Classroom Seating Arrangements

            While observing the seating arrangements at our school, I could not help but notice the monotony from classroom to classroom.  Our principal has dictated our seating arrangements as groups of four due to the promise of facilitated group work, team rigor, and student centered activities.  Every single classroom on our floor is set up with groups of four the only variations are how the groups are dispersed across the room. The groups are spread out enough to make sure each team is not overly distracted from the next and that each group has clear visual access to the front board. I understand the purpose of teamwork and the idea of students “buzzing” but this type of dictatorship seems to make each classroom monotonous and detracts from individualized teacher creativity. The majority of teacher desks are located in the back of the room or to the side and the technology (projector, speakers, Promethean Board, and technology cart) is front and center, which acts as the focal point for directions and learning. Only one teacher had her desk in the front of the class (nearer to the white boards) but her technology has not yet been delivered. I like having the desks in the back of the room because it opens up more space for students coming up to the board and prevents students from coming near or trespassing into your personal work space.

                The traffic pattern for each class is also very clear. The team took the advice of our team leader and labeled our doors as “exit” and “enter.” This prevents the students from bombarding the classroom from all directions and maintains more order during arrival and dismal. Some teachers even used duct tape to make arrows pointing to where students line up outside before they enter the classroom and where they line up inside before actually leaving.  I have found that mundane procedures help create a sense of order and holds students more accountable for their actions, decreasing the amount of misbehavior in the classroom.  I also noticed that all teachers were constantly moving around the room and were monitoring performance while students worked on their activities.  I did not notice any teachers in front of the room lecturing or giving direct instruction, instead, all teachers were merely acting as facilitators moving from group to group and addressing student misbehaviors.

                The accommodation I noticed immediately for special needs students was preferential seating.  I noticed a few special needs students sitting near the white board and did not notice (even though these were quick glances) any special needs students in a group placed far away from the whiteboard or Promethean board.   Many teachers had isolated desks placed in corners or next to cabinets so that students could use that time to work quietly by themselves, get extra time on an assignment, or to recollect their emotions. I am assuming that most teachers are placing their special needs students in groups that will help facilitate their learning, for example, placing a special needs student with a strong reader in order to help read directions or to explain important task information.  Our principal has monitored each classroom to make sure special needs students are not grouped together and are properly dispersed throughout the classroom.

                The technology has been widely dispersed but a few classrooms still do not have any technology at all. The technology is still being installed and delivered to the building so it may be a few more weeks until every classroom is truly online. However, each classroom that currently has technology only have Promethean boards, projectors, speakers, and a technology cart; no classroom has permanently installed computers for independent student work but a portable lap top lab and two computer labs are accessible for daily use.

                The room arrangement pattern can be used to help supervise teachers because it alludes to the type of instruction occurring in the classroom, possible distractors, management, accommodations, and student engagement. The supervisor can get a clear understanding of the learning occurring in the classroom and determine if the set up is allowing for effective student-student engagement and student-teacher engagement. The supervisor can also look for a proper seating chart with special needs student’s names highlighted to quickly show where they are seated within the class. These specific characteristics of room architecture can be addressed in school professional developments in order to convey strategies that are effective in increasing student achievement. New teachers may not understand the importance of eliminating distrsactors such as sitting next to high access areas or why preferential seating is vital in meeting the requirements of special needs students. Supervisors can jot down areas of strengths and areas of improvement and create staff developments that address both areas. The classroom set up is a strong foundation for learning to happen properly. As a school administrator, it is our job to make sure every class is set up for success and to support teachers who may not truly understand how to properly execute the task.