Question: Is your classroom seating arrangement important? 

Answer: Yes!  

In many classrooms, learners sit in rows. This means they’re often looking at the back of someone’s head. This arrangement also makes pair/group work difficult.  

Where possible, move your classroom furniture so that: 

  • learners can speak to each other 
  • learners can see the board 
  • you can move easily around the room. 

You have more space in your classroom than you might think! If the furniture is fixed, think about what you can do so that students can work together well.   

How can you change your classroom seating arrangement to improve learning?

Glossary

Pair/group work: Tasks and activities that learners work on in pairs and small groups to give them more speaking time and opportunity to practise their communication skills.