classroom seating arrangements

[jamiejones]

As I'm thinking about the upcoming year, I'm doing some cleaning and organizing in my classroom this summer. I am considering changing the seating arrangement in my room. Right now, I have my desks in the traditional rows, which I hate, but my classroom is very tiny and I didn't know any other way to make it work. My ideal arrangement is a horseshoe, but again, my room is too cramped to get that to work.

I have to admit, I'm always a little afraid of group work because as a fairly new teacher I don't feel like I manage it well. I know this is a fault of mine and have been studying ways to do better by that. In doing so, I'm very tempted to put my desks in groups of 4 or 5 or in the L-shape arrangements I have seen in my books. I'm an English teacher at the high school level. Much of my instruction is direct instruction by necessity.

It is very likely that I will have 30 student desks to deal with in a tiny room, too. With the traditional rows, I feel so distant from my students and they think they can get away with murder, assuming I can't see them. For example, if a student gets out their cell phone to text-message a friend (which is against school policy but it still happens) I have to make a major interruption in class to go confiscate it because my rows are 5 and 6 desks deep. One alluring quality of the grouped desks is that it would open up room to groove. Also, I have read studies that show that students who feel they aren't cramped feel better in the learning environment.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about how to use my cramped classroom space efficiently and still have effective classroom instruction. What worked for you? What didn't?

Thank you very much! :o

[Kruegs1982]

I used the horseshoe this past year and liked it a lot. I had about 13-15 rows of 2-3 desks. I really liked it a lot because I could reach any student within 3 seconds. I could also walk around the classroom more and could see every student easily. Also my students were less likely to get out of their desks without permission because the desks were so close together. The biggest downfall to this arrangement was the fact that the desks were so close together and the students were more likely to talk. Also, you have to move the desks back to traditional rows when they take a test.

I wouldn't be too concerned with group work. It just takes a lot of prep. My students loved group work and were actually better behaved when we did group work. The key is to lay everything out specifically and be constantly monitoring the students. I always wrote everything on the board and left it up there in case they had a question or if they got off task I would just point to the board and remind them what they are supposed to do. It won't be picture perfect and some things will go wrong but, like with anything to do with teaching, the more you do it, the easier it will get.

[Chocolate_New_Orleans]

group work :rolleyes: until the gradebook stops grading individually, I see no need for group work.

I, also, have a lot of desks in my room. I have as many as 33-35 in my big classes over the past three years and next year doesn't look any different. Straight rows of 6 or 7 is how my room is set up and they will be just fine. Group work is at a minimal because 7th grade is a time where socialization takes precedent over academics 99% of the time and that ain't happening. Besides, they get enough group work in other classes that I feel they also need equal time of learning how to work on their own for once in their life.

[Unregistered]

If at all possible, I like to have a good amount of space between each student, because at the middle school level they do like to talk a lot. I also use traditional rows more in a rectangular shape instead of a square.

[Unregistered]

I have never had to deal with 30 students at a time, but I always change it up. Every month I either change the seating design or change the student's seating arrangement. This gives the kids "someone else" to work with. As to group work, I think the kids learn a bit more from their peers. I am a Science teacher though--not Englsih....I always pair or have at least one "smartie" in a group or pair. I also have to keep in mind when I am giving out the arrangements of who works well with others, who doesn't, who talks to much, who needs more teacher instruction, and so on. The kids like to have varitety. I don't think I could go a whole year with the same arrangement!! Good luck!!

[Unregistered]

I am currently a teacher assistant this semester. My cooperating teacher and I rearranged the room so the students sit in groups of 4. This lets 32 students sit comfortably in my small science classroom. We control talking by making sure their are no students with their backs to the front of the classroom and checking to see that all students are able to see the board.

[Unregistered]

I read a wonderful article today addressing your situation here is the reference in APA format. I hope this helps!
Hastings, N., & Chantrey, W. (2007, September 23). Group seating in primary schools: an indefensible strategy? Retrieved March 28, 2008, from Education-Line: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00002181.htm

[klkatz]

sure there might be some best practices and certain arrangments you like better than others, but the simple truth is that you can keep the kids on their toes and tone down the clicks and in turn the discipline problems by rearranging the room on a regular basis.

you can make a game out of it, or use it as a government/democrcacy lesson by having the kids decide where things should go.

you'll always have students that love the idea and others that don't. just remember you're the boss.

regardless of rationale, philosophy or best practices, i think just the idea of keeping the room "new" advocates the rearranging... even on a whim.

[JasonGawker]

Hello,

I'd do it slowly, with care, and paying attention to my student's needs. I follow quite simple logical rules, and that never fails me. Also, I recommed this great book (http://www.fetchbook.info/Teaching_With_Love_and_Logic%3A_Taking_Control_of_ the_Classroom_.html) regarding this subject - which I use everyday and you should too.

Jason

[Unregistered]

Read Fred Jones Tools for Teaching!!!! Amazing. I am a great teacher with exceptional classroom mangagement now that I have read this book. With group work, timing is essential. Give them brief intervals, so they will have to focus on the work to get it done in time. I too am a high school English teacher, and I use group work a lot, but I try not to assign it for home work because there are always those who don't participate. Walk around the room as much as possible while they are working.

[Unregistered]

I, too, am a fairly new teacher. I teach special education classes at a high school level for students with specific learning disabilities. Group work was awesome for me because then everyone was participating. My grading scale requires participation, so an individual grade is given. I accomplish this the fairest way I can think of, which is by having a rubric that everyone fills out about their teammates, themselves and I also evaluate. The average is the grade earned.

As for the arrangements of my desks...I, too, have a small class that is oddly shaped as one corner is a complete kitchen for Life Skills classes. Last year I had desks arranged in shorter rows on the outside and longer rows in the middle. I felt separated from my kiddos and rearranged my desks and seating chart after Christmas break. I set up my teaching table in the middle of the room and arranged the desks around me. I kept the area by the white board free and brought in an overhead and a Smartboard, which gave me more option for interacting with the students. The arrangement worked well with my classes which include Reading Assistance, Basic Biology, Pre-Algebra and Basic English.

[Unregistered]

I read a wonderful article today addressing your situation here is the reference in APA format. I hope this helps!
Hastings, N., & Chantrey, W. (2007, September 23). Group seating in primary schools: an indefensible strategy? Retrieved March 28, 2008, from Education-Line: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00002181.htm

I couldn't disagree with you more! I have been teaching 4th grade for 10 years and my students consistently sit in small group clusters. What is the most important skill that we as teachers need to teach? I believe it is to teach students to learn to work with & get along with others. This is a skill that is required in the vast majority of professions. You can be the brightest person in a group but if you can't get along with others you are a problem. By sitting in small groups they learn to work together, experience leadership skills, and learn that they can count on their peers when they are struggling. When I am addressing the whole group I insist that all students hands be empty & eyes on me. I have experienced very few discipline problems and my students get to participate in and receive feedback from both me and their peers.

Try it!

[Unregistered]

I teach Spanish at the high school level and I am constantly looking for a new seating arrangement and I find that pods of 4 really seem to work well. I've had rows and half cirlces too, but with the cuads I can see everyone and I can easily get around to help and keep my eyes on everything. My room isn't big by any means and I have 38 desks as of now. Also, with the cuads you can easily make your own groups and have the students work with the 1-3 other students around them. Hope this helps!

[Chocolate_New_Orleans]

group work :rolleyes: until the gradebook stops grading individually, I see no need for group work.

I, also, have a lot of desks in my room. I have as many as 33-35 in my big classes over the past three years and next year doesn't look any different. Straight rows of 6 or 7 is how my room is set up and they will be just fine. Group work is at a minimal because 7th grade is a time where socialization takes precedent over academics 99% of the time and that ain't happening. Besides, they get enough group work in other classes that I feel they also need equal time of learning how to work on their own for once in their life.




I am still a firm opponent of group work, but I have rearranged my 6 straight rows into a different setup.

Now, I have a left side and a right side of the class with the "mini-rows" facing in toward an aisle that I can walk down. I have an aisle behind each row as well.

Purpose - so I can easily travel up and down each row, I can easily move from row to row as there is no "middle of the row desk"

I have 9 rows of no more than 4 deep.

Still heavy on individual work, but I can now get to kids who need help more quickly and with less hassle.

[Unregistered]

I am still a firm opponent of group work, but I have rearranged my 6 straight rows into a different setup.

Now, I have a left side and a right side of the class with the "mini-rows" facing in toward an aisle that I can walk down. I have an aisle behind each row as well.

Purpose - so I can easily travel up and down each row, I can easily move from row to row as there is no "middle of the row desk"

I have 9 rows of no more than 4 deep.

Still heavy on individual work, but I can now get to kids who need help more quickly and with less hassle.








Growing up I had a teacher who used that type of seating and it worked pretty well. I like to use the horse shoe shape because I tend to focus on guided practice. Standing in the middle of the horse shoe I can quickly see everyones paper and can quickly give appropriate feedback/re-explain concepts. During writing lessons I can walk around the outside of the horseshoe and read over my student's shoulders. I've found that the horseshoe shape works well for ADHD kids because they have fewer distractions. (Try getting an ADHD kid to stop talking when there is a person facing them-total waste of time).

As far as group work: sometimes I like to have my students do partner work-mainly on skills that involve "fuzzy thinking" such as analyzing a character's motivations. Sometimes the process of discussing the assignment helps them to learn faster. The nice thing about partner work (vs group work) is that the students who do better by themselves can work by themselves. In general, its like any strategy, if you overuse it, it becomes less effective.