above). Seating Edward near the teachers desk results in less external distraction, more hands-on management, and while the teacher may need to review instructions because of the lack of proximity to the chalkboard, Edward will have fewer distractions and be able to focus more on his work.
While there is no "ideal" classroom seating arrangement because of the differences in the classroom makeup, age of students, and activities, I believe that the classroom should not be static. Student desks are easily moved, and as long as the teacher's desk, computer station and chalkboard remain stable, then I would likely have two ways of organizing the room:
A -- Lecture, film, presentation or group even in which I wanted all eyes on me, minimal collaboration, testing, individual work, etc. Note that in this arrangement student contact is limited, students who are behavior or attention problems would be seated in the first two rows.
Note, however, that the groups would not be static in their composition; allowing for a more frequent and robust exchange of ideas, styles, etc. For the start of the school year, I would likely management the groups a bit more closely than as the year progressed; also understanding that there might be groups of three, of two, or in some cases, odd numbers.
C. Finally, after many activities, it is helpful to have a roundtable group discussion, modified as follows to allow for both a focus and a large group collaboration:
REFERENCES
Jones, F. (2004, September 4). Do Seating Arrangements and Assignments = Classroom Management? Retrieved January 2011, from Education World: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr330.shtml
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