MISSOULA - This week’s One Class at a Time grant winner is Hellgate Elementary School fourth grade teacher Kim Rudolph.
She will use her $250 grant to purchase Wobble Seats to give her students more flexible seating options.
"I noticed that a lot of my students come in and they have a lot of wiggles in them. When they sit in those seats, they are able to move their bodies pretty discreetly and they don't distract or interrupt the learning of others or my teaching,” Rudolph explained.
We've heard several teachers rave about Wobble seats or stools for their young students. Rudolph says fourth-grade students are expected to sit and learn for an extended time, and these seats help them stay active and awake.
She added that having flexible seating options, including Yoga Ball chairs and floor seats can limit distracting behavior.
"I would have students previously getting up and walking, sharpening their pencils, doing any sort of movement that would be acceptable in a classroom just to move,” Rudolph said. “And with these seats, I notice they just don't have that urge or need to get up as much."