Seating Structure Design and Active Classroom Participation of College Students

Students who are more comfortable will be more engaged in class. Ordinarily, classrooms are set up in straight columns and rows. But a German study on classroom arrangements has proved that students asked more questions when rooms were set up in arrangements other than rows and columns of desks (Earp). If students are involved in class discussion, that means they are engaged in their learning. Plus, when we sit for a long period of time in an uncomfortable chair, we are distracted by our discomfort. When we fidget, we distract others around us, too. If we are fidgeting and drawing attention to ourselves, then we are missing out on important information or we’re not focusing on our tasks. They also say that variety is the spice of life, right? What works for you one day may not work for you another day, and it may depend on your tasks that day. At home, our students choose a place where they

The desk arrangement in the classroom will be flexible. Desks will be arranged into various formats to align with the intended learning objectives of a lesson. Desks may be placed in groups to promote collaboration and cooperation. They may be organized in a peanut formation to promote student-student and student-teacher discussion.

Maintaining a view of all pupils at any given time can be difficult for a class teacher, especially when deciding on seating arrangements for different tasks, as the seating plans must be appropriate to enhance learning but also allow for a good view of all the children to ensure good behaviour management. Wheldall and Lam (1987) suggest that children are better seated in rows than in groups as this allows for the teacher to have a good view of the entire class and the pupils have less opportunity to misbehave. However, this does not consider the nature of the task, as sitting in row discourages group talk and also limits the number of other children each child will have the opportunity to communicate with in any given lesson. This may

The room will be arranged into a horseshoe shape with walking space and access to supplies. The teacher’s desk will be at the front of the room and supplies at the back. This arrangement would be successful because it allows students to be close to communicate but they can also be spaced out. It also allows for the students to have a better view of the teacher and board without the view being obstructed.

The layout is designed to decrease mistaken behaviors. The room is set up so there is a natural flow from one center to another. The classroom is organized around learning centers. The messy centers are setup on flooring while the circle time and book center are on the carpeted area for comfort. The block center is near the carpet for noise control.

For this study on the impact of circle style seating in the classroom, the participants consisted entirely of Tenth Grade English students. These students as a whole originated in both urban and rural communities and also come from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. All of the students are considered on pace with their grade level requirements, thus giving them the distinction of general level learners – neither above nor below. The student population as a whole consists of African American, Latina/Latino, and Caucasian learners. Given that my goal is to determine the effectiveness of circle style seating, I plan on targeting the entire class instead of just a few students in particular. Doing so will correlate well with the

The next step would be changing the manner in which the teacher addresses each student, consequently, they wouldn’t respond in a defensive way when asked to do an activity. This measure would be reinforced with the orientation class, in which they could learn new ways to cope with their environment successfully. Another possibility would be to observe the effect of pair work during the semester in the learning of

Should students be forced to sit in desks? No, because there are many facts that state that flexible seating is the accurate choice for teachers all over the world. Flexible seating necessary because it is good activity for the brain, students are more committed to learning, and it affects students’ moods. With this paper facts and examples will prove this point.

The purpose of this study is to assess the benefits of allowing students to have choice in their seating. It is also being done to examine in sitting in desks, are friendly for children. The importance of the study is to give a students a more flexible and comfortable setting to work in. When students are comfortable, they will be more engaged, and therefore more knowledge can be obtained. I believe this study needs to be done so I can assess how different seating in the classroom will affect my students. I want to know if allowing flexible seating will make my classroom feel more welcoming or if it will be a classroom management night mare. Classrooms are becoming more student-centered and overall, I believe flexible seating allows for a more

It is important for teachers to get to know their students as soon as possible since there are many things to consider when assigning students seats; as Jones mentioned, “arranging class seating help monitor and interact with students who are doing independent or group work.” Knowing your students will make the process of arranging seats easier because it is important to note which students need to sit in the front. In my classroom I will arrange my seats in clusters in order to make it easier and save time when working in groups. Arranging the seats in cluster will allow gifted students to help the rest of the students in their group who might be struggling. I would have the English language learners sit next to s student who is either reclassified

There may also be issues with large groups where students may be sat at an angle to the board.

Teachers organize the physical environment. The way the desks, tables, and other classroom materials are arranged affects instruction and has an influence on order in the classroom. The decision of a teacher in organizing and arranging the classroom materials, supplies, designated place for activities and bulletin board will determine the effectiveness of the learning environment.

As environment is one of the first things that must be addressed when welcoming these students into the classroom, it will be the first to be discussed here. According to research, the arrangement of the physical environment can affect not just the students, but the teacher as well. (Weinstein, (1992) The classroom environment should be arranged for optimal access and safety for all students and to accommodate the daily functioning of the

Organizing the physical environment is influential when it comes to the order of the classroom. This includes the location of the desks, boards, chairs, etc. in order to affect the flow of instructions and influences within the classroom. For example, because I have the students sitting at tables rather than individual desks, this makes it easier for the class to participate in “MATH” and “READ” workshops. Students will be grouped into small groups based on their test scores and observations. At the front of the room, there will be a board that looks like a chart. At the top of the chart are the words “R.E.A.D.” and “M.A.T.H.” Below the letters are slots with colored sheets in them to represent the different groups. The groups will be timed for 25 minutes at a time to complete each station. Having the tables over individual desks, helps with creating a group-like atmosphere especially when it comes to

Growing up, most my classroom experience was sitting in straight rows being silent. However, I would occasionally have a non-traditional teacher and we would be allowed to sit in groups, the chairs would be in a large circle, or we would be able to continue the learning experience to the floor. As a substitute teacher, the ladder is the new norm. In regards to “Silent children seated in straight rows portrays the history of American education, not its future”: I completely agree. The reason for the evolvement seems to be rooted in the changes in society. Due to several different circumstances, children are no longer able to sit for hours in chairs and listen silently. If that is what we expect to happen, then we will be thoroughly disappointed. Whether we like the fluctuations in society or not, we cannot ignore the fact that change has happened and we must adjust for it. One way to adapt and still maintain order and management in the classroom is by implementing the Classroom Organization and Management Program (COMP).