Ways to Arrange a Classroom

Set up a classroom arrangement that fits your needs.

Teachers arrange furniture in classrooms in many different ways. Figuring out the best arrangement for furniture in a classroom depends on the subject, the teacher's style of teaching, the size of the classroom and the type of desks. Every classroom setup is slightly different, but following a few simple steps makes arranging a classroom easier.

Teaching Style

Arrange the room so it suits your style of teaching. If you move around the room a lot, you need a clear, easy walking path. Walking around the room constantly promotes better behavior in the classroom. Students know you move around, and see what is going on. If the teacher works from the desk most of the time, position the desk either behind the students or directly in front of the students where you can see everything that happens in the room.

Different Subjects Require Different Classroom Arrangements

Set up the classroom for the subject. Science labs and art rooms work best if the room has large tables. Many teachers place tables or desks in a "U" shape with the top of the "U" shape facing the front of the room. Place a table in the center of the front of the room for demonstrating projects. Place the students' chairs or stools, so they face towards the demonstration table. If you need a reading center, place chairs or desks into a semicircle with an open space for the teacher's chair, or get a semicircle-shaped table. This works well for round robin reading. Placing tables or desks in rows facing the front of the room is another good setup for teaching most classes and keeping good behavior.

Room Size

Look at the room size, and see which setup works best for the space. If there is a lot of space, arranging a room is easy. If the room is small or oddly shaped, arranging the room is harder. Place the tables or desks in the room so the desks all face the front of the room with walking room behind them. Put your desk at the back of the room so it doesn't take up your instruction area. This gives you a private area for work, and lets you keep an eye on all the students. If your have a LED projector, have it mounted to the ceiling. Traditional rows facing the board, with an aisle in the middle, work best in a small room.

Desk or Table Style

Try finding desks or tables that fit your room. Get small desks and chairs for preschool or lower elementary children. Chairs with the desks attached make arranging a room easier. Extra room isn't required for pulling out the chair, but leave about 2 feet between chairs for walking room. Use tables with chairs for group work, lab work or art work. Kindergarten and early elementary students work well with a few tables in the room, but for most activities, students work on a rug on the floor. Move the room around several times if necessary, so the arrangement works for you. What works for one teacher, might not work for you. Trial and error is the only way you find out.

Other Items

Place cabinets and shelves in unused areas of the room. Put cubbies next to the door along the wall, so students put their belongings away as soon as they come in. Some rooms have built-in cabinets, shelves and cubbies, so you are stuck with their placement. If you use a "U"-shaped arrangement or lines of desks, the built-in cabinets, shelves and cubbies usually pose little or no problems with room arrangement.

References

• Reading Rockets: Classroom Arrangement
• Learn NC: Twelve Rules For Arranging Your Classroom