At its Jan. 9 meeting, the Levittown Public Schools Board of Education received a special presentation from students and staff representing both Division Avenue and MacArthur High Schools. The presentation focused on the success of a pilot program this year in select high school classrooms that swapped standard desks and classroom setups for circular tables, stools and whiteboard desks. These innovative classroom designs are meant to enhance instruction and student engagement.
Support for the new classroom designs was shared by the students and staff who were present at the meeting. This included Division Avenue High School teachers Stephanie Anastos and Sean Breves, along with students Cayla Brodsky, Kate Egan, Andrew Kiphart and Meghan Yodice. MacArthur High School teachers Marie Fischer and Joanna Sanford and students Adriana Recchia, Nina Scanze and Rooman Zahid were also at the meeting. Benefits that were mentioned included:
- Tablemates tend to offer encouragement to other students, thereby fostering a sense of community and family among the class
- Encourages more discussion among students on the topic at hand
- Students feel more ownership towards what is being taught in the classroom
- Whiteboard desks reduce the need for paper during classroom assignments
- Teachers said it was easier to assess student progress and understanding in the new environment
- Students felt they could express their thoughts more freely
- Friendships were more readily being developed between students
