"To help my students become effective collaborators and orchestrators, I can. . ."

I really enjoyed what Beers had to say in speaking about Tom Freidman's "flat" world. Here Beers comments on Freidman's interpretation on the skills a student will need in order to become successful in a world that is ever changing. I can relate to her first interpretation of his foundations on page 153 when she bullet points five key essentials she wants to incorporate within her classroom to cover his foundations. My two favorites were the second and fourth bullets, both which allow for great group collaboration. The second bullet speaks of student collaboration to get together and discuss different opinions and ideas on a particular subject. The fourth bullet speaks of seat rotation. These two bullets strike me as a future educator because the second allows for a lot of classroom interaction and that makes me think of excitement. Conversations are loud and bustle-y and allow for the students to engage and really be themselves in discussing an issue. These discussions help to better  shape their forms of communication they will be needing not only within the classroom but more importantly outside of it. The fourth bullet that also struck me was the seating arrangement-something dreaded by almost every student since the third or fourth grade. Each student wants to sit by his friend so they can whisper comments about the subject taught or to ask what plans are for the weekend. This seat rotation will allow for a students to be uncomfortable but when getting to know their 'seat sidekicks' they may not only have a new friend but a new homework partner, new confidante, etc. That may be the romantic in me speaking but it is truly my desire to allow for my students to receive the absolute best education in the most comfortable environment I can provide. Another part of my dream for these seating arrangements are bean bag chairs. I feel as though students would be able to release a little bit of their childhood in sitting in the beans and would feel not only more comfortable with me, but more comfortable with themselves as students-which is in my opinion by far the most important aspect when it comes to any student's learning.