Catherine Blackwell and Garrett Ivey

Blackwell’s and Ivey’s innovative teaching idea, “Flexible. Functional. Focused,” focuses on supporting the learning styles of students with special needs and disabilities by incorporating flexible seating and dry erase tables to increase their understanding of taught/learned concepts in small group settings. Dry erase tables lead to greater extrinsic motivation, increased student achievement, increased student attendance, and serve as a catalyst in learning by the means of student engagement. For flexible seating, students with sensory disorders, Autism and ADHD are better able to engage in instruction and stay vested in the task and minimize unfavorable behaviors. Blackwell and Ivey hopes that with both of these elements combined, students will use dry erase tables and flexible seating to eradicate distractions and remain actively engaged in small and whole group as well as independent activities in order to better access the general curriculum and Individualized Education Plans goal expectations.