The surveys detailed on the previous page were distributed to a group of a group of ninth grade Algebra I students as well as tenth and eleventh grade Algebra II students. After receiving responses from both classes, I compiled two spreadsheets in order to synthesize analyze the responses. The spreadsheets are shown below to show a student’s seating choices in each row and the ranking number given by each column.
Algebra I Class Rankings
Algebra II Class Rankings
As I examined the responses in table form, there were some interesting similarities amongst both groups. First, I noticed how it appeared that many students enjoyed sitting in Groups of 4 as they had for the beginning of the year in the Algebra II class; this seemed to hold true for a large portion of the Algebra I class as well. What I found to be interesting in the Algebra I class was that seating arrangements of Groups of 3 students was the second choice for all but three students who returned their surveys. One speculation I had for this result was that those students who learn best by sitting in a group would benefit most from having as many classmates seated with them as possible. Another hypothesis I had for this preference was that students at this particular high school are accustomed to sitting in small groups with students in many classes, so arrangements like a large U-shape in the room or sitting with only one other student may not fit their typical learning environments.
At this point in my exploration, I was very interested in trying out as many arrangements as possible while taking student preference into consideration. I strived to find a balance between testing the research I found surrounding physical design of classroom and the choices students made on their ideal classroom layout. Knowing that the U-Shape arrangement seemed to be a very high or very low choice for most students, I thought this arrangement would be a good first trial. As Carol Weinstein discussed, this arrangement promotes a sense of community amongst the entire classroom. It allows for students to engage in collaborative discussion outside of their peers seated in their immediate proximity. This type of interaction had not been present while the students were seated in groups of four, thus I hoped to observe an increase in social interactions across the seating arrangement.
The Algebra I students were the first class to experience this change. Students entered the classroom and were given instructions to choose whichever seat they believed that they could produce their best work. It was very interesting to observe that many of the female students chose one side of the room, while most of the males selected the opposite side of the room. This was likely due to the fact that students decided to sit by their friends, but I hoped to understand this further by observing over the next few weeks and ultimately using the student feedback surveys. Although the classroom layout felt a bit abnormal, I did not received any immediate negative feedback from the students or my classroom mentor.
I was curious to observe how the Algebra II students would react to the layout that seemed to be working well with the Algebra I students. From my initial discussions with the older group of students, they were keen to change up the pace in the classroom, but I wanted to observe their reactions once the physical arrangement of the class changed.
At this point in my exploration, I was very interested in trying out as many arrangements as possible while taking student preference into consideration. I strived to find a balance between testing the research I found surrounding physical design of classroom and the choices students made on their ideal classroom layout. Knowing that the U-Shape arrangement seemed to be a very high or very low choice for most students, I thought this arrangement would be a good first trial. As Carol Weinstein discussed, this arrangement promotes a sense of community amongst the entire classroom. It allows for students to engage in collaborative discussion outside of their peers seated in their immediate proximity. This type of interaction had not been present while the students were seated in groups of four, thus I hoped to observe an increase in social interactions across the seating arrangement.
The Algebra I students were the first class to experience this change. Students entered the classroom and were given instructions to choose whichever seat they believed that they could produce their best work. It was very interesting to observe that many of the female students chose one side of the room, while most of the males selected the opposite side of the room. This was likely due to the fact that students decided to sit by their friends, but I hoped to understand this further by observing over the next few weeks and ultimately using the student feedback surveys. Although the classroom layout felt a bit abnormal, I did not received any immediate negative feedback from the students or my classroom mentor.
I was curious to observe how the Algebra II students would react to the layout that seemed to be working well with the Algebra I students. From my initial discussions with the older group of students, they were keen to change up the pace in the classroom, but I wanted to observe their reactions once the physical arrangement of the class changed.