New desks in Mrs. Barrett's Classroom
MADISON, NY - In recent years, the Madison Central School District has made some significant investments in the experience for both staff and students alike. One of those investments has come in the form of a gradual acquisition of new student desks.
The new desks are triangular in shape with flattened corners, and are more like a table than a traditional school desk. They are able to fit together easily and seamlessly in varying classroom configurations. This offers more flexibility for teachers in how they align their learning spaces. The desks have been acquired in groups over the past few years. Currently, they are located in the pre-kindergarten, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms, along with a host of secondary classrooms.Third grade is next on the list. The goal is to outfit all classrooms with these new desks.
The cost of the desks has been covered entirely by federal grant funding.
With each new acquisition, the hope is that teachers and students will have more opportunities to collaborate, while also doing so more effectively.
Superintendent Jason Mitchell says the change has been a welcomed one.
“We want furniture that aligns with our instructional philosophy,” Mitchell said. “The old desks we have with the chair attached to the desk work well for traditional lectures, but not for giving students the opportunity to collaborate. These new desks are flexible. They can be moved and reconfigurated easily. The idea is to adapt our instruction and use the furniture to support that. We want more collaboration; it’s a lot harder with the old desks.”
Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Brian Latella says the adaptability of the new desks makes them ideal for group learning opportunities.
“We’re always looking for ways to create collaboration between our students,” Latella said. “These individual desks can be used to make tables. You can put 2, 3, 4, or 5 of these together with the geometric shapes, which allows us to create these group learning settings.”
Purchasing the desks has been an on-going initiative, with a new shipment arriving last week. MCS secondary math teacher Mrs. Amber Barrett was excited to be among the first to receive the newest desks in her classroom.
“I’m glad to have these desks now, because I like to have my eighth graders work in groups,” Barrett said. “With these table-style desks, I can easily put them together in groups to have them get work done. It’s a lot easier on that aspect.”
Assembly of the latest shipment is ongoing. The District would like to thank its facilities team, particularly Kevin Raymond, for the continued efforts to get the desks into the classrooms.