Teach English in ZhuAnqiao Zhen - Shanghai Shi

Seating ArrangementsHaving taught high school and elementary school students I've realized how important the seating arrangement of students in the classroom actually is. The seating chart is a big assignment for the homeroom teacher during the first couple weeks of the school year. He or she needs to figure out what works best for that particular group based on the following: 1) Size of group 2) Behavior 3) Ability 4) Task I've found that seating patterns can be nailed down to a science at times if you consider these five criteria. You must remember there will never be one seating arrangement that will make all the students happy and productive. It just isn't possible. There are a few basic understandings when it comes to organizing your students' seating. First and foremost, students in the back are less likely to participate and more likely to chat with one another. Meanwhile, the students in the front are more likely to pay attention. When students start mingling during the first couple weeks they will find who they mesh best with and they'll want to sit with them everyday. As a teacher, you cannot let them get their way unless they are actually very effective sitting with their best friends. Sometimes they will try to resist you and even make you feel bad for them by crying, but you must do the deed. I think their level of respect for you will be ignited even though this situation will annoy them. Another thing I've noticed is to have the students sit away from any other tables or anything they can lean on or touch in the middle of class. I've had students sitting up against the wall and they will lean on it and this happens to make them less attentive and less involved. Even if there is a table nearby with anything on it they may want to distract themselves from the teacher and play with it. Now I'd like to get on with some actual seating arrangement styles. The first one I will talk about is the 'circle'. This is a great style for when you want to get everyone involved for a debate or discussion. It provides a lot of contact amongst the teacher and the students. There isn't any barrier between the teacher and each student. It helps to limit friendship groups and pairs. To do this your classroom better have individual desks and not tables for the students. It also takes time in the beginning and end of class to change. Another seating I'd like to mention is the 'U-style'. This is a typical seating arrangement because its easy for students to get around and they can see all of their classmates from just sitting down. There is a slight drawback for students on the front end of the "U" who are looking at the board on an angle. The next seating arrangement is the "traditional row" This is when the students make rows with their desks while facing the teacher. The teacher should be able to walk up and down each row. This works well with a big class and it does provide good contact for all the students. This layout makes it easier to do group work as you just need to slide the desks together. The major drawback here is the "back row". They almost always end up chatting it up as they feel almost separated from the rest. "Cafe style" or when desks are clustered together is another common seating arrangement. This is obviously best for group work and encourages fellow classmates to have a discussion on the topic at hand. The teacher has an easy time circulating the classroom from group to group. Trying to keep each group under good behavior is always an issue. Lack of attention and not focusing what's on hand is a big problem. This is because many times the groups will end up consisting of friends who like to just talk and not participate. "Lecture style" will be the last arrangement I talk about. This is what most university classrooms are planned out to be. It's very space-effective and great for the teacher to lecture with. Because the desk rows are usually built on an incline, it becomes harder for classmates to interact with one another. You are limited to the few people you are sitting directly around. All in all, I'd just like to say that seating arrangement in the classroom is often overlooked as a pivotal role in the teaching of students of all ages. There are many factors that help to determine the type of seating style including the size of the group, their behavior, ability, and task at hand. I believe it is very critical to determine the right seating arrangement for the students so they can be more efficient learners.