Classroom Setup

So far, I’ve sat in on three different classes and none of them have been set up in a traditional style! Mrs. Tilley, Mr. Anderson, and Ms. Herron each have different (yet demonstratively effective) teaching styles which are reflected and emphasized through the way in which the room is set up.

Mrs. Tilley tends to teach and give directions from the front of the room (by the white board) and walks down the center walk way created by the desks. The students are placed in assigned seats, and for the most part, remain in their seats and pay attention. I noticed that students from every part of the classroom speak up, so it was nice to see that students who sit towards the back are as active as those who sit towards the front (perhaps this is because of the assigned seating?) Mrs. Tilley does have a few students who regularly raise their hands to answer questions and make comments, but she makes sure to call on students that are often quiet when they do have something to say.

Today her English 10 students performed a scene from Julius Caesar in groups. After each group performance the class would come together and discuss what went well and what could have been better. About the same amount of criticism and praise was given, but some of the more outgoing students tended to compliment the other outgoing students. Mrs. Tilley made the effort to keep all of the comments neutral rather than singling out specific students.

Mrs. Tilley's classroom set-up seems to fit her teaching style well, and I haven't noticed many negatives. My only concern is that since the desks are placed in couples, that when doing individual work students may be tempted to work together rather than completing the assignment fully on their own.

Mr. Alderson's Creative Writing class was very fun to observe today. Even though he went over poetry terms and their definitions, it was an incredibly active lecture that was fun and memorable. He made sure to walk around to each table constantly and promoted an environment where each student was sure to comprehend what the poetry term was, meant, and how it was used in context. Similarly to Mrs. Tilley's classroom, he has his desks set up in pods rather than in rows. The students were actively participating, but those closer to the back (by his desk) did have trouble keeping on task.

Ms. Herron's class was another great experience today. Her class is set up with tables rather than desks, and the atmosphere is more of a workshop. I observed and walked around to each table today while her students peer edited their essays with a partner. They read the other person's paper aloud and made comments as they read. Then, individually, worksheets were filled out based on the draft. Ms. Herron went by to every group and worked with them to help with improving their papers before they were due. Afterwards, they continued the book that they're working on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Ms. Herron read aloud and made sure to stop and ask questions during their read-aloud.

For my classroom (depending on the grade, of course) I plan on keeping some sort of pod setup, but I'd be concerned about wandering eyes during individual assignments and tests. If cheating became an issue I'd revert back to traditional rows. I'm a fan of moving around while I teach, so most likely I'll have only a podium up front, like Mr. Alderson instead of a desk or table.