Your Classroom Setup Can Be An Ally or Enemy

When thinking about your classroom, the physical environment matters in several ways.  Classroom setup tips are framed around three goals. First, you want a classroom set up to be physically safe, welcoming, and comfortable for everyone.  Second, classroom setup can support your policies and procedures.  Finally, you want to set up the room to maximize student learning.  Depending on your school and teaching assignment, the amount of control you have over the list below will vary.

We’ll start with the pros and cons of three common desk arrangements.  We finish the article with a list of other classroom tips.  We hope to save you some time this year when setting up your room. 

Let’s Look At Three Common Desk Arrangements

When thinking about the desk arrangements, the size and shape of your classroom may dictate your decision-making.  For our purposes, we’ll assume a “standard” size room and about 30 desks.  Over the years, three desk configurations have accounted for 99% of the classrooms I’ve seen.

Desk Option #1: Straight Rows 

Pros:

• Little “wasted” space in the classroom
• Every desk is facing the front
• This puts the teacher in the traditional focal point of the room
• No student is facing each other (helps inhibit talking)
• Students can easily turn and discuss questions with partners next to them 

Cons:

• Viewed as “old school”; lacks creativity
• More difficult for the teacher to access students seated in the middle/back
• Group work requires the movement of desks
• Does not encourage student interaction; “teacher-centered”

Desk Option #2: U-shaped or Semi-Circle 

Pros:

• Easier for the teacher to have proximity to each desk
• Creates a large presentation area in the middle
• Promotes student interaction, especially whole class discussion

Cons:

• Many students have to turn their heads to face the front
• When students face each from across the room, it can lead to disruption/talking
• Creates a “wasted space in the middle”
• Cumbersome transition into groups of 3 or 4 

Desk Option #3: Pods/Groups

Pros:

• Student-centered
• Encourages student interaction
• Students can easily ask peers clarifying questions (fewer questions for you)
• An increased sense of community

Cons:

• Classroom management challenges (increase in student off-task talking)
• Some students are adamant in their preference to work alone (this is more prominent post-Covid)

What is the best desk arrangement?  It depends.

One recent study on desk arrangements suggests that the best arrangement depends on the type of task you’re asking students to do.  Students benefitted from sitting in pods or even in a semi-circle when asked to complete an interactive task.  When given an assignment better suited to independent work, students performed better with desks in straight rows.

One option:

Choose a base arrangement of straight rows.  Then, teach your students how to turn their desks into groups of 3 or 4, an action that typically requires only 10-15 seconds.   This versatility allows you to switch seating arrangements as needed within a lesson.

Other Classroom Setup Considerations

Does it matter where the teacher desk is located?

You want your desk to be “your” space.  As such, the corner or the back of the room works well because it’s not in the main flow of student traffic.  It’s recommended that one of your class norms be the teacher’s desk is off-limits to students.  If this isn’t made clear, you can end up with students freely opening your desk drawers in search of scissors or a paper clip.      However, we’ve seen teachers with an “open desk policy” and that works fine for them.

If you have supplies that students will need (pencils, paper, etc), we suggest not keeping these items on your desk.  Having a separate supply station keeps the space yours.

Dos and Don’ts for Wall Decorations

If you’re a brand new teacher, you probably don’t have much to put on the wall.  The good news is that a 2015 study on the impact of classroom decoration found that students can be overwhelmed by too many stimuli on the wall. You should aim to keep 20-50% of the wall clear.  

So what should you display?

• Your class expectation or your school’s code of conduct.
• Student work
• Inspirational role models
• Content-related visuals

Other reminders:

• Don’t display student scores or grades
• Avoid clutter on the wall 
• Don’t cover up windows – research shows that natural sunlight can boost learning gains 

Be Ready With Student Supplies

To cut down on wasted class time, be prepared with extra pencils and paper along with anything else students may need.  We suggest having a set location in class where students know that can jump up and grab a pencil — without needing to stop the class to ask for one — if they need it.  Keep the supply station separate from your own desk.

Post Your Lesson Agenda or Objectives

When students enter your room, the first thing many of them want to know is, “What are we doing today?”  You can reduce the volume of these questions by posting your agenda or objectives on the board or projecting them on Slide 1 of your daily presentation.

Posting the learning objectives helps students and teachers (and any visiting administrators) focus on the learning goals.

Also, consider having a dedicated section of your board to post homework assignments and due dates.  Although students rely heavily on learning management systems to stay abreast of due dates, it’s still helpful to have a physical reminder posted in class.

Minimize Student Distractions

Distractions are going to occur, but there are some factors you can control to help keep the focus on your lesson.

• Students in the hallway.  They are almost always more interesting than your reading assignment.  Make it a general practice to keep the door closed and consider covering the window in the door if you can.  When it comes to letting your students in the hall to work, be vigilant that they aren’t out there creating distractions for your colleagues.
• Classroom lighting.  If a classroom light begins to flicker, turn it off and seek the help of a custodian to replace it.  It’s not going to get better on its own.
• Classroom climate.  Student comfort can inhibit learning. One year, my classroom had a robust heater that kicked on every morning in the winter.  Great!  But the rising heat in the room forced the projector to overheat…every morning.  Not great!  Temperatures that are, in general, below 68 or above 76 tend to distract students in class, and in my case, cause minor delays while the projector cools down. 
• Student backpacks can be distractions. I worked at a school that equipped many classrooms with large shelves in the back.  Teachers would have their students take out class materials and then store their backpacks in the back of the class.  It worked great.

Think About Safety

• Can students move around freely?
• Is there enough space for everyone to work comfortably?
• Is there a clear path to the exit in an emergency?
• Is there anything in the classroom that could be dangerous?  
• Are the desks in working order?
• Are any electrical cords in the way?

One Current Trend in Classroom Setup: Make the Class Feel Like “Home”

You’ll see teachers that create a “comfort corner” to help the students feel more at home while in class.  This can take the form of a couch, an easy chair, a meditation corner, a tea bar, or a place for snacks.  We applaud teachers for (yet again) going above and beyond in the name of students.

For new teachers, we recommend avoiding the “comfort corner” for a couple of years.  The reason is that a couch in the classroom instantly becomes a classroom management issue — same with the bean bag chairs and the yoga mats.  If you’re teaching a class on Mindfulness or Meditation, have at it.  Otherwise, you’ll likely regret creating a space that doesn’t directly support a culture of productivity.  Just our two cents.

Brad has taught history at the middle and high school levels for 19 years, almost exclusively in American public schools.  He holds a master’s in educational technology and is passionate about elevating the status of professional educators.