Teach English in DongjiAng Baoshui Gangqu [Dongjiang Port Free Trade Zone] - Tianjin

Seating Arrangements in the classroomThere are many different ways to arrange a classroom and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. The teacher should plan carefully how to arrange the classroom and considerate the following: will the teacher be able to maintain control over the classroom, how well the students communicate, and how the relationship will be between students and teachers. I believe that careful planning and consideration of seating arrangement will increase the performance of the classroom. An appropriate seating arrangement can help a class excel and grow compared to a poorly chosen arrangement that would result in a dysfunctional classroom. Teachers should arrange the seating in such a manner so that the teaching and learning can be as effectively as possible, for example, grouping strong students with weak students and it can also help reduce the disruptive behaviors of the students. There are different types of seating arrangements that have been practiced for many years. All the types of seating arrangement have its positive and negative sides. The three most popular seating arrangements are orderly rows, circles and horseshoes, and separate tables. The orderly rows seating arrangements are the traditional form of a classroom. It allows the teacher and students to have a clear view of each other. It helps the teacher maintain eye contact and reduces discipline problems. Orderly rows involve teachers working with the whole class and it makes lecturing easy. Some activities are especially suited for this kind of arrangement such as watching a video, using the board or the overhead projector to show the students work. This kind of seating arrangement allows the teacher to move around easily between rows and it?s a great way of monitoring student when tests are given because the cheating possibilities will be minimized. Although there are many great reasons why this type of arrangement will be better for a class, there are some negative aspects. This type of seating is not good for smaller classes and it doesn?t allow much opportunity for student interaction. And some teachers may have difficulty giving attention to students on either side of the room or in the back of the room. The Circles and Horseshoes seating arrangements are quite similar to each other. The Horseshoe is where the teacher is position at the open end of the arrangement where the blackboard is located, whereas the circle seating arrangement; the teacher?s position is between the circle. This kind of seating arrangement allows the teacher to be less dominating and there is a less of a feeling that a student is at the front or back of the classroom. The classroom becomes more focused on the lesson and more intimate because the arrangement makes pair work easier and it?s good for discussion and debates. It also allows eye contact with everyone in the class, which also creates more student interaction. The downfall of this seating arrangement is that it only works well for smaller classes. This kind of seating arrangement takes up a lot of space and it will be difficult for the teacher to obtain attention, especially from young learners. The separate tables are also another seating arrangement practiced by teachers because it?s easier for the teacher to work at one table while the other groups continue on their work. The students can easily communicate with each other and it?s useful for group work, such as gap-filling exercises. This type of arrangement makes the classroom more informal and less intimidated. The negative side to this seating arrangement is that it creates discipline problems when students feel that they are a part of a small group rather than the class as a whole, causing them to become distracted. At the same time, not all students will get along and will less likely work together. It will also be hard the for the teacher to maintain eye contact and it will be difficult to teach the whole class because the students are more scattered around The seating arrangement in a classroom has a great impact on student performances. How well a student comprehends is based on where they are seated in a classroom. If they are seated next to a student with the same amount of knowledge, they will less likely improve compared to sitting next to another student who is more knowledgeable because they can help each other. Teachers who carefully plan their classroom seating will notice progression throughout the whole class.