All students can learn if given the right tools to succeed. I am a 5th grade teacher in a Title 1 school. In my class I have many who struggle with both innate attention disorders and also embarrassment issues that keep them from completing assigned tasks. In both cases, they are unable to perform at optimal levels and continue to not only not do work but stop others from doing it as well with distracting behavior. A few months in I brought in some Smart Spaces and offered them as options to students, what came next was incredible!
My first friend that we’ll call John could not sit still and was diagnosed with ADHD. If there was anything going on around him his attention would be sucked right to it. If there wasn’t anything going on around him he would fidget and create the distraction himself. If I had an aide in the room he could complete an independent work task with constant redirection. I only had an aide for about 30 minutes per day so this was not a sustainable solution. I would move him to sit right by me, but it only made anything I did his main focus.
We were doing Math one day and by the way he was responding during the group lesson I knew he was catching on to the subject matter. When it was time for him to do his own work he just sat there, staring off, ripping paper and would refocus only when directed when I walked by but would not apply himself. I offered him the smart space and he was open to the idea. Once it was up and around him, he curiously calmed down. He picked up his pencil and began working out the problems! He started seeing success and would ask for it when it was time to do work. Others saw and wanted to give it a try. It slowly became something students would ask for and they would fight over.
My next friend we’ll call Jane. She was shy and reluctant to ask for help. She struggled and would embarrass easily. These issues kept her from trying in fear of failure and that someone would see. I offered her the Smart Space and we would work together quietly on problems she was working on and she had the privacy she needed to feel safe to work independently. She began to flourish!
Being in a classroom full of other students is so good in so many ways such as collaborative, hands on learning opportunities. However, it can also be draining for those who do not do well in large groups or have stimulation sensitivities. The Smart Space provided them with the best of both worlds! The opportunity to learn among peers but also moments in their day where they could be removed from the hustle and bustle of the busy classroom and be in their own space. These students saw amazing academic gains and improved attitudes towards learning!