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Classroom Management - The Physical Surroundings

Classroom management encompasses the teacher, physical surroundings, and teaching practices. The layout of a classroom should reflect teaching styles and promote student engagement, with seating arrangements tailored to specific activities to enhance communication and learning. Different seating configurations, such as rows, circles, and clusters, each have their advantages and are suited for various teaching methods and classroom dynamics.

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15 views16 pages

Classroom Management - The Physical Surroundings

Classroom management encompasses the teacher, physical surroundings, and teaching practices. The layout of a classroom should reflect teaching styles and promote student engagement, with seating arrangements tailored to specific activities to enhance communication and learning. Different seating configurations, such as rows, circles, and clusters, each have their advantages and are suited for various teaching methods and classroom dynamics.

Uploaded by

diazrodriguezlucia8
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Classroom Management

Areas it includes:

 The teacher
 The physical surroundings

 Teaching practices
THE PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS
THE PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS

 The way a classroom is designed and what


happens inside it are closely related. The layout
of a classroom reflects our teaching style.
 The physical aspects of the classroom –general
room arrangement, sitting, display boards, etc. –
should be carefully considered with both student
needs and teaching objectives in mind: there must
be reasons for the details of any classroom.
THE PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS
 Some general guidelines to consider:
• Arrange the room so that you can see and be seen
by every student and reach every student with ease.
• Do not be afraid to make changes.
• Move the students' desks on a regular basis so
that all the children learn to cooperate with all their
classmates.
• Do not change the classroom space too often. Let
the students get used to and trained in using their own
space.
THE PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS
 Try to create a warm, pleasant and engaging
environment which promotes learning.
 Order is a very important factor. If a class feels
disorganized and cluttered, learning will be
compromised. What is important is that you create
systems of organization that make sense to you and
the students, and that you are vigilant about
keeping the room and materials organized and in
good working order.
SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

 For real communication to take place in the classroom,


it is important to consider where students should be
seated.
 The main criterion in that respect is that the seating
arrangement should be appropriate to the classroom
activity. There is rarely an optimum layout and, ideally,
we should adapt the classroom seating to suit
specific tasks.
Rows

When the students seat in rows, the teacher works


with the whole class, and all the students receive the
same message.
Rows

 Although rows do not favour interaction, they have


some obvious advantages:
1. The teacher can see all the students and the students
can all see the teacher.
2. Keeping discipline is easier.
3. The teacher can walk up and down watching what
the students are doing and establishing more personal
contact with them.
4. It is a suitable layout for some activities such as using
the board, presenting new language, choral
repetition, using visual aids, etc.
Circles and horseshoes
Circles and horseshoes

 With circles and horseshoes communication is


improved because:
1. Pairwork can be easily arranged.
2. Students can see each other. They are not
looking at the back of each other’s heads. Eye
contact improves communication.
3. The students respond to the lack of formality by
relaxing, and at the same time they have the
security of being behind a desk.
Circles and horseshoes

 Having the students sit in a circle increases


participation and engagement because:
1. It creates the impression of the teacher as an
equal in the group.
2. It allows the teacher to make direct eye contact
with every student.
3. It reduces the number of distractions to a minimum.
Circles and horseshoes

4. It creates a sense of belonging and intimacy


which helps students, and especially young or
very young children, to feel comfortable.
5. It makes it easier for the teacher to attend to
all students equally.
6. It provides an informal setting for feedback
on an activity or task.
Clusters
Clusters

 For many group activities with four students per


group, clusters of four individual tables with two
students facing other two is an excellent option.
The teacher can walk around checking the
students’ work and helping if necessary.
 Clusters foster cooperative learning and are
also useful for pairwork. However, whole class
teaching is more difficult, since the teacher is
not focused on the entire group and the students
are more separated.
For which kind of activity do you think the
following arrangements are suitable?

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