Robert shares some thoughts on seating arrangements in CI classrooms:
One change in my thinking (and there have been many changes) that has occurred as I have thought about rigor is the approach to assigned seating. I have a pretty laissez faire approach to most things, and I used to think that giving students some freedom in seating helped mitigate the school experience. So, I would assign seats at the beginning of the year to help me learn students’ names and then let them gradually move to where they wished to sit.
Of course, when students sit where they wish, they gravitate to their friends and begin to talk. At some point this would become too much, so I would send them back to their assigned seats. But it was punishment, and I really didn’t like that.
Since I have been doing serious thinking about rigor, the motivation has changed. I still assign seats, and I still allow the gradual migration, and I still have to ask students to return to their assigned seats. Now, however, I have jGR to help reinforce the need to be involved. But beyond that, I explain to my students that the seating assignment is not punishment but a help. They are obviously not able to meet the rigor of the class – which includes active participation for the entire period – so I am providing them with a crutch to help them. My attitude has changed, the nature of the action has changed, and the students’ reaction has changed. Sure, they are disappointed that they aren’t sitting with their friends, but they understand that what I am doing is to help them and not punishment.