Seating Plans: Vital For Learning

6 thoughts on “Seating Plans: Vital For Learning”

1. Hi Ross,

   Nice post & very much in line with my thoughts after being in the classroom for 16 years. I hope you do not consider me to be rude but maybe you could present an unbiased view and also mention http://www.classcharts.com as an alternative product?

   Thanks!

   Duncan

   1. Or, indeed, Mega Seating Plan – http://www.megaseatingplan.com – which is a free alternative to either ClassCharts or MintClass.

2. Thanks, Ross.

   Just one thought about the teacher deciding who sits where – I visited the English department of a school where every English teacher had a laminated set of name labels for each class they taught. The teacher arrived early for every lesson (in itself a great class management strategy) and distributed the laminated cards as they wished.

   If they were doing group work, they decided how they wanted to the groups to be constituted, and varied it according to the nature of the task/the outcome they hoped for. If a student sitting at the back had been distracted in one lesson, they made sure this pupil sat nearer the front next time. If there was an unhelpful dynamic between certain students, they made sure they avoided proximity just in their placing the cards, without any debate about it.

   It was good to see the system in action. When classes entered the room they looked for their name label and sat down quietly in the right place (a different place each lesson). I thought it was masterful in it simplicity and extremely effective.

   Thanks again for the post.

   1. A useful technique. Requires a high level of organisation and to be based in one or two classrooms at most. Was it primary?

      1. No! Secondary English department. I think it was especially helpful to staff who DID teach in a variety of rooms.

3. fantastic but could all schools ensure supply staff have full access. Have seen many struggle to log on.

Comments are closed.