Do Seating Arrangements have an Impact on Student Learning?

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 to participate.

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.

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Discuss here:  What are the effects of seating arrangements on the dynamics of a class?