Running Head: ROOM ARANGEMENT 1
Classroom Challenge 1 – Room Arrangement
Courtney Clement
Liberty University
ROOM ARANGEMENT
Abstract
The challenge that has been presented to myself is that of a class that is already in progress. A
student teacher enters to find quite a few challenges within the classroom arrangement. The
student teacher can see a student who is visibly distracted and frustrated. The onsite teacher
explains to the student teacher she is having a big issue with the seating arrangement in her
classroom, but currently does not have to time to change and correct it. The task of correcting the
seating arrangement has now been given to the student teacher.
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Classroom Challenge 1 – Room Arrangement
Minimizing Distractions
Leila is experiencing three distractions that are disturbing her while she is trying to focus
and complete the work she has been given in her current seating arrangement. The distractions
are: the large cluster of desks with students in them, the activity that is going on in the
technology center and around the trash can, and the constant movement of students around her
own desk. The items I have listed above can be key distractions to Leila. In the article,
“Considerations for classroom seating arrangements and the role of teacher characteristics and
beliefs” it is explained the relationship between seating arrangements and students, “A classroom
is an adaptable and often a flexible setting for which teachers make an arrangement for the
tables, chairs, and other materials in order to stimulate active involvement in the lessons” (Gre).
So when we look at the situation with Leila her teacher has told us that she is being easily
distracted. Let’s look at an example, a student who possesses a short attention span can be
distracted by a large mass of students sitting close to them. By placing the student in such
conditions it can make it easy for the student to be easily distracted and off-task. Also taking a
look of the two students standing at the end of the table that Leila keeps getting up to visit are a
big distraction. In order for Leila to be able to get her work done these distractions need to be
taken care of. The students standing at the end of the table need to be removed. These students
need to go sit back at their desks or find the center in which they belong. Leila desk and any
other desk need to be move away from the heavy traffic area so that she can be able to focus on
her work. The table needs to be moved toward the front of the classroom where there is less foot
traffic. Also Leila desk needs to have some distance between it and not just the technology center
but any center so that she is in a quiet area in which less distraction exists. The child who is
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running back and forth needs to be talked to and asked to stay in a center or return to the group
table. Implementing the center that Mrs. Rushton has already made will help with all of the
distractions that are in the room. I believe implementing these thing will help Leila be successful
in Mrs. Rushton’s classroom and also help Mrs. Rushton with the stress that the problems she is
having is causing her.
Maximizing Instructional Access
From reading the scenario I have gather that the student Leila is having a difficult time
concentrating in Mrs. Rushton’s classroom. In order to maximize instructional access in Mrs.
Rushton’s classroom is by removing the three distractions that are surrounding Leila in her
current placement in the classroom. In removing the three distractions this will help to inspire
Leila to complete her work in a timely manner and also dedicate more of her time to the
schoolwork that is in front of her. So if we were to reduce the distance between Leila and her
teacher, Mrs. Rushton, this will increase and maximize instructional access, and it will also
enhance the focus with her teacher. Mrs. Rushton will then be given the opportunity to captivate
Leila and thence helping Leila to complete daily activities and better participate in the lessons
that’s Mrs. Rushton has prepared. According to Bicard in order to maximize instructional access
enables students to be able focus on learning time and make the most of it. If we look at Leila’s
seating position it can be considered as a distraction to instructional access. This can be
concluded because of the distance between Leila, Mrs. Rushton, and the teaching that is
happening. Also having Leila sitting in the back of the class close to the trash can, and centers
that are located in the back of the classroom tends to have some negative effects that cause Leila
to be distracted. These distractions can be identified as the typing on the computers and the noise
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from playing basketball in the trash can. So if we were to eliminate these distractions this will
increase the instructional access which for Leila means she will have an increased attention for
the classwork that Mrs. Rushton has assigned which would lead to success in her studies.
According to Meeks, the fact that Leila cannot access the teacher’s desk with ease results in her
engagement levels are reduced due to her current seating arrangement. If we were to reduce the
distance between the student’s desk and the teacher, and this will enhance the participation in
what the activities that the teacher has presented. This will happen because of the improved eye
sight of the teacher’s board and with that will promote reticence of the teacher’s lesson and also
understand of all the of the subjects at hand. So in eliminating the distance between Leila and
Mrs. Rushton this will allow Leila to be able to focus on what Mrs. Rushton is teaching and
overall improve her grades in her subjects.
Matching Desk Arrangement to Instruction
The seating arrangement that is presented in the scenario shows the traditional cluster
seating arrangement. This type of seating arrangement brings in the key issue of the students who
sit in the middle and the front benefit more than the students who sit in the back of the
classroom. In this scenario Leila is in the back of the class so she is not benefitting from her
position in the seating arrangement. According to the article, “Chinese Teacher Perceptions of the
Impact of Classroom Seating Arrangements on Student Participation,” there is a discrepancy
between students who sit in the back of the classroom compare to those who sit in the front of
the classroom (Fernandes, A. C., & Jinyan, H). So one can concur that a student who sits in the
front of the class will have a higher chance at retaining the information being taught rather than a
student who is sitting in the back of the class. So Leila needs to have her desk moved to the front
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of the classroom so that she will be more motived to participate and engage with her teacher. In
the current position she is in she has a much lower chance to be able to engage and participate
with her teacher. There are distractions all around her that the teacher, Mrs. Rushton, cannot gain
her focus from. The two students who are standing at the end of the table that Leila is at also
need to be moved from the position they are and moved toward the front of the class. In this
position Leila will also see her friends participating in the class and engaging with the Mrs.
Rushton so she motive Leila to also engage her teacher and listen to the lesson. According to
Gremmen, “Classroom seating arrangements are not only important for students’ academic
development, but also for their social functioning in the classroom” (Gre). This shows that
having Leila close to her friends in the front of the class will help her not only academically but
also socially because her friend group will see the value in engaging in the teacher and
participating in classroom activities.
Reference:
Bicard, D. F., Ervin, A., Bicard, S. C., & Baylot-Casey, L. (2012). Differential effects of seating
arrangements on disruptive behavior of fifth grade students during independent seatwork.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45(2), 407-11. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1032785600?
accountid=12085
Fernandes, A. C., & Jinyan, H. (2012). Chinese Teacher Perceptions of the Impact of Classroom
Seating Arrangements on Student Participation. International Journal Of Applied
Educational Studies, 13(1), 49-67.
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http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=ehh&AN=77851827&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Gremmen, M., van den Berg, Y. H. M., Segers, E., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2016). Considerations
for classroom seating arrangements and the role of teacher characteristics and beliefs.
Social Psychology of Education, 19(4), 749-774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-016-
9353-y
Meeks, M. D., Knotts, T. L., James, K. D., Williams, F., Vassar, J. A., & Wren, A. O. (2013). The
impact of seating location and seating type on student performance. Education Sciences,
3(4), 375-386. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.3390/educsci3040375.
Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1554605566?accountid=12085.
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