TEFL Wiggins Mississippi

77. Seating Arrangements in the Classroom. The Difference Seating Arrangements Have on a Classroom For many people, the traditional arrangement of a classroom is the up-and-down row. This form of seating has been a hallmark of classroom arrangements for quite sometime and has certain stereotypes when one thinks about it. People usually think the smarter students will sit in the front, while those students who wish not to participate sit towards the back of the room. Many students think if they can sit towards the back, the teacher will not notice them because of all the students participating at the front of the class. This type of seating presents a problem for many teachers that wish all students to participate in the class. Therefore, educators and researchers have designed other seating arrangements that maximize student exposure and, hopefully, participation. One option that teachers have used are four similar styles called the circles, horseshoes, runway and and dance floor seating arrangements. (“Unit 5”, Kelley) All of these styles are opened styles. For instance, the circle style has the students arranged in a circle with the teacher in the center. The horseshoe style makes a horseshoe or letter U design. (“Unit 5”) The runway style, on the other hand, has an empty, rectangular space in the middle of the classroom and all of the desks on the side. Each side looks at the other students. Meanwhile, the dance floor seating makes a semi-circle around the board, much like the seating arrangement of an ancient greek theater. (Kelley) Each of these styles is used for classes with fewer students. In this seating arrangement, the teacher is less dominating because all students are essentially at the front of the class. The approach allows all of the students to have direct eye contact with the board, the teacher and fellow students. Unlike the up-and-down row style, all three of these approaches allow for individual work and a very easy way for pair and group work to take place. At the same time, the openness of the classroom arrangement allows for the teacher to more easily monitor the students' work, progress and behavior in the classroom. (“Unit 5”) Another form that has been designed are the independent group clusters. In this approach to student arrangement, three to four independent desks are clustered together to make islands. This approach, again, does not allow any particular student or group to feel like they are in the back or front of a classroom. The islands grouping does cause some interference between the students, the teacher, the blackboard and other students. It allows for the students to work independently, when necessary. However, it is a great grouping when pair and group work is necessary because the desks are already in a group oriented design. However, this style can make some students feel like they are only part of their smaller group, rather than as a whole class. (“Unit 5”) Another approach to student seating has been the stadium design or angled rows with the desk touching. This approach looks very similar to an upside down letter V. The stadium approach, again, allows the students to have full eye contact with the teacher and the board. It also maintains the supremacy of the teacher because it allows easy observation of behavior and coursework progression. The arrangement works best in smaller classroom styles. Once it is in a larger form, the students towards to tip of the letter V may feel too far away from the teacher. This style allows for individual and immediate pair work, but makes group work a little more difficult to arrange. (Watson) There has been much research into the learning behavior of students and which techniques of teaching are the most effective over the past century. Likewise, where and how students interact with the teacher and other students is a very important component of how students learn. Unlike in the past, there have been many creative class arrangement designs that have been developed for teachers to utilize. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. However, it is now up to the teacher to design the arrangement that best meets his or her students needs, the environment of the class, and the potential influence seating arrangements can have on a student's success.