Unless you are the most meticulous of teachers and have contacted previous teachers, former owners, parents, friends, and former librarians, you probably won’t really know your students on the first day of class. Sure, there are some bullies who already have the perfect seating chart in place, but most of us need at least a few days to assess personalities, observe academic skills, and suffer from bad partners. Also, you may notice that that box or cabinet you thought was in a prime location is really more of a hassle than a help.
After a period of time, even the best teacher will often need to make some adjustments within their classroom. Here are three tips for teachers in the first weeks of school to make your classroom a better learning environment.
1) Mix up your seating chart
Decide if you want children in rows and columns, at 4-5 desk “tables,” or in some other formation. Should this child be sitting next to (or even spitting distance) from that child? Can these two children help each other if they are next to each other? Will these kids get high smelling Elmer’s glue sticks if they sit next to each other?
Usually some combination of behavior and academics will determine the seating arrangement, especially if you have the kids paired up in some way. It’s okay to change the seating chart a few times, but don’t do it every day. Give it a new combination for at least a couple of days to make sure it doesn’t work before changing it again.
2) Moving furniture can free up space
If your teacher’s desk or nondescript table is taking up space that would be better served otherwise, move it! Perhaps it could be behind a shelf or overhead screen where a student’s desk cannot go.
While it’s generally best to arrange oversized furniture BEFORE school starts, there’s no law that says it can’t be moved in the middle of the year. Remember, the easier it is for you to move around the room, the easier it will be to help students and keep them focused.
3) Keep those roads clear!
This follows directly from point number 2. Do not paint in a corner, not even in the center of the room, placing desks or furniture without gaps or openings. You want to be able to walk around the room – from the potential trouble spot to the trouble spot – quickly and without hindrance. If you wear a “horseshoe” pattern, be sure to leave some spaces for easy in and out of the shoe. Otherwise, that horseshoe will NOT bring you luck!
Remember that you may have to reorganize your classroom more than once this year. It’s okay to take stock every few months and think about how your setup is working for you.
However, no matter how often you move things around, these three tips will always keep you on the right track.