Is excellent when you schedule
frequent whole-class instruction or
when students must see the board
for tasks.
Allows for occasional cooperative
learning activities. Students can be
trained to move quickly from the
rows into groups of four and back
to the rows when the cooperative
activity is completed
Allows students to interact, but the
space between desks helps to keep
off-task conversation down.
Implies the student attention
should be directed toward the
front of the room.
Allows easy circulation among
students.
Allows students to interact more
easily than Desks in Rows Front to
Back, which may result in more
off=task conversation than desired.
Implies that student attention
should be directed toward the
front of the room.
Maximizes available space in the
room so that centers, work areas,
and small group instruction can be
located around the perimeter of
the room.
Is excellent if you schedule frequent
cooperative learning tasks.
Can be problematic when you have
students who need less stimulation and
distraction. Being part of a cluster may
make it more difficult for them to
behave responsibly, but separating them
may make them feel excluded.
Requires students to turn sideways or
completely around to see the board or
teacher-directed instruction
Excellent for whole-class discussions
and teacher-directed instruction
when you want students to
participate with verbal responses.
Is excellent for classroom circulationyou can quickly reach any student.
Does not lend itself to cooperative
group activities.
Is probably not feasible when you
have a large number of students.
Is excellent for whole-class
discussions and teacher-directed
instruction when you want students
to participate with verbal responses.
Is excellent for classroom circulation
you can quickly reach any student. ‘
Does not lend itself to cooperative
group activities.
Is feasible for classes of up to 26 to
28 students.