Imagine this, you pick up your classroom key, you walk towards your classroom, and excitedly unlock the door, only for you to find a big stack of chairs and tables in the corner of the classroom. So, you are probably standing there wondering; where do you begin? Well, first things first! You need to ensure that the way you arrange your tables is in a manner that facilitates learning by enabling all the students to see the board.
Teacher’s desk
The teacher’s desk is crucial to your overall seating plan and it should be placed strategically in a way that allows you to have access to the entire classroom. When placing it, you need to consider the following;
- Line of sight – you need to make sure that you can get a good view of the class while seated at the desk.
- Are you planning to teach from the desk? If you have a laptop that you will use when teaching, of course, you will need to position the desk in a place where you will be able to plug it in.
- Where you will store the learning and teaching materials.
With the teacher’s desk all set, it will give you a clear idea of how to set up students’ desks.
Student desks
Basically, when arranging student desks, you need to ask yourself; how do you prefer students to work? Independently, pairs, in groups, or a combination of the three? Of course, this is, in part, dependant on the overall behavior of your students, which you won’t know until you get to know them in person. So in this case, you might want to start in groups moving towards each student working independently, as you move forward. Also, you can try mixing it up at times, but don’t overdo it to avoid bring confusion into your class.
With regards to the best seating arrangements, here are some of the favorite and the most efficient ones;
Horseshoe – in this arrangement, the desks are arranged in a u-shaped pattern facing the board. This is the perfect arrangement if the students are working independently or in pairs. The seating arrangement doesn’t encourage group work though.
Group tables – when arranging group tables, you need to ensure that every group consists of no more than 6 students. Essentially, you want to make sure that in case you want to break the group into pairs, you will be able to do it. Also, a group of 6 students is easier to control in terms of noise-making, as anything more than that tends to get too loud. The main benefit of group tables is that it not only supports group work but also team building, behavior management as well as past scoring.
Rows – it is true this seating arrangement is old fashioned, but if you have a class with behavior problems, it is quite necessary. All the students sit facing the front, meaning they will be facing you. You will be able to see all the students, and so, nip all their behavior problems immediately you see them. Also, this arrangement allows you to keep the struggling students on the front, therefore, being able to help them out easily. The set up promotes pair work, especially if you keep the numbers even in each row, but discourages group work.
Combination set up – when you mix up all the arrangements mentioned above, you will end up with a combined set up, which is ideal if you want to cater to different abilities. You can place the higher students at the back, those that need one-on-one attention at the front, and still be able to organize groups and pair collaborations in the same classroom. You will need to configure the classroom’s furniture, but when you think about what you want to achieve, this combination plan is totally worth it.
All these seating arrangements are quite effective, but when choosing the one that will work for you and your students, first ask yourself what it is that you want to achieve.
The benefits of a good seating plan to your classroom
The truth of the matter is, using seating plans in a classroom not only supports the teacher’s overall management of the classroom but also supports students’ learning. A perfect seating arrangement takes into account the overall layout of the classroom, student grouping as well as inclusion data to create the perfect learning environment. Here are some of the benefits of a good arrangement;
Improved classroom management – if we are being honest, there is so much more to effective classroom management than just creating a seating plan for the students. However, the plans form one of the core pillars of efficient management of any class. See, a good seating arrangement allows you to exert a level of control over your students. By assigning particular seats to particular students enables them to act and solve problems before they even occur. For instance, placing a visually impaired student on the front minimizes some of the problems these students would face if they were otherwise seated at the back. Also, two chatty friends seated together can be a nuisance to your class, right? Well, you can separate them, saving you so many problems. In addition, deciding where each student sits can set the tone that you are the one in control of the class as soon as they come in.
Well-behaved students – are you struggling with poor student behavior in your class? Well, you need to try a seating plan. Look, something simple such as separating the chattiest students as well as those who don’t like each other can go a long way in minimizing classroom disruptions and also controlling the noise levels. What’s more, with a good classroom arrangement, you will be able to control everything the student does, and thus minimize cases of indiscipline. And considering that students’ relationship will start and continue to grow, and their attitudes and personal lives start to change – which will have an impact on the way their behave and interact with each other – tweaking the seating arrangement every now and then ensures that you will keep their behavior in check throughout.
Students’ individual needs are catered for – based on the students’ inclusion data and individual learning needs, a perfect seating plan allows you to create a learning environment that not only supports those needs but also ensures that their learning thrives. A good seating arrangement will have considered the following; are there students with medical issues, and do they need to be seated in a specific place in support of their conditions? Is there a visually impaired student in your class who needs to sit close to the board? And if there is a student who gets overwhelmed easily, is he/she seated next to an exit, such that they can discreetly walk for some fresh air? And lastly, are there shy students in your class, who you would like to help, and therefore, pair them up with those who frequently answer questions in class to encourage them? Just imagine a seating plan taking care of all these! Unbelievable, right? But yes, by considering all these and creating a seating plan based on that information, you will be able to help so many students based on their specific needs.
You can create a classroom that reflects your teaching style – here is something interesting, see how you organize your tables and your entire class, well, it not only improves the learning process, but it also showcases your pedagogy, teaching style, as well as what you are looking to elicit from your class. When coming up with a seating arrangement, you want to think about how you want your class to look like – do you want a plan that facilitates discussion or one that supports students to work in pairs? Also, when teaching, do you like to walk around the room, or just want to teach from the front? These are factors that influence the choice of seating arrangement. For instance, if you are looking for a collaborative classroom atmosphere, then group tables should do the trick for you. If you like discussions, then you can consider a horseshoe plan, and if you want independent working, then rows are what you need. These seating arrangements tell more about your style, and what it is you want the students to be doing while teaching.
Accessible and safe classroom environment – the safety of the students is always a priority in any classroom environment and the seating arrangement you choose plays a big role in this. To guarantee a safe classroom, you might want to leave enough room for walking around, which will reduce the risk of tripping and falling for the students. The seating plan should also ensure that fire exits aren’t blocked. A perfect seating plan should achieve all these easily. And with the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the planet, the seating plan ensures that students are socially distanced, which will limit the spread of the virus, in case anyone in the class has it.