What is the Most effective Classroom Arrangement Plan?
If you have been in education for any length of time, then you soon realize that not only is every lesson different but every teacher is different too. That is why it can often be a crucial step to find the most effective classroom management plan.
Indeed, there are times when you want students to work in groups, but at other times you want them to work by themselves. There are also times when you are giving a presentation, and there are even moments when you are going to do some small group work. Places like Adobe Express have classroom seating templates that you can use but here are some ideas that you should keep in mind:
Traditional/Row Seating
Traditional row seating works best for classrooms that are going to be having a lot of lectures. This is a situation where the students are going to be facing the instructor and have their backs to each other.
In this particular case, one of the main challenges is that the most engaged students will be at the front while the ones at the back will be less engaged and more prone to distraction. Some instructors attempt to get around this issue with traditional seating by making their design more of a stadium-style where the seats are more angled.
Either way, you will soon find out that when it comes to classroom seating a good plan is in order. That’s why a lot of people like to use charts for their classrooms! But before we digress too much, we should consider the pros and cons of row seating. First of all, if you have little expectation of group work, have lots of space, and want an arrangement where the students can see you easily, this is the way to go.
On the other hand, most classrooms don’t have very much space, so that is one reason why some educators nix row seating. Moreover, it can be a deal-breaker if you are a fan of cooperative learning. The great majority do opt for row seating when it is time for state testing, however.
Pair Seating
Seating in pairs often occurs when the teacher desires controlled conversations and wants to encourage teamwork. It can be a good thing for a teacher to engage later in the year after they have gotten to know their students a bit better.
They say that knowledge is power, and so one of the best advantages of this method is that teachers who have gotten to know each student’s unique personality can understand what combination would work best and who all would work well as a pair.
Of course, there are some cases where students that are seated in pairs will be more likely to get disruptive or engage in off-task behavior. There are even some groups where the students will need to be “islands” and sit a little bit apart even though they are still considered to be in a group.
Table Groups
One of the most common arrangements in many classrooms across the country would be table groups. They are a great way to encourage cooperative learning. Moreover, they can help your students get to know each other right from the start.
One advantage of this seating arrangement would be that it saves space if you have a large class in a smaller, less-than-ideal classroom.
Unfortunately, table groups often have to be changed after a few months because it promotes off-task behavior and too much talking.
Which Classroom Arrangement is Right For You?
Of course, this all begs the question: which classroom arrangement is right for you? Well, there is no cut-and-dried answer to that. The best way to answer would be that the best classroom assignment is the one that gets you results for the goal you are trying to achieve for your classroom.
