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Hi, I am a student currently pursing my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Do you think the classroom is better set up in groups where the desk are together or individual where students desk are separated? Do you think students should be taken the group privilege away if they are too loud or not effectively working as a team?
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Hi Tatyanna,
I am also a pre-service teacher looking to earn a degree in elementary education. I strongly believe that a classroom is better set up into grouped desks. This arrangement allows for frequent discussion without having to add transition time for students to move into groups in the middle of a lesson. Student engagement is encouraged when desks are set up in groups. Group desks also allow for students to practice and work on communication. Students are also able to ask questions and bounce ideas off of each other. With group seating, students are able to keep each other accountable for staying on task and for their behaviors. While I do not believe that group privileges should be taken away, finding the right group dynamic for seating arrangements and working effectively is a trial and error process. Students need to know the expectations for group work from the start of the school year and understand the consequences of not staying on task during group discussions. As the teacher, you have to make sure that you are consistent with the expectations and following through on consequences when the expectations are not being met.
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Hello! I am also currently working on my bachelors in el ed. I personally prefer to set up desks into group. At my college, we are taught that collaboration among students is incredibly important. So, when they are already in groups it is giving them ever more availability to share ideas or ask questions with their fellow group members. I also believe this helps with their social skills as well.
When dealing with a student that is not being a respectful group member, talking to them about their behavior and what the student and you can do to help with this issue is going to be super important. Before taking away group privileges, try coming up with some sort of solution or way to get that student to realize their unexpected behavior and to fix it.
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Hello, I am also pursuing my bachelors degree in Elementary Education. From what I have learned so far in my undergrad classes is that children learn better by observing others. So, I feel that It is better for students to work together, that way they get to learn from eachother and adquir peer assistance. If students are not working effectively as a team, group priveleges should not be taken away. Perhaps in this case, re-grouping might be helpful in this situation or maybe do classwork as a class instead of in groups.
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Hi Tatyanna,
I am also working towards becoming a teacher in the near future. Through my education courses at Wartburg College, I have learned a great deal about classroom management and seating charts especially. Much like Kaeli, I believe that student groups work best in Elementary classrooms, especially those who are heavily involved in STEAM. Pods allows students to ask their peers a question if they didn't understand what the teacher might have said or if a point in class was missed. Pods also help with pairing students for experimental work, since minimal movement has to be conducted to create groups and conduct activities. Although it can be difficult to keep all students on task, I believe self-policing amongst students helps to keep most parties in check. Most students will realize that group seating is a sort of privilage and do not want to have it taken away. Ultimately, being in-tune with student attitudes and needs throughout the classroom will help teachers make the best decision for how to group students appropriately. Make your expectations clear and be consistent in enforcing classroom rules. Best of luck in your future endeavors!
Luke Anderson - Wartburg College Class of '22
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