I鈥檝e seen interaction increase dramatically while students are in groups versus in the traditional rows. Also, consistently being around different people and groups allows students to work with others with whom they might not normally work, forcing collaboration. By working together in different groups, my goal is for students to collaborate together, to be a team just as our Cobb motto states, 鈥淥ne team, one goal: Student success鈥.
Furthermore, while being in groups of 4, the traditional desks do not allow room to move around with 8 groups of 4 throughout the class. It鈥檚 hard to move freely throughout the class when the chairs, which are attached to the desks, cannot be pushed in or maneuvered.
The idea is to get students to move around from one group to the next or from the groups to the whiteboards and vice-a-versa. Having the traditional desks in groups of 4 does not easily allow me to move desks back in rows when individually assessing their knowledge, as too much class time is wasted in moving these desks. With multiple classes and bell-to-bell teaching, movement among traditional desks is virtually impossible.
Similarly, students complain about not being comfortable in these traditional desk chairs and some students complain about only having one way to get into these desks. Another area of concern about the traditional desks is that once book bags and/or other bags are on the ground, movement becomes a safety hazard for students tripping over other students belongings.
About my class
I鈥檝e seen interaction increase dramatically while students are in groups versus in the traditional rows. Also, consistently being around different people and groups allows students to work with others with whom they might not normally work, forcing collaboration. By working together in different groups, my goal is for students to collaborate together, to be a team just as our Cobb motto states, 鈥淥ne team, one goal: Student success鈥.
Furthermore, while being in groups of 4, the traditional desks do not allow room to move around with 8 groups of 4 throughout the class. It鈥檚 hard to move freely throughout the class when the chairs, which are attached to the desks, cannot be pushed in or maneuvered.
The idea is to get students to move around from one group to the next or from the groups to the whiteboards and vice-a-versa. Having the traditional desks in groups of 4 does not easily allow me to move desks back in rows when individually assessing their knowledge, as too much class time is wasted in moving these desks. With multiple classes and bell-to-bell teaching, movement among traditional desks is virtually impossible.
Similarly, students complain about not being comfortable in these traditional desk chairs and some students complain about only having one way to get into these desks. Another area of concern about the traditional desks is that once book bags and/or other bags are on the ground, movement becomes a safety hazard for students tripping over other students belongings.
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