Classroom Layout to Maximize Learning

NTA August 2, 2012

Your first line of defense for crowd control

Arranging Your Classroom

Anticipatory Set: True or False?Whether or not students will goof-off

depends on how close to the teacher they are.TRUE

Once you’re decided on a classroom arrangement, it’s best not to change it until the end of the block.FALSE

What worked for the veteran teacher before you is probably how you should keep your room arrangement, at least for the first block.FALSE

Anticipatory Set: True or False?You shouldn’t get rid of empty cabinets or

bookshelves when re-arranging your room; you never know when you might need them.FALSE

The best room arrangement allows the teacher to get from any student to any other student in the least possible steps.TRUE

Subject areas usually follow the same pattern for classroom layouts (e.g. English classes will generally have the same arrangement).FALSE

Anticipatory Set: True or False?How you arrange your classroom should depend

on what you want to emphasize in your class (e.g. direct instruction, cooperative learning, etc.).TRUE

Effective classroom arrangements have a cap of about 30 studentsFALSE

The best classroom arrangement for more than 30 students is in rows.FALSE

The teacher’s desk should always be in front.FALSE

ObjectivesBy the end of the presentation, you will be

able to: (1) explain why classroom arrangement is an

important part of classroom management, AND

(2) evaluate different classroom layouts for their effectiveness in increasing teacher mobility.

Why is classroom arrangement important?

Sets the expectation for student focusMinimizes student misbehavior and

unsafe activityMaximizes teacher and student

efficiencyIncreases teacher awareness of on-

task behavior and student achievement

Setting the expectation for student focusWhere are the students naturally facing in

your classroom arrangement (toward the board, toward each other)?

How are the seats grouped (individually, in pairs)?

How many per group (2, 3, 4)?How close to their neighbor are they?

Minimizing Student Misbehavior

The Golden Rule: You must be able to reach any student in the least amount of steps

“Crowd control”

Zones of proximityRed zoneYellow zoneGreen zone

Having quick and easy access to every student allows you to keep students in the red zone as you move around your class.

Maximizes teacher and student efficiencyOrganization, consistency and ease of access

all save you AND your students time.Avoiding “Where are the…?” and the “I can’t find

the…” from both you and the studentsEven if it’s organized and consistent, it doesn’t

do you or the students much good if they can’t access it easily and quickly

Moving cabinets and bookshelves is just as important as moving the student chairs and tables

Increases Teacher Awareness of Achievement

Fact: 40% of the new teacher evaluations mandated by the State of Arizona are built on STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT SCORES.

Fact: A school’s AYP and AZ Learns statuses are based largely on the ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL COHORT and ELL STUDENTS.

Fact: The new common core standards and PARC assessments require students to perform in more cognitively demanding ways.

Fact: To keep a charter active, each campus needs to demonstrate WITH DATA that EVERY STUDENT’S READING AND MATH SCORES ARE GROWING.

Fact: AIMS augmentation has been reduced to 5% - almost nothing!!

General Tips and PointersYou want to create walkways

Move furniture out of the way… or out of your classroom! Just because it worked for the teacher before you, doesn’t mean it has to work for you!

Account for backpacks and shuffled seats. If you have to twist and turn to get by, it is not an effective arrangement.

Play with different arrangementsPractice with each arrangement – you want the

shortest distance with the fewest steps to each student, no matter where you are in the classroom

Form your classroom arrangement around what you want the focus of your class to be: teacher-centered, discussion-based, or cooperative-learning, etc.

Don’t be afraid to put the teacher’s desk in the back!

Let’s practice!TASK #1…Each pair will receive a set of diagrams of

different classrooms. They will discuss the classroom set-up and, together, list the positives and negatives for using each layout as a classroom design.

TASK #2…Then, individually, each person will evaluate each

layout and rank them in order of preference, with the first number being the layout you would most likely use for your classroom. Use the note cards to physically rank your preferences.

Be prepared to explain your opinion!

Layout A

Layout B

Layout D

Layout E

Layout F

Layout I

Layout K

Layout L

ObjectivesBy the end of the presentation, you will be

able to: (1) explain why classroom arrangement is an

important part of classroom management, AND

(2) evaluate different classroom layouts for their effectiveness in increasing teacher mobility.