C.I.C.: Are Kids Still Sitting in Rows? Why?!?!
If you have not had the opportunity to hear John Zola speak, I highly recommend it. I had the opportunity to hear him speak in South Korea on the topic of Socratic Seminars. He was entertaining, educational, and shared great ideas about how and why we should run these types of seminars with students. But, that is not why I am writing about him today.
During one of the presentations, he talked about the use of tables over desks. During a session he was presented with using a table for the Socratic seminar session. His response, “Oh I don’t like using tables, I prefer desks.” His reasoning? They were far easier to move around and change the seating structure of the room, form groups, form large circles, or another other arrangement a teacher wanted to set up. He also felt that tables could limit lines of sight for teachers and students during what he expected to be an active discussion.
There has been much discussion about seating arrangements in school as of late. Of course, the number one driving factor in many people’s minds is safety of students. The reality is, most schools will require students to sit in rows, with masks on, facing forward so that no one is breathing in another person’s face. Fair enough. This is a short — term safety solution that we can all get behind. But it should not be a long-term solution.
When we consider how we manage our class, and how we seat students, we can create supportive environments, or we can create structures that are limiting. The desk has been the so-called gold standard for seating in school for as long as we have pictures of schools. Students, sitting in rows, looking forward at the teacher expecting to have knowledge imparted to them. Students then work in semi-isolation at their desks, facing forward, using their electronic device now rather than quill and paper. Not much has changed in over 100 years of educating young people.
Is that how you learn best as an adult? Is this how we present professional development to educators? Do we still believe that sitting in rows, looking forward is the best way to educate some levels of students? Or is this just an issue with educators being comfortable with a certain style of seating and teaching?
In my career, it is fascinating to walk into a classroom and observe the set up. Most classes have some sort of seating where the students look at a centrally focused board where the teacher leads from. Students sit oriented towards that board for most of the instruction. Working generally seated at the same desk, facing towards the same board. To be clear, I am not opposed to this, it is standard and there is nothing inherently wrong with it. We do need to ask, is this best for students?
Previously, I wrote about planning for your classroom. This included thoughts about prepping the space, considering how students enter and travel within the room, and where they sit. Truthfully, much of how classrooms are arranged right now may be dictated by the COVID requirements for the school and by the furniture in the space. Another consideration is what is the room used for? A science lab at the year 12 level will look vastly different than the ECE classroom used for Montessori teaching.
What should we consider if we are thinking about changing things around for seating?
Sitting, Standing, and Movement
There has been a big push recently to consider whether requiring students to sit for long periods of time is healthy. Do you need to require students to sit down for long periods of time? What about standing desks? What about alternate types of seats such as yoga balls? Can we allow students to move about the room while we are instructing? How do we manage all of this in our classroom?
For most teachers, allowing students to move about in the room is a significant distraction. How impacting is it for your students? There is quality research suggesting that allowing certain students (i.e. students with attention issues) to move allows for better focus in the classroom. How can you adjust your classroom to allow for some students to sit and focus, while others move? In my classroom, I simply tell students who stand or move to be in the back. It is not perfect, but it works for my classroom. Can you consider how this might look to allow movement?
What about standing or yoga ball style desks? The addition of standing desks in some classrooms has been positive for students who feel more comfortable standing. Yoga ball style seats allow students to engage their core muscles while sitting and help develop better posture. Both desks are easy additions to the classroom and allow for students to sit at alternate styles of desks. It does require a change of mindset to allow for alternate style seating. From what I have observed, teachers who allow the flexibility have classrooms that are every bit as effective as those that require students to sit in less flexible seating styles. I would put forth that students in classes are perhaps more comfortable in their learning environment. The idea of shifting the seating arrangement is far easier if we set up flexible environments in the first place.
Assigned seating versus Free Seating Arrangements
Why do students need to sit in assigned seats? For most teachers, it is for attendance purposes. They can quickly determine if students are present or not. This may also be a management concern. Teachers try to sit students near or away from each other to manage behavior concerns in the room. Both are legitimate reasons for assigning seating in the classroom. Perhaps we might be more intentional in our seating though if we choose to assign seats.
There is a story going around the internet of one teacher who shifts seating each week. For her, it is a process. She gets the students to answer reflective questions each week about personal, social wellness within the class. Based on these answers, she moves students around based on who needs more social support and who can be the best support for the students. This is an extensive process in the classroom and from what I have read, she does an amazing job with it. However, she also works in an elementary classroom where she has one group of students all day, all year. Your situation may be very different, but it is something to consider if you set intentional seating arrangements.
What about free seating? Does it matter students sit in the room? I feel that the answer is yes and no. Yes, it does matter where students sit so they can be most productive, but also no. Students can be trusted to sit where they want with some clear guidelines. If you have a room where students can stand or sit, they will self-regulate within the room if you establish clear guidelines. This can help build a sense of trust and responsibility within the classroom.
Grouping Students
There are many ways to group students within the classroom. How you set this up is dependent on whether you will have students in group seating for an extended period versus short-term projects or activities. If you are going to have students sit in groups for extended periods of time, then you need to spend more time considering how you will set up these groups. If you are using short-term groups, there are many easy ways to form groups.
Some ways that have worked for me for forming groups, in a physical education setting, are:
· Have students play rock, paper, scissors to form 2 groups — winner goes one direction, the loser goes another
· Give students playing cards in numbers or suits. Divide the group based on pre-determined colors, numbers, or suits. This can form 2 plus groups.
· Form students into groups of 2 plus, then have them divide based on a set of determining factors. Such as hair color/length, age, shoe color, type of cell phone, etc.
· Assign seats based on name labels before students enter the room.
· Use random objects in specific group numbers to create groups
· Did the students complete the reading/work or not. This should be used sparingly and not as a punishment, i.e. for Socratic Seminars where completion of the reading is necessary for participation.
Teach or discuss the expectations of seating arrangements when in groups. Not only should students know the expectations for forming groups, but also for movement of tables, desks, or chairs during this time. With time, students will understand how to do this and be able to move quickly to these groups.
Final Thoughts
Remember, your room set up is your own. There is nothing wrong with sitting in rows, facing forward for instruction. Consider, as we look more at project and group based work, that students may need to adjust the classroom to varied seating options.
If your classroom has been a standard, seats in rows type classroom, consider how you might make subtle changes for the students. Can students stand in the back or sides? Is it possible to adjust seating to some other set up? Will the learning be impacted if the students are not sitting in rows and maybe sit in groups instead?
One key idea to keep in mind if you are currently teaching online, you can make significant changes when students return to school (if and when you are able to). The natural break in school allows students to return to a new environment with little to no preconceived expectations. This allows you to try something new, and the students will simply think it is the new normal.
Give yourself permission to make changes to your teaching routine and classroom environment. Stretch. Try new seating arrangements. Try to allow students to sit or stand differently for instruction. There is not right or wrong answer to this. Ask your students their thoughts and see what you come up with.
I look forward to hearing about your changes to your teaching environment. Feel free to share them in the comments below.
