Right Seating = Great Learning

In "Sweatin' the Details," I wrote how the minutiae of classroom setup (presented nicely by Coach G) isn't just good for reducing distractions.  It also reduces time-wasting.  Every minute matters: over the course of a year, the amount saved by cutting an inefficient transition can multiply into whole class-periods.

When I started teaching adults, they set up around a "Great Table": three tables shoved into one, with a dozen students seated around it in.  Problem was, if students against the back wall wanted to write on the board--let alone work with a different student or use the bathroom!--they had about 3 inches to squeeze out of their chair, then had to clamber over three classmates, finally huff-and-puff around the corner of the table.  D'oh!

In setting up a classroom, anybody can think about what management-types call "task design": what are people doing, who are they working with, and where are they located?

Here are some tips for classroom setup for adult learners, based on a single "task-design" question: What do they as learners, and you as teacher, need to do?

• The teacher needs to room to get to each chair to assess students' when they're working, or help them when they're lost.  Spread out tables, and leave enough room so you can access each chair.  If you've got a tight space then leave room to lean over a table toward a student.
• Students need to turn to classmates and immediately form pairs and groups of three.  Make sure nobody's seated alone.  Or at the corner of a table several feet from classmates.  Make sure their chairs are roughly turned toward each other--or at least can be turned that way quickly.
• Students need to stand up, move, and form new groups.  I've taught classes up to three hours long.  Like kids, adults benefit from movement breaks.  In an ESOL classroom, they'll also benefit from hearing different accents and working with classmates with different skill levels.  Make sure they have enough space to pull out their chairs, all at once.  Have students designate a good place for bags and umbrellas during class.  Against a wall, hanging from hooks--anywhere but under their chairs.  (And as any Harry Wong-reader can tell you, don't forget to practice how to transition during the first couple weeks.)
• Each student needs space for her binder, notebook, textbook, and workbook--and arm space to write.  Together with students, determine what an "organized" desk or table ought to look like, and make it part of class expectations.  Keep all the dross (food, bags, phones) off the table.  If somebody needs a lot of space to write, make sure they're not crammed in.
• Students might need to get up to check for work in their "absence folders," sharpen a pencil, or get scissors or highlighters for a group activity like scissors or highlighters.  Keep these things nearby, and organized.  Even better, teach students when to get them, and how.

Some of this "design" is in how tables are set up.  Some is in where the students sit on a daily basis.  Some is how you train them, and what your (and their) expectations are.  I wouldn't recommend seating charts for adults, but you can always say, "Hey, since Janet's absent today, why don't you join the other group, Nora?"  A good nudge goes a long way.  And once you have a good setup that everyone feels comfortable with, you'll be thankful the rest of the year.