Here is something else on the subject of seating, this one from Chris Roberts:
Ben,
I’m getting ready to set up my new classroom this week and I want to run an idea by you that, for some, would seem wild.
This classroom doesn’t have desks, it has tables with chairs. The tables look like they seat two students per table. I’m thinking about keeping the tables folded, in the back of the room and just have the cluster of 26 chairs towards the front/center of the room, a little spaced out for the sake of order, but that’s it. It takes away the need to say “nothing on your desk” and it makes it harder to get away with texting in the middle of class. Plus I feel it would be much more conducive to interpersonal, human communication. What do you think of this idea?
Chris