Spatial Analysis Sean Harkness

Teacher Desk

Promethean Board

Student Desks

The teachers desk and a very small coat closet next to the door are the only areas that are really restricted from the students in this classroom. They have access to the rest of the room if they need any supplies. The Promethean Board is at the front of the room and serves as the centerpiece of the classroom. The students all have a good view of the board from their desk. The chalkboards in this classroom are at the back and are not used because of the Promethean Board. New technology in the classroom has led to all chalkboards and white boards being unused. The organization of this classroom has a very big impact on the teacher-student and the student-student interactions. Because the students are in groups the teacher is able to walk between them very easily when giving instructions and is able to get to each individual student during work time without any issue. Having the students work in groups has a significant impact on the student-student interactions because groups invite student cooperation. The students are free to work with one another in their groups and are therefore able to bounce ideas off of one

another and assist classmates if needed. It helps to foster a more cooperative and hands-on learning environment. This is the main set up that my teacher uses but there are times when he switches to rows. These rows are split down the middle of the classroom so that four desks are pushed side by side on one side of the room and the same on the other side. There are then four rows of this. When the classroom is in that set-up, the mobility of the teacher is very limited. He cannot move between the kids very much because the rows are so close together so he can only walk through the center of the room and that is it. The students interaction is also very limited in this situation. They cannot work together near as often or as effectively because they only have one or two students that they can confer with instead of three. However, I have noticed that the rows do reduce the off-task talking of the students and helps them to not be distracted by others during lessons.