The arrangement of furniture in the classroom greatly affects what can be accomplished during a lesson.

Furniture for the one-room rural school, which many children attended during late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, was built and arranged to match the needs of a multi-aged group and the methods in common use during that time period. Children came forward for their classes to "recite" what they had learned. For this they sat on a long recitation bench. Young children listened to older children recite and the repetition of material from year to year firmly fixed it in the minds of learners. Common topics were studied throughout large areas of the United States. Students and teachers alike were able to reminisce years later about the classic works of art or literature which they had all studied.

The teacher directed much of what was done from the front of the room. A wood stove radiated heat to children close to it and less to those farther away. Desks were fastened to long pieces of wood and formed straight rows. An ink well in the corner of each desk was filled from the large supply bottle kept by the teacher. Children wrote with steel pens or with slate pencils on a slate. Later the "tablet" became more common.

Prints of famous paintings of presidents and other well-known works of art hung on the walls. A large wall clock ticked away the minutes and hours. An unabridged dictionary lay open on a tall stand. Textbooks lined high library shelves. A library with low shelves and a small table were placed in a back corner.

In an era when knowledge increases at a rate unparalleled in history, the methods and classroom arrangements have been made flexible. New furniture has been designed to match current needs. Teachers and books are no longer the main source of knowledge. Children interact with the "furnishings." Computer terminals line sections of rooms. Video cassette recorders and television sets are rolled from room to room on carts. Overhead projectors, which are attached to computers, provide a new electronic "chalkboard." The square feet available for a class may be similar to what was provided in a one-room rural school, but the manner in which the space is used may be very different from room to room and even change from hour to hour in one classroom. Teachers are encouraged to move the furniture to match the methods used to meet the needs of the children.

1. Avoid placing electrical cords where children will trip over them.

2. Do not place sharp corners where people will bump into them.

3. Use masking tape to mark boundaries. (Example: Only one child may step into the marked off area at a time. This keeps children from crowding each other as they work near hazardous materials.)

4. Keep wide aisles or passage areas in areas of heavy traffic. Ask how many "lanes of traffic" will be needed.

5. Provide for even flow of traffic during the performance of sequential tasks at a chalkboard, sink, or drinking fountain.

6. Examine the possible traffic pattern necessary for an individual lesson and provide the safest one.

1. Consider needs for vision, hearing, sensitivity to fluorescent lights, seating next to building air pumps, noisy radiators, drafts, or hot areas.

2. Fit desks and chairs to the sizes of children.

1. Avoid seating by ability groups for an entire day.

2. Avoid the use of visible labels and categories.

3. Avoid the use of quiet children as buffers for quiet ones. "Good" children have the same needs and rights as those who constantly seek attention in inappropriate ways.

4. Avoid sexist and alphabetical patterns. (Boys vs. Girls; A's always first and Z's always last)

1. How much time will be spent in each area of the room during a lesson? How will this affect the use of space? (Little/much)

2. Methods are chosen which will best accomplish the purposes of the lesson. How will arrangements change for the use of the lecture, discussion or inquiry/discovery methods?

An outside observer, a video tape of a lesson, or a careful conscious analysis of one's own movements may reveal common patterns of movement. Some teachers lecture mainly to one or two areas of a room; some have favorite paths they follow around the room. Arrange the room so useful habits are continued and unhelpful patterns are broken.

Custodians will sometimes request an arrangement which is easy to clean. The needs of children should not be dictated by the width of a mop or broom. Teach children to be responsible for basic cleaning of messes they create. The cost of cleaning up after athletic events, recreational experiences, and educational endeavors is passed back to taxpayers. Attitudes toward cleanliness and responsibility in a society can be changed. Teaching these attitudes must be part of all lessons in all classrooms.

Students are seated in a circle.

Students are seated in a "U" shape.

Students are seated around a table.

Students are seated in groups around small tables.

Write about the kinds of lessons you think would be enhanced by arranging the furniture and children in these ways. Draw arrows to show where you think interaction will take place. Broken lines might be used to show where eyes would be focused. Dotted lines can be drawn to show possible traffic patterns.