One particular reference piece I wanted to hang onto was Jon Orr’s seating plan/strategy using the grouping cards, with options based on colours, equations, symbols etc. Can use to mix seating up (as I’ve done with a year 9 class) on a rotating basis. File attached here: Grouping_Cards_withEquations_Version_2
Perhaps in contrast to ‘seating’ is this helpful site providing a range of activities in maths to get students moving as part of the lesson/discourse. Some helpful strategies with activities like open middle, wodb, estimation 180 etc.
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A series of different ideas/notes from readings etc. on seating:
“Where your students sit is also vitally important. Science tells us that females typically have better hearing then males, yet many of us place the boys at the back of the room. Have a schedule for changing where students sit; students like to move places and enjoy the room design changing. In coeducational classes, most students enjoy seating arrangements where boys sit with girls throughout the room. This builds relationships between the sexes. Girls, generally speaking, can also model how to learn and their extra maturity, again generally speaking, can be a calming influence on boys.”
Taken from ~ Title: Difficult behaviour : beyond telling off. Author: Hockey, AnthonySource: Teacher; n.216 p.12-14; November 2010 Journal Title: Teacher Issue: 216 Pagination: 12-14
Also:”changing students’ position in the classroom without increasing their motivation is not likely to improve school performance.”
Interesting quote on the whole classroom seating issue from an article I looked at – ‘Association of student position in classroom and school performance’ by Victor Alberto Tagliacollo, Gilson Luiz Volpato, Alfredo Pereira Junior
Interesting study on student participation and seating location. Even though student surveys didn’t indicate as such, fixed seating at the back students had less participation than those at the front. If students constantly moved though, participation rates weren’t really different up front or back… Interesting…
See Parker, T., Hoopes, O., & Eggett, D. (2011). The effect of seat location and movement or permanence on student-initiated participation. College Teaching, 59(2), 79-84. doi:10.1080/87567555.2010.538766