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EKC

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Connect with educators around the world!

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tonya@erinkentconsulting.com

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Tweets by Mrs_Gilchrist

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From Readers'/Writers' Workshop to Reggio to UDL to IB, Tonya works with schools to tailor professional learning just for their specific contexts and their unique needs.

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EKC

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EKC

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EKC

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Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

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Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

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EKC Connections: Interview with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld

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Honoring All Languages in Literacy Instruction

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Honoring All Languages in Literacy Instruction

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DisruptED TV

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François Grosjean

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François Grosjean
University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland

A number of myths about bilingualism are discussed in my new book, Bilingual: Life and Reality (Harvard University Press, 2010). They are summarized here.

Bilingualism is a rare phenomenon. WRONG. It has been estimated that more than half the world's population is bilingual, that is lives with two or more languages. Bilingualism is found in all parts of the world, at all levels of society, in all age groups. Even in countries with many monolinguals, the percentage of bilinguals is high. For example, one can estimate that there are as many as 50 million bilinguals in the United States today.

Bilinguals acquire their two or more languages in childhood. WRONG. One can become bilingual in childhood, but also in adolescence and in adulthood. In fact, many adults become bilingual because they move from one country (or region) to another and have to acquire a second language. With time, they can become just as bilingual as children who acquire their languages in their early years (minus the native speaker accent). In general, people become bilingual because life requires the use of two or more languages. This can be due to immigration, education, intermarriage, contact with other linguistic groups within a country, and so on.

Bilinguals have equal and perfect knowledge of their languages. WRONG. This is a myth that has had a long life! In fact, bilinguals know their languages to the level that they need them. Some bilinguals are dominant in one language, others do not know how to read and write one of their languages, others have only passive knowledge of a language and, finally, a very small minority, have equal and perfect fluency in their languages. What is important to keep in mind is that bilinguals are very diverse, as are monolinguals.

Real bilinguals have no accent in their different languages. WRONG. Having an accent or not in a language does not make you more or less bilingual. It depends on when you acquired your languages. In fact, some extremely fluent and balanced bilinguals have an accent in the one, or the other, language; other, less fluent, bilinguals may have no accent at all.

Bilinguals are born translators. WRONG. Even though bilinguals can translate simple things from one language to another, they often have difficulties with more specialized domains. The reaction people have is almost always, "But I thought you were bilingual!". In fact, bilinguals use their languages in different situations, with different people, in different domains of life (this is called the complementarity principle). Unless they learned their languages formally (in school, for example), or have trained to be translators, they often do not have translations equivalents in the other language.

Mixing languages is a sign of laziness in bilinguals. WRONG. Mixing languages such as code-switching and borrowing is a very common behavior in bilinguals speaking to other bilinguals. It is a bit like having coffee with milk instead of just straight black. The two language repertoires are available in bilingual situations and can be used at will. Many expressions and words are better said in the one or the other language; mixing permits to use the right one without having recourse to translation which simply may not do justice to what one wants to express. This said, in other situations, bilinguals know that they cannot mix their languages (e.g. when speaking to monolinguals) and they then stick to just one language.

Bilinguals are also bicultural. WRONG. Even though many bilinguals are also bicultural (they interact with two cultures and they combine aspects of each), many others are monocultural (e.g. the inhabitants in the German speaking part of Switzerland who often acquire three or four languages during their youth). Thus one can be bilingual without being bicultural just as one can be monolingual and bicultural (e.g. the British who live in the USA).

Bilinguals have double or split personalities. WRONG. Bilinguals, like monolinguals, adapt their behavior to different situations and people. This often leads to a change of language in bilinguals (e.g. a Japanese-English bilingual speaking Japanese to her grandmother and English to her sister). This change of language has led to the idea that bilinguals are "different" when speaking the one, or the other, language. But like monolinguals, it is the situation or the person one is speaking to which induces slight changes in behavior, opinions, feelings, etc., not the fact that one is bilingual.

Bilinguals express their emotions in their first language. WRONG. Some bilinguals have grown up learning two languages simultaneously and hence have two first languages with which they will express their emotions. And for the majority of bilinguals who have acquired their languages successively-first one language and then, some years later, another-the pattern is not clear. Emotions and bilingualism produce a very complicated but also very personal reality that has no set rules. Some bilinguals prefer to use one language, some the other, and some use both of them to express their feelings and emotions.

Bilingualism will delay language acquisition in children. WRONG. This is a myth that was popular back in the middle of the 20th Century. Since then much research has shown that bilingual children are not delayed in their language acquisition. This said, one should keep in mind that bilingual children, because they have to deal with two or more languages, are different in some ways from monolingual children, but definitely not on rate of language acquisition. As for bilingual children with language challenges (e.g. dyslexia), they are not proportionally more numerous than monolingual children with the same challenges.

The language spoken in the home will have a negative effect on the acquisition of the school language, when the latter is different. WRONG. In fact, the home language can be used as a linguistic base for acquiring aspects of the other language. It also gives children a known language to communicate in (with parents, caretakers, and, perhaps, teachers) while acquiring the other.

If parents want their children to grow up bilingual, they should use the one person - one language approach. WRONG. There are many ways of making sure a child grows up bilingual: caretaker 1 speaks one language and caretaker 2 speaks the other; one language is used in the home and the other outside the home; the child acquires his/her second language at school, etc. The critical factor is NEED. The child must come to realize, most of the time unconsciously, that he/she needs two or more languages in everyday life. This is where the one person - one language approach often breaks down as the bilingual child quickly realizes that the weaker (often minority) language is not really needed (the caretakers or other family members often speak the other, stronger language, to one another, so why keep up the weaker language?). A better approach is that all family members use the weaker language at home, if at all possible, so as to increase the child's exposure to it and mark the language's "main" territory.

Children raised bilingual will always mix their languages. WRONG. If bilingual children interact in both bilingual and monolingual situations, then they learn to mix languages at certain times only. When they are with monolinguals (e.g. Grandma who doesn't speak any English), they quickly learn to speak just the one language (communication breaks down otherwise). It is important though that the situation be truly monolingual (and not a "pretend situation" in which a bilingual parent pretends not to know the other language); children will make an effort to speak only one language if they feel it is vital for communication. Thus, caretakers will want to create natural monolingual environments where children will need, and hence use, just one language.

For further reading click on the following links:

1. François Grosjean's new book Bilingual: Life and Reality (Harvard University Press, 2010)

2. A short text, "What parents want to know about bilingualism", by François Grosjean

3. An interview of François Grosjean on bilingualism

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Francois Grosjean - Myths about bilingualism bilingualism

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Francois Grosjean, François Grosjean, Grosjean, psycholinguistics, language processing, bilingualism, biculturalism, sign language, aphasia, applied linguistics, BIMOLA, language processing in aphasics, prosodic structures, second language grammar checking, Life with two languages, Bilingualism: Language and Cognition

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Revising the Classroom: Adventures in Flexible Seating

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Revising the Classroom: Adventures in Flexible Seating

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Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski (2019)

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Brand new furniture Blue, yellow, green chairs Gray trapezoid tables Wobbly cushion seats Everything moves in here Seats at the tables for 18 children 24 students enter Backpacks bursting Books, binders, more. No place to put them. No space for gathering as a class on the floor. A student implores impatiently: "Can't you turn on the A/C?" (Of course we don't have any) Looking around the crowded room, sweat dripping, The teacher says to herself, "Revisions must be made."
***

As writers, we know that revision is an integral part of the writing process. We are always looking for ways to make our writing clearer, crisper, smarter and memorable. As teachers, we also revise constantly. We look for ways to make our teaching clearer, crisper, smarter and memorable too.

This year, I found myself often revising my classroom set-up. I was fortunate enough to be part of a flexible seating pilot in my school district. My classroom was outfitted with new furniture. Trapezoid tables that together made a hexagon grouping; a large, low round table; ottomans and low wobbly cushions; a comfy green couch; seating that also doubled as storage and a lovely portable dry erase magnetic board. I set everything up, knowing when the students came in, tweaks would need to be made.

After the first day of school (that 95 degree one referenced in the poem), I realized "tweaks" wasn't the right word- I needed to make changes to be able to teach my students effectively. I needed:

enough floor space for students to form a sitting circle for our Morning Meeting; also enough floor space to gather for minilessons and read-alouds

a place for students to put their individual notebooks, folders, and other various supplies

home-base seating for each student

a system for introducing the "special" furniture and allowing students to use it in a way where everyone got a turn

lessons on the proper use of furniture that moves on wheels

Some solutions:

My principal kindly allowed me to order portable cubbies which were the perfect place for each student to store materials

My students and I had discussions about the safe way to use rolling chairs

During lessons, students did not sit on special furniture. I found it was too distracting. They were allowed to use it during independent working time.

I needed to get another table to accommodate all the students so each child had a place to sit as a "home-base" seat.

We pushed furniture back to make room for all of us to sit during the Morning Meeting. We returned it to the right spot after those times. (The bonus of furniture on wheels!)

Students were allowed to sit in special seating as a reward or when they were the "Thoughtful Third Grader."

For the last couple of years, I had no teacher's desk. I removed it from my room since I never really sat at it and didn't like the idea that I had a big desk that took up a lot of real estate in the classroom. This year, I began the year without a teacher's desk but something was different. In the past, I had a u-shaped table where I put some of my files, plan book, grade book, etc. This year, the table was removed to make space for my new, larger furniture. There was no place for my things. I tried a few different ways of organizing my materials, but the truth was I needed a place to put some of my teaching essentials. Just a few weeks ago, I begged my amazing custodian to help me find a teacher's desk again. She was skeptical because the teacher's desks are large and rather unattractive, but I was sure it would help. She found a desk I could use and we put it in a spot that wouldn't take up a lot of room. Though it is messy at the moment, it has made a huge difference in how I feel in the classroom. Having a space for my materials is a must.

For those who are going to try flexible seating:

Realize you will revise your classroom and ask students for input and ideas on making things flow more smoothly

Partner up with a colleague or friend who can help you troubleshoot what doesn't feel right about your set-up

Think about the essential areas you need in your classroom (a whole group area, enough floor space, areas to store belongings) and design your room with these key spots in mind

Be flexible in your approach and don't say "NEVER" (Like "I'll never use a teacher's desk again!"...You just might find yourself begging your custodian for one too!)

Set up expectations for using furniture safely and appropriately

Slowly allow students to use different pieces of furniture instead of letting everyone use everything from day one

It's okay to not use fancy furniture during teaching time

I believe that students should learn in an environment that is comfortable, stimulating, and provides space for collaboration and creativity. I believe that classrooms need a gathering area where students can all be together. I believe that organization helps everything run more efficiently. I believe flexible seating can be a way for students to have more choice and ownership over their environment, but it doesn't all come together easily. Teachers have to be willing to revise, rethink, and make changes. Teachers have to be flexible thinkers and be willing to go back to the drawing board to find ways to make the classroom environment work for all learners.

What have been your experiences with flexible seating? What lessons or tips do you have for teachers who might want to give it a try?

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Revising the Classroom: Adventures in Flexible Seating

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Brand new furniture Blue, yellow, green chairs Gray trapezoid tables Wobbly cushion seats Everything moves in here Seats at the tables for 18 children 24 students enter Backpacks bursting Books, binders, more. No place to put them. No space for gathering as a class on the floor.

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What Are the Best Classroom Seating Arrangements? (Part 1)

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What Are the Best Classroom Seating Arrangements? (Part 1)

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EdWeek (2019)

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The new question-of-the-week is:
What are the best classroom seating arrangements?
Figuring out seating arrangements is one of the most important decisions we teachers have to make-not only about which student sits where but also to help create the kind of learning environment we want for our students.

This series will explore different ideas for this important aspect of our teaching.

Today, Jennifer Orr, Madeline Whitaker Good, Rich Czyz, Tan Huynh, and Mark J. Westpfahl contribute their ideas. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Madeline, Jennifer, and Rich on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.
Response From Jennifer Orr
Jennifer Orr has been an elementary school classroom teacher for 20 years in Title I schools in northern Virginia:
Think about the places in which you feel most comfortable working. What are you looking for? Is it always the same or does it depend on what you are doing? I know I prefer to work sitting in ways that are close to lounging, stretching my legs out. I'm perfectly content to have my notepad or laptop on my lap rather than on a table or desk. At least that's all true if I'm working on my own. When I'm collaborating with others, I tend to prefer to sit around a table so that we're all at a similar height and in close proximity. Students are no different. They do not all want to sit in the same chairs at the same tables all the time. The best classroom seating arrangements are the ones that put students in charge of their space. Students, even very young ones, are able to make decisions about where and how to work in order to do their very best. Allowing students to be in charge of their space requires a very flexible classroom. It requires lots of options from which students can choose. This might include tables of varying sizes and heights. In my 3rd grade classroom, I have one table that is tall enough for my students to stand while they work there. Several different tables have stools or chairs of different types. A couple of tables are low to the ground so students can sit on the floor as they work there. The tables are also different sizes. One table is large enough for eight or more students to fit. Others will only hold one or two. Depending on task and mood, students can decide which option is best for them at that moment. Other types of seating are also good options. We have several beanbags, as well as a couch in our classroom. We have a box full of clipboards in case students want to work somewhere away from a table and need that surface. One of my students last year did his best writing on a clipboard, stretched out under one of our tables. It looked terribly uncomfortable to me but was definitely his go to spot. In order to do our best work, to be focused and thinking hard, we need to be comfortable. If the only options students have are all the exact same chairs at the exact same tables, only a handful are likely to be truly comfortable. Even just offering them the option of the floor will be empowering and mean that a few more are ready to do their best work. This may sound challenging, but engage your students around the question. They'll come up with some fabulous solutions! Response From Madeline Whitaker Good
Madeline Whitaker Good has taught elementary and middle school, and is currently a middle school teacher in Springfield, Mo. She is a co-author of Your First Year:
This is such a hot topic with many educators today. With so many options, from collaborative tables to beanbag chairs, many people have found themselves in "tribes" that swear by their own classroom's seating arrangement. Although there is some research that shows certain arrangements are more effective than others, I argue that the main driver of a classroom's seating situation should be what the teacher needs to be most effective instructionally. When I think back to my favorite teacher I ever had, it was my high school AP English teacher. She pushed us to think critically, significantly increased my writing ability, and supported students sharing their thoughts about a variety of texts. This was all done while we were sitting in .... traditional desks that were placed in .... rows. *Gasp!* I know. Desks in rows?! How could she? The thing is, she was a phenomenal teacher, and placing desks in rows for most of the school year helped her be the rock star teacher that she was. She would sometimes move them around for important class discussions, but most of the time they were in plain old traditional rows. And that was OK. Her class was the one I learned the most in high school. By far. I am not sharing this to defend the placement of desks in rows. If you walked into my math classroom today, I have tables placed in groupings of four students each, but I don't have it this way because someone forced me to or because I felt like it was the latest trend. I have it this way because it works best for how I run my classroom. If you take anything away from this response, I hope that it is that you should arrange your seats in a way that best supports student learning in your classroom. Don't fret over the latest trends you see on Twitter or what the "cool" teacher is doing down the hallway. Focus on what helps students learn with your style of teaching, and as long as you have evidence to show it is working, you have a good seating arrangement in my book. Response From Rich Czyz
Rich Czyz is the author of The Four O'Clock Faculty: A ROGUE Guide to Revolutionizing Professional Development and the co-founder of the Four O'Clock Faculty Blog. He is currently an elementary principal in New Jersey and was a former 5th grade and basic-skills math teacher, as well as a curriculum supervisor and director of curriculum & instruction. Rich is passionate about engaging all stakeholders in meaningful and relevant learning opportunities:
The best seating arrangements are those that place students at the forefront of the decisionmaking process in terms of getting the most out of learning experiences. Learners (both students and teachers) should have the flexibility to make sure that the environment matches the learning experience. There also need to be seating options in meeting the needs of all students. These principles are most important when thinking about classroom design:

Start with tables.
Beg, borrow, or trade to (almost) get rid of student desks and use tables. They open up the classroo, and create a more collaborative setting for learners. Keep in mind that not all learners prefer to sit at a table, and that one or two students may still want that desk. Save just one or two desks for this reason.

Open, flexible seating works best.
Let learners choose where to sit depending on the task. Give them lots of options: big chairs, small chairs, no chairs, standing tables or desks, low tables... Any option is a good option. With modeling of flexible-seating expectations, students will become much more productive in the way they work in the classroom.

Go beyond the classroom.
Don't confine students using your four walls or your expectations for what a learning space looks like. Use hallways, nooks, crannies, outcoves, outside learning space... Anywhere that students learn best provide the best learning spaces. There should be no limits placed on how or where students learn.

Leave plenty of open space.
Many classrooms are full of motivational posters, information, and other "decorations" that actually hinder the learning process rather than help it. Keep in mind that learners need open space. Open space in terms of the floor plan will allow students to move furniture to match the learning activity. Open wall space (preferably writing space!) allows students to do their best work. Make the space as learner-centered and learner-friendly as possible.

Simple fixes go a long way. Any changes you make to your learning environment don't have to be drastic or cost a great deal of money. One of the easiest improvements you can make in your classroom involves raising or lowering table legs to create standing tables or floor tables (Students sit on cushions or mats on the floor). Consider simple fixes like moving furniture or getting rid of a teacher desk to create more space. Not every fix needs to involve spending money or putting forth a great deal of effort.

Keep in mind that the best seating arrangements in classrooms honor the learner! Always consider the purpose of your design. Ask yourself, what am I trying to accomplish and how can the classroom design and organization help me reach that goal? Response From Tan Huynh I'm less concerned with how seats are arranged in a class than with how students are interacting with each other. Just as students don't interact in only one way, no single seating arrangement will work for every lesson. Instead, there's dynamic seating. Dynamic seating means moving the furniture to align with a learning activity and setting up the kind of student interaction we want. Sometimes, we require rows for testing while other times we need small groups for interacting. Dynamic seating allows for the class to change shape so that students can collaborate with each other or work individually. It allows for whole-group or small-group instruction. In primary classrooms that follow the dynamic-seating principle, we often see different zones-each zone used for a particular learning activity. Zones are often marked by clusters of tables or rugs and partitioned by bookshelves or easels. In secondary classrooms with dynamic seating, seats are moved from rows into small groups. Students can easily arrange even awkward dairs (desks attached to chairs) so that they can both easily interact with each other and quickly turn to face the board during direct instruction. The layout of the dairs is extremely adaptable: It can facilitate either direct instruction or student collaboration, whatever you need. The opposite of a dynamic arrangement is a static arrangement, which means that regardless of the activity, the seating stays the same. In static classes, students spend most of their time in rows facing the board and listening to the teacher. Only a fraction of the time is spent interacting with other students-if any. Also, there are no zones for different types of activities. This is not ideal. Our room is like a lesson plan. If we differentiate lessons for students, then we should also differentiate where students sit. If we design student-centered lessons, then we should also design seating arrangements that maximize learning.

Image by Tan Huynh
Response From Mark J. Westpfahl
Mark J. Westpfahl is a two-time Minnesota teacher of the year semifinalist and serves on the board of directors for the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies. He is a former member of the Inver Grove Heights board of education and is in his 10th year of teaching in the Saint Paul public schools:
In the early stages of my teaching career, my room looked like your average classroom with traditional desks. But I rarely kept the desks aligned in perfectly spaced rows, as it always felt like I was taking the easy way out. Instead, I would arrange the desks into different configurations. Sometimes, I did this just because I didn't want my room to be a stagnant place that didn't draw inspiration and other times, I strategically redesigned the room to correlate with a lesson or activity that we were doing. While I did appreciate that the desks and chairs could be arranged in numerous configurations, I started to run into a larger problem. The desks and chairs were starting to fall into disrepair. When I would bring this up to my administration and custodial team, I was repeatedly told that there was nothing that could be done, as the district did not have replacement desks/chairs and there was no budget for new ones. I had students that were sitting on the countertops and on our floor (which desperately needed a carpet replacement) because I had several classes with more than 40 students and only 33 functioning desks. I had researched the flex-seating trend for several months and decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands. After spending numerous hours online looking for potential furniture pieces that would provide style and comfort for my students, I realized that my vision to transform my room may be unrealistic. I started to ask students what they wanted in how a classroom should be designed. Overwhelmingly, they said they wanted seats that were not hard as a rock. Many suggested a loungelike area that had soft and comfortable eating like a Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, a doctor's office, or a library on a college campus. Toward the end of the 2016-17 school year, the Minnesota state Capitol was undergoing a renovation, and hundreds of pieces of furniture from the building were being auctioned off. I thought it would be cool to have comfortable AND historic seats! So, I created a Go Fund Me campaign to raise approximately $250 so I could purchase some of the historic furniture I could put in my classroom. I was stoked! With nine days left in the school year, I brought in the new furniture. My students were excited, and that was all the motivation I needed to go bigger! I created another fundraiser and received nearly $3,500 to completely transform the room. I purchased desks and end tables that had power outlets and USB ports so students could always be plugged in while in the classroom, another thing that students had requested. I knew I wanted window seating overlooking our beautiful atrium, so I decided that I needed to custom build that. The end result has been something my students have enjoyed. The #CHCougars #flexseating #learninglounge is a place where my students can learn about history in comfort, while actually sitting on historic furniture! Here are some video tours of what the classroom looks like at the beginning of each new quarter:

We're #backtoschool today. It's the delayed start to the 3rd quarter in our newly rearranged #CHCougars #flexseating #learninglounge. No graveyard-style seating in this room! Historic @mncapitol furniture, Metrodome seats & education learning trunks. Oh, and an outhouse! 😎 pic.twitter.com/0BWn6Degbw

-- Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) February 1, 2019

It's finally ready! Come take a tour of our #flexseating #learninglounge. I can't wait to kick off the new year on Tuesday. #CHCougars @SPPS_News #cozyclassroom #flexibleseating #learningspaces #studentchoice #comfort #education #edchat #sschat #firstdayofschool @EducationMN pic.twitter.com/WhCEWXS6eM

-- Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) August 31, 2018

Thanks to Madeline, Jennifer, Rich, Tan, and Mark for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It's titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.
Just a reminder;you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first seven years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. Look for Part Two in a few days.

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Response: 'The Best Classroom Seating Puts Students in Charge of Their Space' (Opinion)

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The new question-of-the-week is: What are the best classroom seating arrangements? Figuring out seating arrangements is one of the most important decisions we teachers have to make-not only about which student sits where but also to help create the kind of learning environment we want for our students.

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What Are the Best Classroom Seating Arrangements? (Part 2)

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What Are the Best Classroom Seating Arrangements? (Part 2)

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EdWeek (2019)

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The new question-of-the-week is:
What are the best classroom seating arrangements?
In Part One, Jennifer Orr, Madeline Whitaker Good, Rich Czyz, Tan Huynh, and Mark J. Westpfahl contribute their ideas. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Madeline, Jennifer, and Rich on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

Today, Amber Chandler, Heather Stinson, Serena Pariser, Christine Hertz, Kristi Mraz, Ron Nash, Bradley Witzel, and Leila Ansari Ricci share their answers. I've also included comments from readers.
Response From Amber Chandler
Amber Chandler is a national-board-certified 8th grade ELA teacher and the author of The Flexible ELA Classroom and The Flexible SEL Classroom. She's the president of her district teachers' union, and she is a columnist for ShareMyLesson and American Middle Level Educator:
My grand experiment over the last few years has been to move from traditional to flexible seating, and shift my focus to individualized learning. The seating idea came from the needs of my students, in that as I moved away from the typical "school" experience, I needed more flexible workspaces to allow my students to spread out, create, and collaborate. Last year ,I received an "SEL in Action" grant from the NoVo Foundation to implement seating changes based on my hunch that the social, emotional, and academic needs of my students would best be served by creating a space that is more conducive to the type of learning that I wanted: experiential and social. I bought beanbag chairs, standing desks, comfy throw pillows, rugs, shortened tables, and yoga balls. Students loved it, and my classroom was the talk of the 8th grade. I had made videos with my daughter of "what not to do," to minimize the craziness that comes from giving students you've never met a seating arrangement that they would not have fathomed for the last year of their middle school experience. Students chose their seats about half the time, and I used numbers and "squads" for strategic grouping options. All in all, the grand experiment seemed to be going well. That is, until around the middle of our second quarter-once everyone was used to our setup, knew what they liked and didn't, and was no longer impressed just to be there. Around this time, I noticed that my squads (stations) were always messy. The picture-perfect organization systems I had were breaking down. I'd find myself irritated when a gaming chair from squad one was found in squad six. I actually got irritated. The yoga balls seemed to never be where they were supposed to be. How ungrateful could they be, I thought. Here I am trying my best to meet their needs, and yet they couldn't follow the simple directions that seemed quite a bit like the "clean up" song from elementary school. I was really contemplating some sort of refresher course on the seating situation when it dawned on me what was happening. The best classroom seating arrangements are the ones that work for students. When a gaming chair was moved from one part of the room to another, my students were actually making decisions about how they learned best-and I can't argue with the results. My students did really well this year, and despite the fact that my orderly-teacher-nature prickles at the constant shifting of stations, the fluid arrangements that students make from day to day to meet their needs is EXACTLY what I'd hoped would happen. The thing is, when students are in charge of their own learning, when they have a say in how they learn, and when they are trusted to exercise good judgment, awesome things can happen. There is one guarantee though: The best classroom seating arrangements are not those designed by the teacher but rather the ones designed by the students. This year, as I went into year two of the flexible-seating experiment, I kept this new lesson in mind. I started the year the same way, but there was a new step in my directions. At the end of each class, I announce that it is time to "reset" the room, putting the furniture back in the squads where it came from. The necessity to "reset" is one of safety in general, but more specifically, it helps preserve my sanity. Though the seating stretches my students in great ways, allowing them to own some of their decisions, it also stretches me. I've taught for almost 20 years, and in that time, I ended class by saying, "Have a good day. Push in your chairs" for most of them. Now, I put on an upbeat song, announce the "reset," and mingle with my students. Response From Heather Stinson
Heather Stinson (CAGS, MED, S/LP-A) received her master's degree in education of the deaf from Smith College in 2006 and a graduate certificate in children, families, and schools (with a concentration in research methodology) from the University of Massachusetts in 2012. In addition to her many years of experience working with children with hearing loss who communicate using listening and spoken language, Heather has also worked as a preschool classroom teacher. She has presented both locally and nationally on issues related to mainstreaming students with hearing loss and is a contributing author to Odyssey magazine. Heather currently works as an itinerant teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech:
For students with hearing loss who use assistive technology such as cochlear implants or hearing aids to access spoken language, preferential seating is often an accommodation noted in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan. While front and center may seem like the most logical placement, this seat does not necessarily ensure optimal visual and auditory access. Often in early-childhood classrooms, students are seated at several small tables or in desk clusters with other children. The student with hearing loss should be seated on an end facing in toward the rest of the room to encourage visual attention to the teacher, classmates, and the lesson being presented. Horseshoe arrangements in elementary school allow for the student with hearing loss to see the faces of classmates during whole-group discussions, especially when seated on one of the sides of the horseshoe. This visual access helps with speech reading and nonverbal-communication cues. The student with hearing loss should also be seated away from sources of noise (e.g., electric pencil sharpeners, HVAC systems) for improved auditory access. When desks are arranged in rows, as in many junior high and high school classrooms, seating the student with hearing loss on a side in the second row gives them the opportunity to turn to face the person who is speaking without having to completely pivot and also provides the chance to confirm that they heard directions correctly by watching the peer seated in front of them. When students have a unilateral (one-sided) hearing loss, they should be seated so that the "good ear" is facing the desired sound source (e.g., classmates, the teacher) and away from sources of noise. Additional factors that affect access and should be considered when designing seating arrangements include glare on white boards from projectors or windows, shadows which inhibit speech reading when lights are turned off, particularly noisy classmates, and uncontrollable noise such as that from lawnmowers outside. Some of the most successful seating arrangements are created when teachers collaborate with the student with hearing loss. While younger students may not know exactly what they need to access curriculum and discussions in the classroom, many older students can talk about what has worked (or not worked) in the past. With some careful planning around seating arrangements, we can maximize access for students with hearing loss in mainstream classrooms! Response From Serena Pariser
Serena Pariser is the author ofReal Talk About Classroom Management (Corwin, 2018). She teaches graduate classes on classroom management at the University of San Diego. She works as the assistant director of field placement for student-teachers at USD:
The tool of a purposeful seating chart can and will help your classroom management and improve the academic abilities of the class. With a purposeful seating chart, even with a challenging curriculum, students will always be in close proximity to those who can help them. Making a purposeful seating chart is much more than breaking up students who "shouldn't sit together." It requires looking at the students' academic abilities, learning disabilities, language barriers, and then making a chart from there. A seating chart is most effective if made in the first week of school. Groups of 4-6 students work best for collaboration. I like to have the desks arranged in groups so there isn't anybody who has to turn their chair around to face the teacher. There are many creative ways to do this. I find that making every collaborative group of 4-6 students heterogeneous in skills level helps keep the momentum of learning going in our classroom. Students have to collaborate with each other. In addition to spreading out the students with IEP's, English-language learners, GATE, and Gen. Ed. students, I add another layer to an effective seating chart. I usually wait two days before making the seating chart to pick out the happy students who raise their hands often in the classroom. Happy students will reveal themselves fast, so usually I can spot them by Day 2. I'll stick one happy student dead center in the front and one dead center in the back. This keeps the class happy. You want the students who smile, respect and help others with their words and actions, and eagerly raise their hands to become the natural leaders in each class. You can make this happen. Response From Christine Hertz & Kristi Mraz
Christine Hertz & Kristi Mraz are the authors of Kids First From Day One. You can find out more and reach out to them at christinehertz.com and kristimraz.com:
Think about the last time you needed to get some writing done or pay your bills or plan your lessons. Chances are, where you did these tasks had a direct impact on how efficiently and how enjoyably these tasks were completed. Christine loves to write on her couch in the morning, but in the afternoon, it leads to an accidental nap 9 times out of t0. The same is true for the children in your classroom. Where they read, write, solve math problems, collaborate with other students, and play relates directly to their engagement with the learning at hand. The best classroom seating arrangements are spaces and seats that best meet the needs of the students. There's quite a bit of buzz these days about the term "flexible seating." But what exactly is flexible seating? Teaching and learning in an environment with flexible seating means that there are a variety of options of work spaces for students (think kneeling-height tables, standing-height countertops, cheap throw pillows on the ground, chairs at a table.) You might be thinking, whoa! No assigned seats for every student!? And, yes, that's the case. At the beginning of the year, just as you thoughtfully introduce the routines that make up your reading block or your math workshop, you'll teach your students about all of the different learning spaces in the classroom, and the advantages and limitations to each space. You'll act as a guide or a coach to help your students determine which spaces work well for them at which point in the day. Adding flexibility to your seating arrangements presents an opportunity for students to take agency over their learning and to choose where they want to work, based on why that space works for them. Because children, like all of us, are creatures of habit, you'll find that they quickly settle into a favorite spot to read day after day, or gather with a particular group of writers, or seek out spaces where they can be on their own. Incorporating a more flexible approach to seating can, at first, illicit some feelings of unease among teachers. We've been there! When we first tried flexible seating in our classrooms, we had visions of utter chaos running through our heads. But by letting go of some of that control, we were able to see how truly transformative this was for our classrooms and our students. A few weeks after introducing the new routines, we each looked around our classrooms and saw learners standing, kneeling, curled up on a pillow, stretched out on a rug, grouped together at a table-all engaged and working in seats that best met their needs. Response From Ron Nash Classrooms should be set up for learning, not for cleaning. One elementary teacher looked at her classroom and decided every bit of space would be dedicated to students, not to her. She got rid of file cabinets and her own teacher's desk, adding every kind of furniture imaginable: beanbags, exercise balls, stools, tall tables, low tables, rugs, and chairs of every description. Today's Gen Z students like and demand choice (consider the choices they have when contemplating screens of many sizes at home), and this teacher created an agile classroom where some students can work independently, others collaboratively, as they stand, sit, or arrange themselves on cushions or rugs. Hers is a classroom environment that is perfect for her 2nd and 3rd graders. My first classroom had 30 student desks in six straight rows, five desks deep. I had a piece of duct tape marking the exact place where the front right desk leg should be at all times. Such regimentation (well, maybe not quite that regimented) was common in an industrial age that valued compliance and control above all else. Agility in a classroom setting was not as important as rigidity. Classrooms all over the world are being reimagined to serve a generation of students who expect and demand choice and who do not function well in classroom configurations passed down from antiquity-or at least from the last century. Response From Bradley Witzel
Classrooms around the country, especially at the secondary level, are still arranged in a 19th-century model, with straight rows facing the front. This kind of standard arrangement is great for the custodians, but it doesn't lend itself to student interaction, including face-to-face conversations that improve skill sets related to communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. For teachers with typical student desks (single, welded units) or desks with detached chairs, I have found that opening a large area for movement in the middle of the room allows for standing pair shares and quartets without the furniture getting in the way. Desks can be arranged in quads around the perimeter of the classroom to create that open space. The best seating arrangement depends on the content of the lesson, the intention of the lesson, the students' knowledge, and the students' behavior. Some content lends itself better to small groups, half class, small intervention groups, etc. Problem-solve a class seating arrangement based on the content, student needs, interaction needed for lesson completion, technology included, and the space provided. For example, in a class that plans a teacher-directed lecture, then rows may be appropriate. In most cases, however, a lecture includes some amount of paired work and partner checks so pairing desks in partners or triads should be considered. If a lesson calls for many opportunities and demands for students to talk and share with the whole class, then a semicircle or horseshoe setup would be appropriate. If teamwork or group assignments are included, then small groups of the appropriate number would help with the group dynamic. Station teaching allows for a mixed seating arrangement where students may be separated in some groups for independent practice, grouped together for a team problem-solving activity, and in a semi-ircle for teacher modeling all within the room. Likewise, if an administration sets an initiative for a type of instruction that is desired, then appropriate and targeted professional development would help with the initiative. For example, if an administration team is encouraging student interactions across a school, then modeling how to work with groups of students seated in groups of three or four would help prepare teachers to support the initiative. My advice is that there is no best classroom seating arrangement. It all depends on what students are learning and doing for a particular lesson. The best classroom seating arrangements are those that maximize learning for all students, which means seating should vary based on instructional objectives and tasks. Too often, I have walked into classrooms with students seated in individual rows facing forward toward the front of the room. While convenient for the teacher, this does not allow for much group work and student interaction. We want our students to be actively involved learners! When designing your classroom environment, always consider which seating arrangement will make learning more accessible and engaging for all students. For most students, collaborative group work enlists active participation and deeper engagement in lessons. This can be more readily achieved in pods of three to five seats or tables that seat four students. This type of classroom seating also allows the teacher to scan and circulate around the room to check for student understanding and give individual feedback with greater proximity to students. Not surprisingly, this seating arrangement is best-suited for teachers who want to be guides of their students' learning and meaning making, rather than the sage on the stage lecturing to rows of students. It also sets up students for considering themselves a community of learners rather than isolated individuals. Pods or tables of four or so ensure that there aren't always a few students in the back, disengaged from teacher-led instruction at the front of the room. Also consider U-shaped seating with outer and inner rings to encourage student discussions, such as in the fishbowl technique. Make the most of your seating arrangement rather than letting convenience or logistics limit your design of your classroom. Enlist the support of administrators if necessary. More considerations for classroom seating include:

Universally design your classroom arrangement, meaning arrange the seats in ways that will support multiple means of input, engagement, and demonstration of learning by students;

Regroup students often, so that the same students are not always seated in the same space. To make this more efficient, create posters of different seating arrangements to show students how to reconfigure the room (Murawski, 2010). Then set a timer and ask the students to rearrange the seats before time's up;

Consider students with special needs when setting up your classroom seating arrangement. Who needs preferential seating? Who needs teacher proximity for positive behavior support? Who will benefit from a particular peer buddy during group work?;

Consider co-teaching! Often, both general educators and special educators have their own classroom space on campus. If you are co-teaching together, you can have double the space for creative seating. As long as it is not always one teacher or the same teacher who utilizes a room, and heterogeneous groups of students share both spaces, this additional classroom space can boost teacher creativity and maximize student learning.

Now, doesn't that sound less boring than individual rows of students? Responses From Readers
Neil Howie: Seating - in my classrooms the students choose where they would like to sit. BUT I make them aware that this is with my consent, AND it is a privilege I have given them NOT a right. I want my students to choose, but to also realize that with this choice comes responsibilities and basic rules. Behave as a good student I have no issues with two known naughty students sitting together, for example, but I will not hesitate to split said students up if they can't behave like good students. All are aware of my simple rules, very few break them.
IF they misbehave/annoy me/stop others learning, then I will decide where they will sit - usually away from their friends and by themselves.
Bradley Witzel, Ph.D., is an award-winning teacher and researcher who works as a full professor and program director of the MEd in Intervention at Winthrop University. Dr. Witzel has authored 10 books and delivered nearly 500 presentations on strategies for students with academic needs:
Just a reminder;you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first seven years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. Look for the next question-of-the-week in a few days.
Thanks to Amber, Heather, Serena, Christine, Kristi, Ron, Bradley, and Leila, and to readers, for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It's titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

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Response: 'Classrooms Should Be Set Up for Learning, Not for Cleaning' (Opinion)

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The new question-of-the-week is: What are the best classroom seating arrangements? In Part One, Jennifer Orr, Madeline Whitaker Good, Rich Czyz, Tan Huynh, and Mark J. Westpfahl contribute their ideas. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Madeline, Jennifer, and Rich on my BAM! Radio Show.

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Christine Hertz and Kristine Mraz

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As teachers, we often spend the summer thinking and fantasizing about how our classroom will look. Then, we arrive, and somehow it is much smaller and there is much more furniture than we thought. Don't lose hope! The journey to a beautiful, functional classroom gets messy before it gets clean. Setting up our classroom furniture might seem haphazard at first, but each decision we make has a significant impact on how our community interacts, functions, and thrives.

The spaces we create affect where and how children gather and work, how twenty-plus bodies flow (or don't!) from one area to another, and how children see themselves as agents of their own learning. Our goal should be to create a classroom where it's clear to children what they can do as opposed to needing to tell them what they cannot do.

No matter what the physical shell of your classroom might look like, you have the opportunity and potential to turn any space into an environment that reflects what you value. Not only does your classroom environment reflect what you and your class value as a community, but it also has the power to shape your community's values. From the layout of the furniture to the feel of the room, from the materials you provide to the way your space evolves in response to your students, the environment itself can drive learning and community building.

***

Learn more about Kids First From Day One at Heinemann.com

Christine Hertz is coauthor of the Heinemann titles Kids First from Day One and A Mindset for Learning. She finds great joy and challenge in helping all children grow as independent and engaged students. She is passionate about keeping play and creativity at the center of children's lives and curiosity and wonder at the heart of learning. Christine has taught in a wide variety of classrooms from preschool to fourth grade and as an adjunct instructor of education courses. She currently teaches in Worcester, Vermont. You can follow her on Twitter @christine_hertz or visit her web site at christinehertz.com

Kristine Mraz is coauthor-with Christine Hertz-of the new Kids First from Day One, which provides a practical blueprint for increasing the child-centeredness of your teaching practice. She and Christine previously teamed up for the bestselling A Mindset for Learning (coauthored with Christine Hertz), which provides practical and powerful strategies for cultivating optimism, flexibility, and empathy alongside traditional academic skills. Kristi teaches Kindergarten in the New York City Public schools. In addition to writing and teaching, she consults in schools across the country and as far away as Taiwan. She primarily supports teachers in early literacy, play, and inquiry based learning. You can follow all of her adventures on twitter @MrazKristine or on her blog kinderconfidential.wordpress.com

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As teachers, we often spend the summer thinking and fantasizing about how our classroom will look. Then, we arrive, and somehow it is much smaller and there is much more furniture than we thought. Don't lose hope! The journey to a beautiful, functional classroom gets messy before it gets clean.

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Please add, but don't edit the work of others. 

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Please add, but don't edit the work of others. 

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International educators are growing ideas together! Please add and share yours, but please do not change the ideas shared by others. Instead, you can duplicate a slide, and then tweak it. :)

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Information Writing Digital Toolkit 2022

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EKC

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Conferring to Amplify Inquiry & Honor Agency

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Conferring to Amplify Inquiry & Honor Agency

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EKC

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EKC

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EKC

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Hammond (2015) based on Kleinfeld (1975)

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Chartchums

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In the past I usually taught leveled reading reading/writing/phonics groups outside of Reading/Writing workshop. I always wondered about differentiation since I teach the same minilesson to all learners - my big AHA moment was that the differentiation that I was looking for happens during conferences and small groups WITHIN the workshop and not outside of it. Now it all makes more sense!!

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I'm really excited about the fast way to sort writing samples according to needs so that I can teach meaningful conferences!

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I really got the "positive prepositions/leaning in" mind-set; "How is it going?!" "What are you working on?" "What's working well?" "What are you going to try next?" "What feels tricky? challenging?"

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"I can tell you are the kind of writer who..." "Oh yeah that is tricky...I was wondering if I could suggest another way..." "I can tell how you are using self-managing skills --- keep doing that!" "Writers do this a lot of times. You can use this_______anytime"

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more one liners that motivate :-)))

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writing Doldrums- maybe 20 Sept 2021 (Monday)

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writing Doldrums- maybe 20 Sept 2021 (Monday)

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Hi Tonya
not that they are
but that they could...
writing doldrums
so even if they are sharing their writing every writing workshop with their partner and may with group during end group share (with option to "pass"
what other ideas do you have to celebrate our kids writing so they never get in the doldrums!
thanks
Lionel & Chris

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Interacting with the overview instead of just reading the words gives me focussed understanding and releases me from worry. 

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Interacting with the overview instead of just reading the words gives me focussed understanding and releases me from worry. 