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Seating Arrangements in the ClassroomThere are many different schools of thought concerning seating arrangements in TEFL classrooms. These classroom layouts are very vital since the primarily goal is to give the students as much exposure to the target language as possible through having a flexible classroom layout. For the most part, these different ways of arranging students depend on various factors. One of the largest factors contributing to the different seating plans is the varying styles of teaching that the teacher usually employs. The teacher should carefully choose a seating arrangement which would be flexible to his/her needs which is to be able to teach effectively and also to the students? needs which is to be able to learn what they wanted to learn. Another large factor that a teacher must take into account is the culture of the country in question. One aspect of culture that changes from group to group is that of personal proximity especially on the part of the teacher since his/her mission is to establish rapport and motivation with the students. It has been suggested that a formation in the shape of a semi-circle, horseshoe, or double horseshoe depending on class size may provide the best learning environment because the teacher is closer to the students and can interact with them easier. While there is no doubt that there is some truth to this, this classroom setup may not be appropriate in all countries as well as in all classroom activities. Other factors a teacher must consider while making a seating arrangement for his or her is the kind of students that he/she is handling. Of course, class would be composed of assorted learners in terms of their knowledge level and attitude. High-level students are more confident in participating in class room activities e.g. role plays than low-level students who tend to avoid these as much as they can. Unfortunately, it would likely that these students who do not have a solid foundation or command of english often group themselves together thus hindering them from honing their skills. This is definitely not to be permitted most of the activities relies heavily on pair work particularly ESA lessons. If this happens, do not be afraid to take action and stop any formation of ?dream teams? in the class. However, do not make your actions too obvious which would cause them to think you are showing favouritism. If at all possible, make a game of it or try to tie it to the needs of the lesson. If you have run out of ideas, simply have the students sit in alphabetical order. I would strongly suggest that changing the seating arrangements regularly e.g. every couple of weeks or so is good for the students for several reasons. First, the students are perhaps meeting new people and being forced to leave their comfort zone by dealing with his fellow students who are of different skill or knowledge level. Second, they will also have the opportunity to study the english language in a lot closer perspective by doing a lot of speaking, listening, reading and writing. . A teacher must take all of these factors into consideration before choosing a seating arrangement if he or she wanted to establish an easy and conducive learning environment for the students.
