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Speak n Talk Calculator is an app that allows students to speak math problems into their device and the app will take them through how it was solved. This is useful for students who have difficulties understanding mathematics on paper, as they can talk through each problem with a calculator.

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Speak It! is an app that allows students to have a text read to them. Many students struggle with reading and this app allows them to follow along while their text is read to them. This is useful for students who have difficulty with reading at the same pace as their peers or comprehending what they have read on their own. This is also helpful for students who have trouble speaking their mind, as they can type in what they would like to say and the app will speak it for them.

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While most would not consider this to be a Low-Tech AT tool, Go Noodle is great for young students. Go Noodle is an online teachers paradise, it is chalk full of follow along videos that allow students to dance, sing, and calm down if needed. Go Noodle offers indoor recess activities as well as quiet time yoga when students just need a rest. This can be useful for students who need to get there energy out or those who need to breathe just a bit extra.

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Trolls: Can't Stop The Feeling | GoNoodle

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Flexible seating is something that is relatively new in the world of education. This type of seating deviates away from the traditional desk and chair setup and allows for students to sit where they feel most comfortable. While many disagree with flexible seating, it is shown that students may pay attention more as well as receive a better understanding of what they are being taught. For student who suffer from sensory processing or attention issues, flexible seating is the answer to their hopes.

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Two, four, six, eight, what do we appreciate? A good listicle! Especially when evaluating an educational trend, like the shift to flexible seating in K-12 classrooms.

As part of our series on that topic, we've combed through a heap of online data and compiled the ten biggest benefits (in our opinion) of flexible seating. Help yourself to dos or nearly the full dozen, as you educate teachers, administrators, students and parents on why this trend isn't a passing fidget-spinner-fad.

In fact, we see it as critical to enhancing learning across all ages. Plus, educators report that flexible seating is making their careers more enjoyable. To learn easy ways to incorporate flexible seating in the classroom, take a look at the 5 steps to flexible seating in the classroom.

Why Flexible Seating?

Students feel empowered by having some degree of choice and control over their environment. Flexible seating allows students to choose where they work and with whom. It also allows them to change their location and positions as needed.

Kayla Delzer, is the author of the popular 2015 EdSurge story, "Why the 21st-Century Classroom May Remind You of Starbucks." In a 2016 follow-up story on Edutopia, she says giving students choices about their physical classroom space teaches them higher-order thinking skills.

"Outside the windows of our classroom is a dynamic, fast-paced, and ever-changing world full of choices. How can we expect our students to solve problems and make choices independently if we constantly solve their problems and make their choices for them?"

Children need to move. Flexible seating allows them to wobble, rock, bounce, lean or stand, which increases oxygen flow to the brain, blood flow and core strength. In turn, this burns more calories and increases metabolism. It also helps keep young minds more alert and focused.

It's no surprise that physical activity is linked to higher academic performance, better health, and improved behavior. An academic paper by Matthew T. Mahar, et al, found that simple in-class activities can boost performance. Studies suggest that children who participate in short bouts of physical activity within the classroom have more on-task behavior, too.

An uncomfortable student, is a distracted and unproductive student. For example, picture a student who skipped or didn't have access to breakfast. As the countdown to lunch approaches, the sound of his or her growling stomach will make it impossibly hard to hear the teacher's voice. A uncomfortable chair can have the same affect.

Flexible seating encourages students to find their best spot to stay calm, focused and productive. As one teacher said, "There is no better way to show your support for a student-centered classroom, than creating a classroom from a child's point of view." In her opinion, comfortable students are engaged students.

Traditional desks can make students territorial or possessive over their space and supplies. Flexible seating encourages students to share both. And, it encourages them to take turns in different locations and with different seating options.

"When preparing kids for the real world, we want students' learning environment to reflect the environment of the real world," said Manuel Herrera, a district tech coordinator for the Affton School District in Missouri, as he reflected on the flexible seating movement that began in the workplace. "This [flexible seating] isn't a fad. I think it will eventually evolve into the way all classrooms look."

Flexible seating allows students to quickly and easily pair up, work in small groups, or discuss as a whole class - without moving mountains of heavy desks to establish eye contact. Delzer agrees.

"The students we share our classrooms with don't know life without constant connectivity, Wi-Fi, and a global audience. Our classroom environments should be conducive to open collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. This simply cannot be done when kids are sitting in rows of desks all day."

Commitment to Learning

While research on flexible seating is limited, it's clear that learning environments can have a direct impact on student achievement.

A 2012 study from the University of Minnesota found that students participated 48 percent more in discussions in a classroom with collaborative group seating versus traditional lecture-style seating, and also improved their performance on standardized tests.

How does this connect with flexible seating? Kelly Almer, a long-time educator in Littleton Public Schools in CO, recently switched to flexible seating. She says creating more student control and less teacher control has improved student engagement.

"I have witnessed a change in their commitment to learning and behavior," Almer explained. "By making the room 'ours' instead of 'mine,' the students have a sense of ownership that has made them more invested in their own education."

Almer's students choose where they want to sit daily. There is a variety of high, medium and low seating, and kids move to the furniture based on their needs. But Almer puts academics first. "Wherever they choose to sit, it has to help them be their best learning selves."

No one is naive enough to believe that flexible seating simply happens. Up front, teacher must establish some new classroom management tools. That includes creating a system to make seating choice fair and nondisruptive.

It also requires introducing higher-order thinking skills, like problem-solving, and emotional skills, like conflict resolution. There's also much value in fostering turn-taking and patience - especially for a generation of kids immersed in immediate gratification.

Many flexible seating options stimulate students' sense of touch. This type of stimulation can help children focus and process information. Sensory input is especially helpful for students with ADHD, ADD, and ASD.

Flexible seating helps make learning fun. The benefits far outweigh any negatives, said Almer, who will never go back to traditional seating.

"At this year's parent-teacher conferences, all of the parents stated that their child has a completely different attitude about school now. The kids love coming to school and learning, and they couldn't be happier."

She offered a few final tips for educators. Foremost, if you want to make this change in your learning environment, it's important to bring a positive mindset and recognize that the process takes time. She also recommends being deliberate with your choices, and to not overlook practical issues, like color-coordinating the room.

The results - a more active, engaged, enthusiastic, and relaxed room of students - are worth the effort, Almer concluded.

Take a look at the flexible seating options from Smith System to incorporate flexible seating in your classrooms.

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Sources:

edutopia.org/article/flexible-classrooms-assembly-required

edutopia.org/blog/flexible-seating-student-centered-classroom-kayla-delzer

"Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on Physical Activity and On-Task," Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 38 no12 Dec. 2006

ideas.demco.com/blog/top-3-reasons-use-flexible-seating-classroom/

infograph.venngage.com/p/226127/6-benefits-of-flexible-seating

sassysavvysimpleteaching.com/2016/12/flexible-seating-classroom/

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Top 10 Benefits of a Flexible-Seating Classroom - Smith System Blog

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As part of our series on that topic, we've combed through a heap of online data and compiled the ten biggest benefits (in our opinion) of flexible seating. Help yourself to dos or nearly the full dozen, as you educate teachers, administrators, students and parents on why this trend isn't a passing fidget-spinner-fad.

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Many students struggle with the idea of pacing themselves, whether it be with their classwork to move onto the next task or with getting through an assignment in a timely manner. It is shown that not only do timers or study clocks promote order in a students educational habits and the classroom, it also opens up a window for higher grades and deeper understanding of content.

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4 Reasons a Study Timer App Improves Student Retention - Ready Education

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Taking breaks is crucial for attaining results. Research shows that when you take a break from a task you are better able to maintain focus. Maintaining concentration over long periods of time can make it harder to complete tasks successfully. Although the work period is longer, the work product is often of lesser quality than when done over shorter periods.

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Something as simple as a different style of paper can be the key to a child's educational success. Some students how struggle with writing, holding a pencil, or seeing what they are writing require larger paper, with larger lines. There are papers available that are designed with larger lines to help the types of students that are mentioned above.

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A slant board is exactly what it sounds like. It is a board, or a flat surface that is set at a slant or an angle. While these boards can be purchased, they can also be made. Teachers can create these with cardboard or wood. They are useful for students who have a difficult time writing flat on a desk or can not sit still in a desk and use flexible seating to participate in their classroom on a day to day basis.

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While expensive, some may consider the C-Pen Reader to be a Low-Tech tool while others consider it a Mid-Tech tool. Regardless, the C-Pen Reader is a handheld scanner that reads the text that it runs over, speaks it aloud, and has the ability to define the words it has scanned. Linked is a video review of the C-Pen Reader.

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The new Reader Pen by C-Pen raises the bar for a product in this category. The quality of speech, speed, accuracy and added features make this a pretty interesting addition to the scanning pen arena. This pen may be of interest if you are dyslexic or need to reference physical media as part of your research or studies.

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Colored overlays can be used for students who struggle reading due to the inability to read texts with high contrast. Some students have difficultly seeing words that are black when they are on a white background. A colored overlay is a translucent piece of colored plastic that allows students who struggle with high contrast to see the words through a lowered contrast. Teachers can purchase colored plastic binder dividers as they can be used as a colored overlay.

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Tachistoscopes are low tech tools that teachers can make for their students. A Tachistoscopes is a device that shows an image for a specific amount of time. Teachers can make their own Tachistoscopes by cutting a small rectangle in an index card. Students who struggle reading will use this to display a few letters or words at a time.