Job Discussion Forums

[Lynn]

What is your seating situation?

[Lynn]

I think it depends on how many students are in the classroom. When I teach with 20 plus students, I like the typical classroom setting. Rows of student desks with my desk in the front. I usually walk around the room and the students change seats for pair work.

I also have the conference table style room at another school. One lesson is a private, the other is with two students. It took me a while to get used to, but now I find I really like it. I get a cozy relaxed feeling, yet am still able to maintain professionalism.

I also teach a very small class with only 4 or 5 students. I sit at a big table up front and they sit in their individual student desks. I don't really like the seating situation. I don't even know if you can call them desks. It's a folding chair with a very, very small folding "table" coming from the right side. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

It kind of looks like this, but the table is even smaller.
http://www.bizedfurniture.com/1333-rf.html

[johnslat]

Dear Lynn,
Hmm, well, I'm in a fold-up card table-like chair in front of my computer.
I probably should get one of them there ergometric, padded jobbies but you know how it is - you just never seem to get around to it.
Ah, that IS what you're asking about, right?
Regards,
John

Whoops, sorry. I guess my reply got posted while you were editing your posting.

[ls650]

I work in a school with a variety of seating arrangements. Some rooms have one large table for students and teacher, other rooms have one teacher's desk and separate desks for the students.

[denise]

I have the standard (in some places, at least) individual-desks-strewn-around-the-room arrangement. Except, of course, for my listening class, which is in a listening lab that has rows of desks with individual tape players/recorders that date back to prehistoric times.

The desks are all arranged into horseshoe shapes so that I can see all of my dears' smiling, happy faces. Or more realistically, the tops of their heads as they stare at their feet.

d

[Wolf]

I teach in traditional lecture style university classrooms. The students all sit at immovable chairs in front of immovable desks and face the front, where I stand (I've got a podium and a blackboard, so I don't sit when I teach.)

I usually move about the class a lot and thy to get everyone to participate. My oral classes are big - about 30 - but not big by Chinese standards. My literature classes are about 50 students each, so the slackers get to slack in that class (although it affects their mark when they can't remember what we disussed in class when I ask about it on assignments. )

[Afra]

Some rooms have small tables grouped in fours, others have desks around three walls with a central large work table. All have teacher's desk at front or in a corner and laptop access.

[Gordon]

Most of my classes are large or large-ish. I have a massive chalkboard and podium and I'm sure the layout scares the heck out of the students. It almost intimidates me. Then the students sit in individual chairs and desks. I them get them to move around a lot. I like to put them in small groups or pair work so they they talk to people besides their friends and keeps them awake.

[dyak]

Teaching in any classroom in my school usually presents one or two of the following problems.

1. No teacher's desk (ever).
2. 20 students to cram into a room designed for 10.
3. Whiteboards conveniently positioned so that every time someone enters the room you practically get knocked over (unless you're left handed).
4. 'Air conditioners' that spurt out cold and hot air as they please.
5. At least 2 chairs with only 3 legs.
6. The smell of the last class.
7. Students sitting opposite each other up the centre of the room, which is conducive to... nothing.

Cheers.

[metalgeek]

Being in china my high school classes I'm in a smallish auditorum (room for about 100) with between 55-70 students in immovable seats with me at the front on a small podium.
It's kind of nice, as I don't have to speak as loud as I do in there classroom.
I'm moving to a new room tomorow though, so we'll see what it's like.
My college clases are me on a small popdium in a regular style clas, and the studnets sit in semi immovable seats/desks room would only seat about 40, and theres 25 of emm.

[Capergirl]

Most of my classes are in fairly spacious (university) classrooms with two large whiteboards and a teacher's desk. There are three rows of long tables (just one long table for each row) with about a half dozen chairs in each row. These classrooms seat about 18 students (obviously). I have one grammar class with one student that takes place in a very small classroom with 6 or 7 individual desks. Conversation class takes place in a boardroom (sitting around an oval table) with a whiteboard.

Interesting thread.

[joe-joe]

I've used and indeed use a variety of seating arrangements, from rows of desks and chairs a la high school, through to a large coference table when having taught business English in-house. I also vary seating arrangements during certain classes, for certain activities, (space/student numbers permitting that is )

[dmb]

I'm happy if my students just sit in the seats. That way I know what they are up to and where they are. Getting them to all be on the same page however is another thing. ( No, I don't mean all sitting on the same page)

[shmooj]

Here in Japan, with our small classrooms, we got so fed up being forced into one seating situation with the conference style tables that are standard here. So, I set out to find some real classroom tables (you know the half hexagon style ones). Found that in Japan they were 67,000 yen each (that's over US$600 each and nearly 350 quid). I couldn't believe it. It turned out cheaper to buy them from New Zealand. We ordered eight and haven't looked back - we can make all sorts of shapes with them.

[foster]

IN Osaka, it was me and a TV at the MultiMedia Center at NOVA.

IN Hong Kong, it is me and minimum of 30 desks. My smallest class is 36 and largest is 42.