Layout

Students can “read the physical arrangement of chairs and desks, the use of decorations and real and symbolic barriers to gauge the present and desired levels of interaction” (Sommer, 174).  When students arrive in the classroom, they get a visual message from the way you have it designed, including placement of furniture, images on the walls, and incorporation of technology.  Specifically seating arrangements can convey messages to students.  The way to position desks or tables in a classroom has been a mystery to most teachers, there is no one way to set things up so all students can all be equally engaged.

No one arrangement is ideal for all activities; for example, straight, frontal facing arrangements in rows are ideal for lecture style classes, if that is how the teacher intends to convey the lesson (Sommer, 175).  However, Rosenfield, Lambert and Black suggest that rows take away from student learning, in that they decrease involvement by students and allow them to more easily detach themselves from the learning.  Equally there is not one single arrangement that will work for all students.  Some student prefer to work in single desks in rows, others prefer to be in groups/clusters where they can interact with other students (Sommer, 175).

Tollefson and Osborn (2008) composed a few questions to consider when considering the floor space:

“-What is the seating arrangement like? What does it help students to see, focus on and do?

-How does furniture placement impact students’ opportunities for movement in the room?

-Does the furniture arrangement allow for individual, small-group, and large-group instruction?” (55)

It is also important to involve your student in the decision making process.  Students have knowledge about how they learn best and can be creative in designing a classroom space.  “Asking students directly about the physical environment is the most feasible, economical, and meaningful way for the students to (a) attend to the environment, (b) articulate their opinions verbally, (c) share them with other students and with the teacher, and (d) participate in environmental decision making” (Sommer, 174).

Overall, findings in the research conducted by Rosenfield, Lambert and Black examines 3 types of seating plans, rows, clusters, and circles, and their effects on students behavior.

Traditional schools have always had desks, usually arranged in rows, however over the years desks have been arranged in a variety of ways to try to improve student engagement in the classroom.  The study confirmed that students seated in a circular seating plan are significantly more likely to be engaged and on task.  Discussion, on task behaviour and responses, on task social interaction , having a neighbour to talk to without having an entire group, facilitates pupil interaction.  Other furniture can play an important role in the classroom as well.  Having areas specially designed for students like a reading corner can help maintain a healthy classroom environment.