Taylor Wilmoth

         My classroom will be set-up with groups rather than rows. What I mean by this is that my students will be in groups of 3-5 students (as shown in the picture) so that they can collaboratively work together (Kagan, 2009). I will never group more than 3-5 students together because students become overcrowded and lack the ability to properly work together because there are too many bodies in one place, thus defeating the purpose of all of them being able to collaboratively work together. All the desks will be placed within their groups so that every student will be able to see the board where I am teaching along with various key areas that they will frequently be looking at throughout the day (Evertson, 2013). I will take the time to position my students to be able to see key areas of my classroom because when a student cannot see a particular area, they often become distracted or uncomfortable because they constantly have to twist and turn to see. Within the desk set-up, the students will have an organizational bin for their group so that materials are accessible and ready for them instantly when they need materials (Spies, n.d.). The desks will also be set up so that a teacher can walk around the classroom and be able to reach every student in the classroom without having to lean over other students. With that being said, high traffic areas in my classroom, like group-work areas, closet space, and the teacher desk will be widely separated from each other and will have plenty of surrounding space so that it is easy to move around (Evertson, 2013). If high traffic area spaces are blocked, often times tasks take longer and students or the teacher become frustrated. The student’s desks will be moved far enough back so that I (as a teacher) have enough room at the front of the class so that I can move freely and not trip over any desks or materials (as shown to the left) (Evertson, 2013). My group work table where I meet with my students, have stations, or guided reading time will be located at the back of the classroom near a corner so that I can see all the desks and areas of the room. Nothing will be behind me so that I do not have students outside of my view.

            The way my classroom will be set-up is intended with purpose rather than looks. When my desks are grouped with 3-5 students, I can have them collaboratively work together and learn from one another. I will always have the desks in groups because it allows the students to work with one another and based off of research, having students collaboratively work together increases learning achievement and retention, enhances satisfaction, develops social skills, and promotes diversity for the students (Kagan, 2009). The groups of desks will be positioned so that all my students can see important areas of the classroom or where I am teaching, thus giving me the ability to freely teach without having to move students around to be comfortable, thus overall saving my instructional time (Evertson, 2013). Within the group pods, my students will have an organizational bin with accessible tools and materials needed, which ultimately allows for less breaks/transitions and allows me to keep my students engaged easier (Evertson, 2013). My group work table is positioned in the back corner, which follows best practice because it allows me to face and see all of my students and monitor what they are doing while I am working with a specific group of students, thus allowing me to have good classroom management as well (Evertson, 2013). Having the group table in the back also allows students to work in a sectioned off area completely away from other desks, thus allowing them to have better concentration and limited distractions.