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Classroom Layout

Figure 1. Floor plan. Generated using “Classroom Architect,” by The Advanced Learning Technologies in
Education Collaborative, 2008, Classroom 4 Teachers. Copyright 2008 by The University of Kansas.
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The diagram above was created bearing in mind the average classroom size of 900

square feet and the average number of 16 students assigned per teacher according to the

National Center for Education Statistics (2018). However, California’s highest student-to-

teacher ratio in the nation with 24 students per teacher, I included 30 desks in my

classroom proposed classroom layout to “futureproof” the floor plan should the ratio

increase. After all, it is easier to eliminate unused desks and free additional space in the

classroom than it is to accommodate additional students and cram everyone into confined

spaces.

This layout provides students with multiple avenues to and from their seats while

also promoting teacher circulation in the classroom by allowing the teacher to walk in

between tables to assist students or by providing the teacher with several paths to walk

around the classroom when proctoring an exam. For evacuation and ease of mobility

purposes, there is adequate room along the edges of the classroom, between table groups

and along the middle aisle of the classroom. Certainly, this layout also benefits students

with physical disabilities, as there is adequate room in the middle aisle for handicapped

students to rest any accommodations, such as wheelchairs.

Students can turn their chairs around to work with their classmates behind them, and

the even number of table groups allows students to collaborate with their peers and form

five teams of students in the classroom. Unlike a classroom layout with lengthy rows of

desks such as a college lecture layout, using table groups of three pressure students to

interact with their peers, communicate their thoughts, build character, and develop their

social and collaboration skills. Additionally, the subtle resemblance of my classroom layout

may allow students to begin familiarizing themselves with the classrooms they should

expect to encounter in higher education.

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I should address the common misconception of my classroom layout being

susceptible to engendering a student’s visual difficulties. Unless a student is extraordinarily

tall and is also coincidentally sitting in front of a student who is severely vertically

challenged, visual difficulties regarding seeing the front of the classroom is generally not an

issue. Given the average adolescent being under six feet tall, this is should not pose any

issue to the classroom layout; issues will be dealt on a case-by-case basis should they

arise. Additionally, this layout combines the best of both worlds by allowing for student

collaboration while maintaining the lecture-styled classroom design.

To monitor the class, the teacher sits facing toward the students while working at

their computer. Classroom supplies will be stored on the shelves in the teacher’s corner

besides the teacher’s computer to ensure students request to borrow materials and provide

a possession as a security deposit before being loaned an item. Because of privacy

concerns, the shelves will also store student work and only the teacher will return graded

assignments. The two storage units in the front left corner of the classroom is where

students will retrieve and return the tablets or laptops needed for each class. Because of

the adequate spacing along the edges of the classroom, students will line up to access the

device storage units and return to their seats in a systematic and orderly, clockwise motion.

A projector with a wireless display adapter will be mounted to the ceiling and

illuminate the smartboard in front of the classroom. The wireless display adapter eliminates

the need for pulling cables and can broadcast presentations from any device used by the

student or the teacher. The teacher’s desk may also be used by students when giving

presentations if they need a platform for them to rest or stand their devices on. No other

objects will be mounted or hung from the ceilings following most fire safety regulations.

Lastly, the only “decorations” (I am using this word loosely) in the classroom will be

the American flag, a copy of the United States Constitution, a copy of the classroom rules
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and any other documents required by the school administration. In the event school

administration stringently prohibits such “patriotic” embellishments from being displayed,

these items may be displayed in a less prominent manner. Besides that, the walls will be

bare and white to help students acclimate to the environment of a college classroom and

because the teacher is indisposed toward hanging pointless posters of flattery and faint

praise present among many classrooms. The bare walls also increase student attention

during a lesson; the fewer distractions there are to disrupt the students’ their attention the

likelier it is they will succeed in class. However, should students desperately crave

aesthetics and vibrance in the classroom, the teacher may project animated wallpapers or

other soothing visuals during “downtime” when the screen is being unused or when

students are working independently.

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References

National Center for Education Statistics. (2018). Back to school statistics. Retrieved from
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372.