Today's topic is something that seems thoughtless; however, it can reflect your classroom culture, your values in the classroom, and significantly impact the learning that takes place in your room.
Today's topic is seating arrangements.
From what I remember in my time school, there were lots of rows or whatever seemed to be convenient to the teacher, the furniture, or the size of the room. My reality is probably one of many of you can relate too, and our reality is far from what seating should be.
The layout of your classroom is a true reflection of what you value in that room. If you value engagement, your desks should be grouped into collaborative learning teams and facing the learning materials (anchor charts and the board.) If you value order and routine, I suspect your desks are grouped in rows, possibly rows of two for minimal interaction between students. Ask yourself: which one is more desirable, can you have both in a perfect mixture?
The answer is: YES. You can have order and collaboration and true learning can take place.
Here are some simple steps for successful seating arrangements:
1. Group desks into heterogeneous learning teams. I have five groups of four desks to fit my twenty babies. I also believe strongly in heterogeneous groups - all students have strengths and deserve to have them amplified and nurtured in the classroom.
*Here is a radical idea for older grades: Let students group themselves. I teach 5th grade, and when it's time to change seats, I give them parameters (can't sit with all boys or girls, some students have to sit in the front, etc.) and they group themselves. I've been doing this three, almost four years and I have ever only had to change two seats from self selected seating.
If we think about one of the true purposes of school, it's to create independent and self sufficient learners and people. At ten and eleven years old, I need to give my babies a chance to identify their strengths and group themselves within a safe environment. I set the tone of our classroom culture, and they have accepted it and embrace it. When it's time to pick seats, they reflect our classroom values when they show their independence.
2. Arrange seats so that all can see the learning materials. My students all face our boards and learning maps (full scale advanced organizers.) These are two things that are integral to our instruction, and all students need to be able to see them without struggling. I am in a mobile unit, so if I can make this happen, you can too.
3. Provide a supply caddy for each group. This is so necessary to uninterrupted lessons and a smooth transition to each subject. Each group has a dollar store caddy that is filled with colored pencils,markers, crayons, highlighters, glue sticks, scissors, and pencils. This is to cut down on searching during the lessons or noise from constantly sharpening pencils. Each group has whatever they need and whenever they need it.
4. Change often. Student conversations should be the corner point of your instruction - if you want students to remember it and practice it, they have to talk about it. With all this talking and learning going on, students get bored of their seat mates and quickly learn each other's personalities. By changing seats often, conversations stay fresh and the incidents of misbehavior are decreased by new faces.
So, as winter break approaches, think about changing up your layout for when students come back. A fresh layout will lend itself to a fresh start in 2015.
Enjoy your Saturday, loves + stay fabulous!
Love, Lucy
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment