Horseshoe seating arrangement. Classroom Layouts: Seating Arrangements for Effective Learning 2019-01-19

T&D Chapter 5 Flashcards

Students have a clear view of the person expressing their opinions; educators find it easy to control the discussion and can also motivate passive students to pitch in. However, I have found that there are some smaller classes of children who can handle sitting in groups, and it also worked well when I taught in schools that promoted a lot of collaborative learning. However, this is usually remedied by the teacher periodically visiting each table. These are far from ideal for doing a lot of Whiteboard work and you must ensure that you have done meticulous preparation beforehand and really thought through the exercises and handouts you are going to use. Cabaret style seating arrangements or banquet seating is good for gala luncheons or dinners, weddings, awards shows, holiday parties, training sessions or team building. Calling a meeting in a boardroom like the one above is as good as calling the shots, because the other team will be appropriately impressed even before the meeting starts. Use configurations that support independent activity and emphasize focus on content.

The Pros and Cons of 3 Common Classroom Seating Arrangements

I do keep desks for children who have a hard time working in close proximity to others. To install the system, simply insert the 4-speaker ceiling tile and run the wiring through the ceiling to the mixer-amplifier. Students are more focused on coursework and independent assignments. The one with the brown rug and the last one shown were quite small. Similar consideration should be given to resetting the room after class ends. Often, the diligent, focused students occupy the front rows, in order not to miss out any vital information whereas the laid back, more casual students opt for the back benches to avoid being noticed by the educators.

How to Choose the Right Seating Arrangements for Your Next Meeting or Event

Students in back rows are more likely to be less engaged. You can read more in my blog post. This saves space, but often at the expense of manoeuvrability and visibility. However, I have dreams of one day having small tables with chairs for the kids to use, which might make things a little easier on me since I like having the kids in groups rather than in individual rows. Smaller groups of 3-4 attendees are seated at each table, but they may not all be necessarily facing the stage. Find a seating arrangement that encourages students to interact with one another. Disadvantages: Some people feel uncomfortable or exposed in this type of arrangement.

horseshoe seating arrangement

Advantages: Easy to see and hear everyone in the group. Can only handle small groups of people. Action Zone: Center of the circle. Circle arrangement: When a teacher is conducting discussions, a circular arrangement can be apt to facilitate the flow of ideas, thoughts and expressions. For more independent skills like troubleshooting, analysis, listening, etc. Round table arrangement: Planning to give the students some group work? The modified U was one of the few ways I could have that many desks and still provide room for all the areas I like to leave in the back of the room tables, classroom library, etc. When you are organizing any kind of meeting or event, the communication factor is all-important.

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Unfortunately, students can identify themselves by their section, contributing to class discussion only as much as others in the section contribute. Classroom seating arrangements can also be angled in a herringbone style, where seats are angled towards the middle of the room so that each chair is facing the podium at an angle. When selecting a classroom setup, be aware of what would be age appropriate for your class. Do you have a different layout to your class? The teacher is able to work with individuals and small groups. Although this arrangement may deter students from talking to one another during work time and lessons, it also causes problems when students are supposed to interact with each other, complete group tasks, and work together as a team.

Seat Layouts

All pupils face the front and teachers can notice with relative ease those pupils that are misbehaving. This layout is not useful for classes designed for conversation and interaction and not easy for the instructor to observe students in the mid and back rows. Advantages: Good encouraging for discussions Disadvantages: Difficult to see Whiteboards etc. This design places desks front to back, lined up in straight rows with a small isle between each row. Advantages: Every participant has a good view of the front of the room. Unfortunately, the this design requires considerable classroom space and may not be possible for classes with too many students. Walking between students helps teachers serve as a reminder to students that they are expected to continue working.

The Pros and Cons of 3 Common Classroom Seating Arrangements

Of course, you even end up creating a quality-seating chart that you can use from time to time. Dinner and show seating This is a more casual version of the classroom type of seating. This meeting seating arrangement is good for round-table discussions, brainstorming sessions, lunch meetings or sales meetings where input is strongly encouraged. Hence, it is the duty of teachers to wisely select an arrangement that best suits their particular circumstances and classes. Specific features and pictures of Yale classrooms can be found at.

Tips for the Most Effective Classroom Seating Arrangement

This set-up also provided a large space in the front of the room for kids to sit on the rug while I taught. This design encourages group projects and discussion as students desks are directly touching. The highest communication interactions between professors and students typically occurs with students in the first row or along the middle of the classroom. It is a good way to break up a lesson and change communication styles. More generally, this arrangement communicates a learning community where students are expected to work with one another. Instructional communication theory suggests that seating arrangements can impact how the instructor communicates with students and how the students interact with one another, impacting engagement, motivation, and focus McCorskey and McVetta, 1978. If you are forced to teach with this layout, try to teach from the back of classroom as much as possible.

FREE Horseshoe Classroom Seating Arrangements Template in Microsoft Word, Apple Apple Pages

Even though not all my lessons are group based, I like this arrangement because students can focus on the front of the class during lessons, focus during independent work time but still discuss problems with their group, interact during group activity, and students are all visible to one another during whole class discussions and activities. It also ensures that people are able to walk through the aisle without disturbing others. Plug in the wireless receiver for the microphone, and you can stand up to 50 feet away from the mixer-amplifier. A common disadvantage is that some pupils will inevitably end up having their back facing the board which may be counter-productive for a typical lesson. One year, most of my class had extremely challenging behaviors. The number of rows is decided by the strength of the class.