I was recently presenting at C2C (I highly recommend this conference for outdoor educators), where I had decided to present indoors because I was using art to recreate the experiences I use to foster belonging and because I also wanted to highlight how art can be another way for students to engage with and demonstrate their learning.
The original plan was to have tents for the "inside" presenters, and I had asked for tables, but the venue changed (for the better) and I was given a classroom.
Belonging means collaboration, and it has never been so apparent to me that desks do not invite collaboration.
The desks were difficult to place materials on, they set the number of participants at each station, and the edges of desks make zones that trap paper. So yes, desks in pods might invite conversation - but they don't really invite the sharing of work, which is the point of collaboration. They also don't invite the sharing of materials or resources. Again, they get caught at the edges. I know that might sound silly, but that is what happened. People also don't tend to move from one desk to another like they do with tables (I had 4 different provocations in 4 areas of the room) (**Oh, and the provocations were hard to set our in the middle of the pods**).
Desks are such a part of the traditional story of school, but our curriculum isn't about compliance anymore, it is about making connections to the bigger ideas, to each other, and to the world as a whole. School should be about engaging with
I am not saying there are not times when we need to work quietly, but I find students work quietly at tables too, or, if needed will move to quiet spaces. Tables, standing desks, and vertical surface invite voice and choice. They create belonging.
I know tables cost $, but this might be one really worthwhile investment.
The original plan was to have tents for the "inside" presenters, and I had asked for tables, but the venue changed (for the better) and I was given a classroom.
Belonging means collaboration, and it has never been so apparent to me that desks do not invite collaboration.
The desks were difficult to place materials on, they set the number of participants at each station, and the edges of desks make zones that trap paper. So yes, desks in pods might invite conversation - but they don't really invite the sharing of work, which is the point of collaboration. They also don't invite the sharing of materials or resources. Again, they get caught at the edges. I know that might sound silly, but that is what happened. People also don't tend to move from one desk to another like they do with tables (I had 4 different provocations in 4 areas of the room) (**Oh, and the provocations were hard to set our in the middle of the pods**).
Desks are such a part of the traditional story of school, but our curriculum isn't about compliance anymore, it is about making connections to the bigger ideas, to each other, and to the world as a whole. School should be about engaging with
I am not saying there are not times when we need to work quietly, but I find students work quietly at tables too, or, if needed will move to quiet spaces. Tables, standing desks, and vertical surface invite voice and choice. They create belonging.
I know tables cost $, but this might be one really worthwhile investment.