There has been some recent discussion on seating arrangements in the teachers' newsgroup regarding seating arrangements. Here are a few representative comments.
In the fifth grade class taught by Fred Roemer, choice of seating is a
privilege for good behavior:
What has worked for me with fifth grade students is to let them choose their desks daily with the clear understanding that if they abdicate their responsibilities (i.e., if they misbehave), I have the option of assigning their desks for them. Once the kids see I will actually do this after two warnings, and if I'm consistent about it, they learn to choose their seating wisely.
Under the guidance of sixth-grade teacher Melissa, such a choice is a reward for academic achievement:
On the first day of school I let them choose - it's a good way to find out who their friends are and who they might have trouble sitting next to! After a few days, once I know them a little better, I assign seats. I don't change the whole class too frequentl y -just individual kids who need to move for one reason or another - talking, can't see the board, need close supervision, whatever. The only way to get to choose their own seat is if they earn something like 30 Accelerated Reader points - then they get to choose. It's a reward for them...and usually the kids who are disciplined enough to earn that many points in six weeks isn't going to be much trouble in a self-selected seat.
Jen speaks out in favor of seating arrangements:
On the first day of class, every desk has a piece of masking tape with a number on it. When students walk in the door, I say hello and hand them an index card with a number and say, "You're seat number five" or whatever. I taught three sessions of middle school music, and no one ever challenged me or tried to switch seats with someone.On the board are instructions to fill out the card with their name, phone number, etc, etc. This gives them something to do immediately.
At the end of the class I collect the cards, and it takes only a few minutes to make a seating chart from the information.
BTW, if anyone seemed like a problem, I would discreetly change their seats the first day instead of waiting to see if the problem got worse. Perhaps I'm mean, but I would never dream of having kids waltz into the room, plop down wherever they like, and wait for me to start class.
Philip Benz thinks Jen might
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