Introduction
Take a look at your class
and you will notice that most of the students occupy the same seat every day.
Some prefer to sit at the back, others in front and few students opt to sit
near aisles or close to windows or doors. Is there a reason for their preferences?
More importantly, does the seating arrangements affect the learning process?
Influence of Seating Arrangements on Learning
Studies have reported that
seating arrangements impact the learning process. Students occupying the front
rows are more attentive that those in the back. The students in front are the
ones who generally answer questions asked in class.
Classroom arrangement; from
a students’ point of view, symbolizes their personality. 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.
Some students prefer
sitting near doors and windows as it provides them with sufficient distractions
to escape the monotony of lessons taught. Pranks, whispering, passing of notes,
doodling, etc. is frequent among students who generally sit in the back.
Therefore,
seating arrangements may be a cause for the decline of student performance as
attention span, concentration, comprehension and the retaining of information
can be influenced by where the student chooses to sit.
Enhancing Learning through Seating Arrangements
How can we adjust the
seating arrangements learning advantage? Let’s explore some possibilities of
creating optimal seating arrangements to advance learning in class.
Row Arrangement This is the most common arrangement in a class. The room is divided into
three columns, the extreme ends have two seats each and the center portion has
four seats joined together. The number of rows is decided by the strength of
the class. This arrangement gives teachers ample space to walk among the
students.
This lets educators
utilize the entire space of the classroom while teaching, helps students with
their work or enables them to make any corrections with ease. Walking between
students helps teachers serve as a reminder to students that they are expected
to continue working. Supervision and teaching can be made easier with the row
method.
Circle Arrangement When a teacher is conducting discussions, a
circular arrangement can be apt to facilitate the flow of ideas, thoughts and
expressions. 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.
Teachers can arrange the
seating of students in such a manner that the active members are seated next to
them and more passive students opposite to them. This can enable the teacher to
signal to more active participants while providing opportunities to the others,
and permits establishment of eye contact with students who may need encourage participating.
This circular arrangement can help foster group dynamics.
Semi Circular Arrangement A semi-circular arrangement
can be effective when audio-visual aids, interactive boards, etc. are being
used. This ensures clear visibility for every student. Teachers can maintain
eye contact with all students and also check to see that they are being
attentive. This arrangement can assist in controlling the class as
students are in the open and their actions can more easily be observed.
Round Table Arrangement Planning to give the
students some group work? A round table arrangement is probably your best
option. It encourages students to sit in friendly groups, facilitates free
discussion and allows educators to monitor student work. However, the
disadvantage is that there is high probability of students misbehaving when the
teacher is not looking. Arrange the tables so that the teacher’s table is at
the front and the round tables are lined up or arranged in a semi-circle to
best allow the teacher visibility of all the tables.
Arranged Seating vs. Free Seating
Another important point to
consider is whether to assign seats in a seating arrangement or provide
students the freedom to select their own spots. Free seating can reinforce
cliques within the classroom and students may choose seats that are not
conducive to success.
On the other hand,
allotment of seats can bring about a certain level of control within the
classroom. Pairing of students is done with the hope that they may benefit from
each other and also to encourage interaction among all.
A rotation system when
integrated into the classroom can ensure that students are not categorized as
front or back benchers. Everyone is given an opportunity to sit in the front,
middle and back.
Seating arrangements can
play a huge role in student performance. Hence, it is the duty of teachers to
wisely select an arrangement that best suits their particular circumstances and
classes.
Rupa Chauhan
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