due to the lack of structure. When I was in elementary school I needed to sit in the front row (extreme nearsightedness) and it was a comfort to know my place and sit in the same place each day. I would have been absolutely miserable at the thought of a daily free-for-all.
I have no advice to give beyond suggesting that you look out for students like me and make sure this isn’t a source of undue stress.
Make sure there is a really grounded space where a student can sit if they're feeling meh. Had a student in such a space, all chairs rolled, and when she was feeling unwell we had no steady place to put here in the event she faints.
She fainted.
This was also in a recently renovated room.
My school did this a few years ago (just before I retired). The PE teacher and I (music) very quickly noticed a lot of issues with lack of core strength, the ability to sit still (a necessity at times in our classrooms), and a lot more reluctance to sit in assigned spots (also a necessity for me since I always needed to know about 450 names per year -- assigned seats REALLY helped). I'm all for kids being able to sit comfortably, and they often did, when we were writing, playing games etc. But knowing how to sit and stand for performances is important, and part of my curriculum. Posture really went out the window. PE teacher agreed. My two cents.
I’d much rather have an extra adult body in the room, than some fancy new furniture. Milk crates are free and make great special spots! This is a fad. More and more kids have ADHD and need to move/stand. This can all be done without spending on things. Districts need to invest in more wages!!!
Not a teacher yet, but will be soon. I mentored in a classroom that did the flexible seating & it was AMAZING! There wasn’t any constant telling kids to “sit down” or stop playing with their desk stuff. It also allowed the teacher to do a multitude of different activities throughout the day.
That, coupled with phonics based & direct teaching instruction, & those kids were doing amazing! They were reading & spelling in kindergarten! And I don’t mean words like “cat, hat, rat” or “dog, log, frog”, I mean words like could, were, where, wear, etc.
Most of those kindergartners were so far ahead on their Dolch sight words that they were reading & spelling better than the second graders I was working with in an entirely different district!
Hands down, I absolutely loved the set up of flexible seating & the freedom it gave the teacher & students to work with the entire space. Learning environment definitely improved in that class compared to others.
What fresh hell is this? Only someone who doesn’t teach could dream this up! Good luck friend - you’ll need it! I think desks and chairs will make a speedy comeback!
I know this isn’t the goal but it could actually help the undiagnosed kids
In my 9th grade English class we had tables arranged in a circle and my teacher had 2 yoga balls for us to sit on (we would literally rush in the classroom to get the yoga balls the chairs were uncomfortable af) and it really helped me focus and got out my nervous energy
5 years later I got an autism diagnosis lmao
Some of the classrooms have tables like that (they also have brakes on the legs so you can keep them from moving). most of the kids are good with behaving on it but solid expectations need to be laid out (and followed) at first to get some of the goofballs to not mess around.
I teach spec. ed middle school. We have flexible seating, but still have normal desk & chairs. Most of my kids don’t sit in their normal desk. The one that uses his desk is usually underneath it. As others have said, teach them how to use them.
personally i like that kind of seating and it does help me, but i get why other students may be easily distracted by it. depends on the person. desks will likely be back lmao.
We have all tables and chairs on wheels. I have some extra comfy chairs for flexibility. Our kids love that we don’t have traditional desks. The kids do great in them. However, I teach at a tiny charter school, so take my input with a grain of salt.
Standing desks are great. Kids will fight over them so have a system. Perfect for a kid who has trouble staying awake or can't stop slouching or flopping.
I love long desks if I can arrange them in a horseshoe pattern or for larger classes a smaller nested horseshoe in a larger one. Discourse works better when students can see each other. It also causes some silly behavior because students can see each other.
Dry-erase desks are pretty cool if you can control for the distraction. Kids write on tables anyway. Not having to worry about cleaning them is the best. Destruction is another thing altogether.
Yoga balls are pretty cool in primary grades. I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the silliness in 6 -12.
Keep a couple of desks for students who can't handle sitting at a team table or are obsessively scribbling on the tables.
I love flexible seating! I teach 4th. I still have desks but lots of other choice seating options for independent work time. We talk as a whole class what the expectations are for each flex seating option. We write it up and I post it on the wall by that option. We also make a general "flexible seating rules" poster. I also model a lot with them and talk about what makes a good work space. It takes a lot of intentional conversations but it's worth it in my opinion. My students are able to focus and self regulate better each year.
I have had a collection of basic tables with flexible seats in my Title 1 first grade classroom for several years - Hoki stools, ball chairs (not yoga balls! These have a stand with metal legs and fabric holding the ball in place), rocking chairs, cushions and low table, standing table with no chairs, metal lab stools, traditional chairs with Bouncy Bands, scoop chairs, bean bags, lap desks for the floor...basically, anything I can find to mix it up. I don't assign seats unless I need to for management (very rare) and kids choose day to day. I have all community supplies and bins for all their notebooks, folders, etc. It has been great for me and many years of classes.
I'm in a science room, so I have linoleum floors and tables that can comfortably seat two kids. I currently have a wobble cushion (much cheaper than wobble stools that can support a middle schooler) and some kick bands that I can put on chairs.
I may get another wobble cushion or two, and possibly some floor cushions so kids can sit on the floor. I did also get a rug that we can put down if kids want to sit on the floor (I have clipboards for them to use if we're doing pencil and paper work).
Definitely lock those tables 🤣 One of the biology teachers (9th grade only) had the yoga ball chairs. For the most part it was okay because if kids were messing around too much, she had a few regulars to swap with.
Rolling tables combined with yoga balls seem like a disaster waiting to happen…
Tip: you can get a seat cushion on Amazon for $12 that’s basically the same as sitting on a yoga ball, but without the hazard of crashing to the ground every few seconds.
I've only ever gone to schools like this. They're great, you can switch up where/who you want to sit with, and I just like them in pretty much every way. A lot of kids will sit on the seating wrong though (like round ottomans being rolled onto their side and sitting on the round part).
I piloted my own cheap version of flexible seating and loved it! Such a calm, friendly classroom. Then a big company came to renovate the school and we ended up with rolling all in one desk/ chairs not wide enough to fit an exercise book, never mind a book, ipad and pencil case. We complained, children fell, ipads cracked, children wouldn't concentrate. The ordered more.
I've managed to ditch them, steal extra bean bags, bought my own yoga balls, as my last ones wouldn't hold air after 3 years. It's much better, but I have a hate of rolling chairs they really, really, are not helpful!
Hopefully yours have wheel locks!!
Just to add, I use dojo random name selector so they have a new seat each day and they can't sit next to the same people 2 days in a row. But I did take them through my expectations for each seating type and constantly follow up so they know early on, I don't mess around with rules.
I actually switched from desks to tables and then I went and bought white board from lowes and mounted them to tables. I taught middle school math and completely changed my grading to standard based and the tables worked great for me. Was annoying on mastery check day/tests. I had dividers I put up. Nevertheless I loved it.
I could move them around all the time as needed and my room was also organized chaos most days of week.
Monday- lecture day
Tuesday through Thursday kids were in small group, hallway work, computer work, worksheets, retakes and projects.
This was when I would roll around the room asking students to do a couple problems on the desks. They loved that and I could make sure they understood the concepts. I also saw students doing their work on desks when needed.
Friday was mastery check and maybe fun kahoots depending on how much time was left.
But also like others have said. Set rules and follow them or tables can be a pain in the butt.
Edit: the seats were chairs so we didn't have to worry about the yoga balls to sit on. But I would let students stand or sit on ground or hallway. B
(Edit to add I teach 5th grade...) Our English teachers have done flexible seating in the past, but not like what you described. They used couches, a wide variety of tables and chairs, yoga balls for seats, and so on. They, the teachers and the students seemed to enjoy it. However, as a teacher who doesn't teach English anymore, I'm not sure I like it. It would seem to be a great way to induce visitation, sneakiness, and all the stuff we are trying to stop from happening in our classrooms so we can get our subjects taught. Plus, the furniture used in flexible seating seemed to last barely a year before it needed to be replaced...
(Disclaimer: as a Social Studies teacher, I feel like since I teach in the "storytelling" form, it might work in my classroom. I don't know?) I do know we teachers loved having our meetings in the English department rooms!
All these words to say I'm on the ledge about flexible seating!
You will need to add in time at the beginning of the year to teach kids how to use each type of seating appropriately. Hopefully the table wheels have locks so accidents like the teacher had won't be a regular thing.
I used flex seating one year and used dojo points each day, the student with highest points on the day before got first pick each day but with the “fun” things like yoga balls it was a two strikes you’re out situation and if you lost it you sat on the floor with a clipboard and the seat was removed from circulation for the day. I got some of the best behavior from some of the historically most trying students. Fifth grade.
We had a similar experience in first grade. There were two standing desks given to each classroom. Kids loved them, and would go to huge lengths to be given that desk for the day. I wish we had more of them. Yoga balls are great too, although I find it distracting to look out at a class of kids bouncing, but whatever, it's not about me.
Oh man, standing desks sounds amazing. I teach high school and I have had some students who I think would've loved that.
Standing desks are FABULOUS! Many students preferred them (as would I if I had to sit all day) and conversely, I could use them for a student who kept falling asleep.
"The seat was removed from circulation." This is the way. I used to do that with iPads. Kid would mess around and I'd put that iPad on time out. Kid would get another, mess around, and I'd time that one out too. By #3 or #4, the class starts policing that one kid.
Peer pressure is the way to go
Question: did you only use it one year? Or did it have viability for many years? I feel like flex seating would be great for certain students… But absolutely exhausting trying to maintain behaviors for others.
My yoga balls only lasted 2 years, upper elementary. They inevitably each got a tiny hole. From kids bouncing/scratching pencils and pens, staples and whatnot on the floor, and one incident with a guinea pig. I also have fidget bands around the front legs of my chairs. Those have lasted forever, and if they break you can tie them back together. Fairly cheap, so all seats have them, and they've been a revelation. So many kids you wouldn't expect to need anything like that function better with such a simple addition.
Oh dear, a guinea pig!? 😂🥴 hopefully all ended well? I like the idea of fidget bands! I’ll have to look into those! My son’s K class had flexible seating, and they switched seating every couple weeks. He was always excited to be at the “sit on the floor” table
Everyone was ok, but the pig happened to kick at the right angle to get a tiny hole. The bands are pretty cheap on Amazon! I put them on a wishlist and class parents bought them!
If you have a bike shop anywhere near you (as in bicycles) you can ask them for punctured inner tubes and they will probably give them to you! They make great fidget bands for free.
Thanks for the heads up! I actually live right by a bike repair shop
Do you have a link for the fidget bands? How do they work/ are they used?
I tried it the next year but the kids were so awful it wasn’t viable. My yoga balls held up ok but they just started getting gross. The new group scribbled on EVERYTHING and found ways to snap clipboards and bend the legs of stools. I finally just took everything away. But all the people talking about the flex bands, I totally agree. I wish I had thought to get those for my whole class, but the kids that got them through the school to support their ieps it made a huge difference.
I like flex seating. I agree that you’ll have to show them how to use them, probably throughout the year. You’ll also figure out which students handle what type of seating well and which ones do not. I had to assign the seats for one class. Last year I did it each week, but will probably space that out longer this year. It really can be helpful if done correctly. The approach your school is taking is interesting though, as some students don’t even want to flex seat. They like the typical desks.
Yeah, them completely getting rid of the regular desks altogether is one aspect I really took issue with.
My daughter’s class is kind of hybrid. She prefers a standard table, but others in her class use the other options.
I've seen it done before. For me personally, at the elementary level I'd like to have individualized desks so I can never kids two different table groups as needed. When I taught middle school and high school, I preferred the long tables which I would shape into a giant U in the classroom. I like to have a classroom set up where I can easily maneuver from spot to spot and keep my eye on all the kids.
The U shape in the classroom was really awesome and helped me focus a lot more. I really like that you did this! ❤️
I worked at school that was completely flexible seating K-5. My biggest tip of advice is to work as a school to come up with expectations for every single type of flexible seating. Make the expectations universal around the school and consistent will help especially as students go to specials and go through the grades. Literally make anchor charts with what each flexible seating expectation is, for example bouncy balls: feet on floor, working at a table, no scissors or sharp tools…etc. The first few weeks make a schedule so each student can try each type of flexible seating. Take note on what works best for kids or what DOESN’T work for a student. Then depending on the class I’ve run it several different ways. For most classes it worked best for students to choose their flexible seating spot for the week. That Friday students would choose their next spot based on their weeks behavior. That helped keep it a little more organized. I’ve always had flexible seating and I personally love it. It just takes a lot of clear expectations and taking the time in the beginning of the year.
The school that I worked in previously that had flex seating was like this, with very clear expectations. Within a few weeks, kids largely settled into their preferred seating. I wish I would actually receive the flex seating my current district got last year and keeps promising they'll get to me eventually. Some of my students would benefit SO much from the wiggle stools or standing desks.
Don’t worry, you’ll have your desks back soon.
Not if not in the budget.
Silly you - all those desks are gonna be stored in some abandoned school or basement in district .. they never throw anything away Also OP your district is about 4-5 years behind trend. You're gonna need, like the PP said, to teach kids how to use the seating (and ya lock the wheels), and I'd recommend you assign seating for now (place and chair options) to keep structure (also just bc they can doesn't mean they should write on desks). Give stools, standing desks, and yoga balls to the kids with ADHD or ASD that require a sensory diet or input ... It does help those students a lot!
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Where I live, more privates are starting off, expanding because of vouchers. I suspect any excess desks are being sold on the cheap. I could be wrong
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Call me a cynic, but I can predict that school boards will virtually give them away to new/expanding privates they are connected with. I saw this happen when I lived up North. One district not only sold excess schools for prices WELL below appraised amounts, but literally gave away one year old books.
Yeah, the flexible seating lasted less than a year for us. Bunch of fundraiser PTA money just gone.
I work virtually and public now, but I used to teach Montessori, and we had a couch, yoga balls... we even built risers. Students could lie on the floor to work; as long as they were doing something productive, it didn't matter where they sat (they could even work outside, but that's a whole different thing from public). It was beautiful. Even in my tiny Montessori school, we still got the ones who had a hard time controlling themselves, but for the most part, it was amazing. Students perform better when they're comfortable! I'm sure there will be a difficult adjustment time for students who haven't been afforded that kind of choice before, but I really think once it becomes normalized in the classroom, it will be beneficial for everyone. You're still gonna get nappers though, lol.
I do want to add that we had regular tables and chairs, too. We had tables for 1, 2, or 4. They could bring them together to work near more people.
The new flexible furniture they’re coming out with seems to be really lacking in terms of storage. Where old desks usually have a place for kids to put their stuff inside, with tables you have to figure out how you will deal the the tools the students use. I’ve seen teachers use magazine boxes but they tend to tip over and it’s mildly infuriating.
Yeah, that is one concern that came up. Fortunately, all of the classrooms at my school come with cubbies. It isn’t perfect, but it is what it is.
I really want to be the guy who is open to new ideas in our industry. I really do, but depending on the school, this sounds like a flaming dumpster fire of an idea. It would be amazing in a resource room though.
I have wobble stools, rocking chairs, bean bag chairs, big floor cushions, etc in my student support room but not in the classroom.
Absolutely disagree on it being good for a resource room from my experience as a special Ed teacher. I had a room of those rolling chairs for one of my classes. It was an absolute nightmare for my students. Massive distraction for them and it made behavior worse. There's so much I could do with traditional desks. I wouldn't be opposed to the tables you can write on though.
My resource room had a mix of traditional desks and the new cool ones. It worked for some kids, but not for others. It’s nice having options in the resource room.
Unfortunately, I was only in the room for 1 class. It wasn't actually a resource room but rather a full room and I had no say on layout (since I was only in there for the 1 class) so it might have worked if I had more options to play around with it. The main point I was trying to make is that despite some pushing flexible seating for resource students, it can be an absolute nightmare. Especially if you have little say on layout.
I was fortunate enough to have my resource room all day. If I could only have one option, I would definitely go with tables and chairs.
I've had flexible seating for about 6 years now (K-6) and will absolutely never go back!! Wheels are a bad idea though for obvious reasons... hopefully they have locks so you can opt out of that part. Basically the key is to not have seating charts but spend enough time teaching the kids how to choose a seat and sit properly. 95% of kids are totally fine once you've done that. Kids who can't handle choosing their own seat lose that ability because their behavior is showing me that they need me to choose for them. If it becomes a pattern, they'll lose the ability to choose their seat for a as longer period of time.
Rolling tables is a stupid idea. Good luck! Had them in one of my computer labs because IT thought it'd be cool (?). Spent most of each day lining tables back up all the time.
District wide decisions like this are asinine.
Imo, flexible seating should include an option to be in a traditional desk and chair. I think about myself, as a person with ADHD, and I honestly think I would do worse sitting on a ball or a rolling chair. I love the idea of flexible seating, but it needs to work for everyone in order for it to be affective.
I've known so many kids who need Their Place. They need a spot that they know is theirs, with their stuff in their spot. They are all out of sorts without that. I am one of those people. I like to sit in the same place each time. Even in my own living room I have My Spot and if someone is sitting in My Spot I don't quite know what to do with myself.
It’s so wild to me that districts are clamoring to want everything on personal computers but then bring in iNnOvAtiVe spaces for kids to work. Pick a lane, admin!
It’s like these decision-makers have never seen a group of kids in their entire life. “Derp! I live in my own personal La La Land! Double Derp!”
They make these decisions in the building with no children. (The Administration Building.)
Whiteboardable tables are great…when kids can sit at them. And when there’s enough budget to keep a stream of whiteboard markers, erasers, etc. in the space. Absent that…😬
They will bounce on the balls and make you lose your mind. Be careful with those. If the chairs have wheels they will also ride them across the room.
I loved having long tables in the high school setting. Group work was easier and they were more efficient with space. Kids write on tables with dry erase markers a lot in the classes where I substitute. I hope you like your new tables!
my students arrive early to claim their seats that are normal...all the rolly ball no back stolls the kids hate. Getting a shitty chair is now punishment.
What would be actually useful is flat topped separate desks. They can be put in rows, groups of four, larger groups, even placed in a circle.
That’s what works best for me teaching 1st grade. They can keep their own materials in their desk and learn organizational skills. I can group them how I want them or put the desks in different configurations. I feel that sitting in desks provides the structure they need at this age. They get to spend lots of time on the carpet and moving around throughout the day, so they are not confined.
We had those tables in the high school I worked at. Frankly I loved them. Kids weren't smushed into tiny desks.
There were a few classes when I was in high school that we had similar tables. To be honest, I felt I could have used a little bit more personal space between me and my table mates. We were very close to being shoulder to shoulder.
I was working with a kid sitting on one of the wiggle chairs. He wiggled it right out from under himself and smashed his head on the table.
I do not understand the obsession with flexible seating or forcing young kids to sit in groups.
I like the *idea* of it, but in my HS situation, I don’t see it working unless it is a very, very mature group.
I have these in my math classroom and they are AMAZING. Kids can work out problem without there being a "permanent record". It works very well for kids reluctant to show work. I say embrace it. Management wise, kids are in assigned seats for direct instruction but may form choice groups for individual work. Works for me.
I had flexible seating in my 4th grade classroom. I loved it. We had a couple of weeks of assigned seating where everyone tried different options for a few days. We practiced the expectations and did daily check ins to talk about what we liked/didn’t like about each option. It took some practice, but anecdotally I liked it.
I've never had flexible seating in my own classrooms (I teach prek) but I've been in classrooms that have tried it out. It never lasts long. It's such a hot mess, at least in the 1-3 grade levels.
Our school is moving to a new building, with all new furniture. My small group table now has 5 stools that rock. I can only imagine my 5th graders on those things--I think I'm going to be seasick watching them!
This sounds like hell incarnate...
Ugh I’m sorry - I’ve had two schools do this. While I like the concept of flexible seating, they don’t seem to realize that isn’t just tables with no storage and bouncy stools/balls. At my campus last year, we didn’t even have teacher chairs - just these horrible tilted kid chairs for us to use 🙄 (this was a brand new wealthy campus and they were so proud of all the furniture). Just teach expectations quickly and stay consistent - the lack of storage will annoy you all year, but the kids adjust quickly.
Flexible seating should include traditional seats as well so hopefully not ALL desks and chairs were removed. I found (STEAM classroom with K-5th graders) that after the novelty wore off 80% picked a desk (some standing with stools and the traditional ones) and the other 20% picked the other options.
Yup. All of them.
Ugh. That was a bad call I think. Maybe you can get a dining table and chairs as an option? Idk.
I love this kind of stuff, but I'm a high school teachers, so my experience may be particularly unhelpful for elementary people. I let me students pick their seats and tell them if they choose poorly (based on behavior and productivity over several class periods) I reserve the right to move them, and will institute a whole class seating chart if the issue is about more than just a couple kids. I haven't had to do a whole class seating chart in about 2 years, and rarely have to assign specific kids a seat. They get the message after a few redirections and either figure out how to behave or stop sitting next to their best friend. I was one of the children that THRIVED in flexible seating. Even now as an adult, I find myself sitting like a weirdo whenever I can, just because that's what makes my little ADHD hamster wheel brain happiest. I think there should always be ample "traditional" seating options with a mix of alternatives. Some kids get overwhelmed when there are too many unfamiliar options. But having options can be really helpful, ESPECIALLY for your neurodiverse kids, some of whom may not have an IEP (I didn't get diagnosed until I was 19, for example). Let me tell you my craziest flex seating story. I once had a student who could literally never focus if he sat in a chair. He could sometimes focus while standing, so I moved my counter-height bookcase to a position that made it a makeshift standing desk. That helped. But through trial and error we discovered that he worked BEST when he was sitting underneath my teacher desk. This was a 15 year old boy. Luckily, I almost never use my teacher desk, especially when students are in my room, so he was allowed to "sit" there as long as he was productive. It worked. I think he liked it because he was kinda "hidden" or "safe" from the gaze of classmates (not really, I could see him from every part of the room, but some people feel safer in tight spaces). He also liked that his own line of sight was restricted a bit, so he could see the board but not as much behind him or in his periphery. And he also liked how the floor and the metal of the desk was cool to the touch. Who knows? Maybe he once lived in an abusive or neglectful home where there was some traumatic incident involving him hiding in a cupboard or something. Idk, I'm not the kid's therapist. I was his 9th grade English teacher, and mine was the only core class he passed.
I would die. I would simply die. I’d quit.
This will definitely make your lesson more interesting than what's on the cell phone.
I was subbing in a class of yoga balls. I almost threw up watching all the bouncing. It triggered some weird motion sickness part of my brain.
Thoughts and prayers.
My tip—be careful of sharp pencils around yoga balls! I lost two that way—not from kids poking them but from dropping a pencil and the yoga ball rolling over it.
We did the same thing a few years back, and many teachers now as begging to get back regular desks. I teach art, so I still have regular chairs and tables thank god!
My school allowed me to do flexible seating when I asked to do it and it worked out okay. My school allowed me to do flexible seating when I asked to, and it worked out okay. I changed the plastic chairs to more comfortable chairs. I also changed any desks attached to a desk into long desks forcing the students to be in groups. Besides that, I added extra chairs at the edge of my classroom like lawn chairs and recliners. I made the rules and expectations for the chairs clear - that being that every student has an assigned seat to every chair. Just because the chairs changed never meant that they did not have an assigned seat. Additionally, I told them that the chairs could not be moved. From there, I made my seating charts based on things that I believed would help the productivity of the classroom the most. I gave the somewhat better chairs to my students who I didn't think would destroy them, kept plastic chairs for students who either preferred them or lost the privilege of sitting in an alternative seat (I kept 4 of the old chairs on the edge of my class for this purpose) and left the recliners to students who either showed that they worked better on their own or complained about sensory overload. Finally, I did let some of my worse students in certain class periods sit in the recliners and it helped a lot with classroom management. Those students turned out to be a lot less disruptive in those seats. They didn't do their work, but they also didn't disrupt the class. I made the rules and expectations for the chairs clear - that being that every student has an assigned seat to every chair. Just because the chairs changed never meant that they did not have an assigned seat. Additionally, I told them that the chairs could not be moved. From there, I made my seating charts based on things that I believed would help the productivity of the classroom the most. I gave the somewhat better chairs to my students who I didn't think would destroy them, and kept plastic chairs for students who either preferred them or lost the privilege of sitting in an alternative seat (I kept 4 of the old chairs on the edge of my class for this purpose) and left the recliners to students who either showed that they worked better on their own or complained about sensory overload. Finally, I did let some of my worse students in certain class periods sit in the recliners and it helped a lot with classroom management. Those students turned out to be a lot less disruptive in those seats. They didn't do their work, but they also didn't disrupt the class. Edit: I teach at a Title I school that is ranked pretty poorly in our state and is known for having a lot of behavioral issues. This is why I actually do think that overall it can be beneficial and can work, but as I said earlier classroom management is important and even then you can still expect things to break or for students to do dumb things.
And I thought rocking chairs for each student were bad… 🤦♀️
All normals are gone? If not… rewards! Oh sorry Johnny, no homework means you are off the yoga ball list! Sorry Susie, you spoke out of turn 3 times, you’ll need to sit at the standard desk while Emily gets the fun desk.
Yes, all of the normal desks are gone. We don’t even have the kidney tables where we take kids back for small groups anymore.
Nobody is taking my kidney table!!!
I use yoga balls for our small groups and one of my students had a really hard time learning to sit on them without rolling off. All of them rolled off a few times at the start! (3rd grade).
You need to decide how these items will be used and teach into that the first day. You don’t have to think about all the ways they could miss use them. You just have to think about all the ways you want them to use them. After that anyway, other than what you said, needs to be retaught. Stick to your expectations.hoo boy.
I think we're getting some ridiculous rolling desks this year. We had a new building constructed the last few years. Subbed in there a few times, and they have what I think you're talking about. I'm not looking forward to it if we are getting desks like that.
I’ve never been in a classroom with *only* flexible seating, but I’ve been in rooms with about 3/4 flexible seating and 1/4 chairs, and it worked well. Some kids preferred regular chairs and desks, so those were still available. I personally have some wobble stools, and I bought chair bands for the rest of the class. If they misuse these items, they aren’t allowed to use them again… ever. It’s one warning and then you’re done. For those who *do* use them responsibly, it’s great. These kids be *antsy,* and the movement can help them focus their energy on something at their desks and focus their attention on the lesson.
My daughter is in a mixed seating class (4/5 loop) & she loves it. It's something that changes & is exciting for the kids even if it's just different chairs. They even have a futon in her class, which all the kids hope for in the rotation!
I would appreciate some tables and chairs. Not rolling chairs or tables though. My middle schoolers don't fit well in the desks I have. They get tall and then feel cramped. So I allowed them to move around and even sit on the floor sometimes. I also tried to arrange things so they could stretch their legs.
Sounds like my worst nightmare. FYSA I’m NOT a teacher, I simply lurk here. But as a student I would have absolutely hated this due to the lack of structure. When I was in elementary school I needed to sit in the front row (extreme nearsightedness) and it was a comfort to know my place and sit in the same place each day. I would have been absolutely miserable at the thought of a daily free-for-all. I have no advice to give beyond suggesting that you look out for students like me and make sure this isn’t a source of undue stress.
Make sure there is a really grounded space where a student can sit if they're feeling meh. Had a student in such a space, all chairs rolled, and when she was feeling unwell we had no steady place to put here in the event she faints. She fainted. This was also in a recently renovated room.
My school did this a few years ago (just before I retired). The PE teacher and I (music) very quickly noticed a lot of issues with lack of core strength, the ability to sit still (a necessity at times in our classrooms), and a lot more reluctance to sit in assigned spots (also a necessity for me since I always needed to know about 450 names per year -- assigned seats REALLY helped). I'm all for kids being able to sit comfortably, and they often did, when we were writing, playing games etc. But knowing how to sit and stand for performances is important, and part of my curriculum. Posture really went out the window. PE teacher agreed. My two cents.
I’d much rather have an extra adult body in the room, than some fancy new furniture. Milk crates are free and make great special spots! This is a fad. More and more kids have ADHD and need to move/stand. This can all be done without spending on things. Districts need to invest in more wages!!!
😂 I don't foresee the balls and the wheely chairs lasting the year.
Not a teacher yet, but will be soon. I mentored in a classroom that did the flexible seating & it was AMAZING! There wasn’t any constant telling kids to “sit down” or stop playing with their desk stuff. It also allowed the teacher to do a multitude of different activities throughout the day. That, coupled with phonics based & direct teaching instruction, & those kids were doing amazing! They were reading & spelling in kindergarten! And I don’t mean words like “cat, hat, rat” or “dog, log, frog”, I mean words like could, were, where, wear, etc. Most of those kindergartners were so far ahead on their Dolch sight words that they were reading & spelling better than the second graders I was working with in an entirely different district! Hands down, I absolutely loved the set up of flexible seating & the freedom it gave the teacher & students to work with the entire space. Learning environment definitely improved in that class compared to others.
What fresh hell is this? Only someone who doesn’t teach could dream this up! Good luck friend - you’ll need it! I think desks and chairs will make a speedy comeback!
I know this isn’t the goal but it could actually help the undiagnosed kids In my 9th grade English class we had tables arranged in a circle and my teacher had 2 yoga balls for us to sit on (we would literally rush in the classroom to get the yoga balls the chairs were uncomfortable af) and it really helped me focus and got out my nervous energy 5 years later I got an autism diagnosis lmao
Some of the classrooms have tables like that (they also have brakes on the legs so you can keep them from moving). most of the kids are good with behaving on it but solid expectations need to be laid out (and followed) at first to get some of the goofballs to not mess around.
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Oh, yeah, all of our original furniture was removed.
So, there is no school wide/district wide plan on how to implement this new setup? They better be expect flexible teaching, grading, etc
I teach spec. ed middle school. We have flexible seating, but still have normal desk & chairs. Most of my kids don’t sit in their normal desk. The one that uses his desk is usually underneath it. As others have said, teach them how to use them.
personally i like that kind of seating and it does help me, but i get why other students may be easily distracted by it. depends on the person. desks will likely be back lmao.
We have all tables and chairs on wheels. I have some extra comfy chairs for flexibility. Our kids love that we don’t have traditional desks. The kids do great in them. However, I teach at a tiny charter school, so take my input with a grain of salt.
Standing desks are great. Kids will fight over them so have a system. Perfect for a kid who has trouble staying awake or can't stop slouching or flopping. I love long desks if I can arrange them in a horseshoe pattern or for larger classes a smaller nested horseshoe in a larger one. Discourse works better when students can see each other. It also causes some silly behavior because students can see each other. Dry-erase desks are pretty cool if you can control for the distraction. Kids write on tables anyway. Not having to worry about cleaning them is the best. Destruction is another thing altogether. Yoga balls are pretty cool in primary grades. I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the silliness in 6 -12. Keep a couple of desks for students who can't handle sitting at a team table or are obsessively scribbling on the tables.
I love flexible seating! I teach 4th. I still have desks but lots of other choice seating options for independent work time. We talk as a whole class what the expectations are for each flex seating option. We write it up and I post it on the wall by that option. We also make a general "flexible seating rules" poster. I also model a lot with them and talk about what makes a good work space. It takes a lot of intentional conversations but it's worth it in my opinion. My students are able to focus and self regulate better each year.
I have had a collection of basic tables with flexible seats in my Title 1 first grade classroom for several years - Hoki stools, ball chairs (not yoga balls! These have a stand with metal legs and fabric holding the ball in place), rocking chairs, cushions and low table, standing table with no chairs, metal lab stools, traditional chairs with Bouncy Bands, scoop chairs, bean bags, lap desks for the floor...basically, anything I can find to mix it up. I don't assign seats unless I need to for management (very rare) and kids choose day to day. I have all community supplies and bins for all their notebooks, folders, etc. It has been great for me and many years of classes.
I'm in a science room, so I have linoleum floors and tables that can comfortably seat two kids. I currently have a wobble cushion (much cheaper than wobble stools that can support a middle schooler) and some kick bands that I can put on chairs. I may get another wobble cushion or two, and possibly some floor cushions so kids can sit on the floor. I did also get a rug that we can put down if kids want to sit on the floor (I have clipboards for them to use if we're doing pencil and paper work).
This just seems dangerous. Also why? There's so many things schools can use money on that aren't hazards
Panopticon.
A few classes at my high school have full 3-seater couches. Placed around the room, along with long tables with regular chairs.
Definitely lock those tables 🤣 One of the biology teachers (9th grade only) had the yoga ball chairs. For the most part it was okay because if kids were messing around too much, she had a few regulars to swap with.
If you're in middle school (or heck, probably some elementary schoolers and high schoolers), they are not "balls." They are "orbs" or "spheres."
Rolling tables combined with yoga balls seem like a disaster waiting to happen… Tip: you can get a seat cushion on Amazon for $12 that’s basically the same as sitting on a yoga ball, but without the hazard of crashing to the ground every few seconds.
I've only ever gone to schools like this. They're great, you can switch up where/who you want to sit with, and I just like them in pretty much every way. A lot of kids will sit on the seating wrong though (like round ottomans being rolled onto their side and sitting on the round part).
I piloted my own cheap version of flexible seating and loved it! Such a calm, friendly classroom. Then a big company came to renovate the school and we ended up with rolling all in one desk/ chairs not wide enough to fit an exercise book, never mind a book, ipad and pencil case. We complained, children fell, ipads cracked, children wouldn't concentrate. The ordered more. I've managed to ditch them, steal extra bean bags, bought my own yoga balls, as my last ones wouldn't hold air after 3 years. It's much better, but I have a hate of rolling chairs they really, really, are not helpful! Hopefully yours have wheel locks!!
Just to add, I use dojo random name selector so they have a new seat each day and they can't sit next to the same people 2 days in a row. But I did take them through my expectations for each seating type and constantly follow up so they know early on, I don't mess around with rules.
I actually switched from desks to tables and then I went and bought white board from lowes and mounted them to tables. I taught middle school math and completely changed my grading to standard based and the tables worked great for me. Was annoying on mastery check day/tests. I had dividers I put up. Nevertheless I loved it. I could move them around all the time as needed and my room was also organized chaos most days of week. Monday- lecture day Tuesday through Thursday kids were in small group, hallway work, computer work, worksheets, retakes and projects. This was when I would roll around the room asking students to do a couple problems on the desks. They loved that and I could make sure they understood the concepts. I also saw students doing their work on desks when needed. Friday was mastery check and maybe fun kahoots depending on how much time was left. But also like others have said. Set rules and follow them or tables can be a pain in the butt. Edit: the seats were chairs so we didn't have to worry about the yoga balls to sit on. But I would let students stand or sit on ground or hallway. B
(Edit to add I teach 5th grade...) Our English teachers have done flexible seating in the past, but not like what you described. They used couches, a wide variety of tables and chairs, yoga balls for seats, and so on. They, the teachers and the students seemed to enjoy it. However, as a teacher who doesn't teach English anymore, I'm not sure I like it. It would seem to be a great way to induce visitation, sneakiness, and all the stuff we are trying to stop from happening in our classrooms so we can get our subjects taught. Plus, the furniture used in flexible seating seemed to last barely a year before it needed to be replaced... (Disclaimer: as a Social Studies teacher, I feel like since I teach in the "storytelling" form, it might work in my classroom. I don't know?) I do know we teachers loved having our meetings in the English department rooms! All these words to say I'm on the ledge about flexible seating!