How to get a calmer class with a seating plan...

WHY SEATING PLANS ARE A SUPER IDEA

If you are coming here for answers for a difficult class or student then this may not be the blog for you.  What I can share is my experiences over 26 years of teaching and the bits that have worked for me to get a calmer class (and that is half the battle). There are those out there that are behaviour experts and they may give you more textbook direction.  Mine is simply notes from experience. 

For context I teach business as a subject (we used to be business studies) which

appears at Key stage 4 and 5 (UK) I have also taught KS3,4 and 5 ICT, A level law, AAT, degree level business and even the defunct General Studies.  I have seen the GCSE business controlled assessment come and go, and taught courses such as CLAIT and ICT GCSE which no longer exist. Time moves on, education changes and qualifications change.  What does not change is the kids.  In 26 years they have not changed, we have the same challenges now as we did back in 2000, with the added bonus of smartphones and teeny-weeny headphones that can be easily concealed behind bushy hairdos.

HELP - WHAT WORKS?

Before you scroll through looking for what works and some help and advice I thought I would put it at the top.  This is what works for me, what works for you could be different. I once took a cover history class that were really noisy and mostly jumped out of a ground floor window and ran away.  Later that week I had to pop in to see the Deputy Head (a tall imposing man in a black suit) and this SAME class were working in silence while he calmly marked papers at the front.  I had to check twice that this was the same group that had flicked me the Vs as they ran away laughing. So, what works for me might not work for you…

DON’T TEACH IN A CAFÉ

If you want a calmer classroom then the solution is to have a seating plan, every lesson. Even with adult learners or sixth form. If you let them sit where you want you get off task chatter and bam, just like that, you are teaching in a café.

Seating plans can be disguised as teamwork and in fact if they are not all “mates” then they get to work with someone new and find a team spirit.  This has to be linked to prizes and lots of opportunities for wins.

If you change the seating plan always have a concrete reason, so they know its fixed and that YOU are the only person that is going to move them round. You might need a few tweaks to get it just perfect, but there will come a tipping point when things start to go your way. Plus adding in some team activities can break up a long session.

If students move themselves out of the seating plan get on it - even if its whack-a-mole to begin with. They soon get fed up of having to move back.

Make sure your plan is visible and clear so all learners know where they should be sitting and don't just make it up. Take time to double check (some will always try it on). Be prepared at first to give up a full 10 minutes to get everyone settled.

Some students may push back against this new regime and others may give you turbulence, but hold firm, its a long term strategy. Also, remember that every other teacher in your school or college has these students in a plan. They know how it works, and if they give you a hard time this is just testing you, but you will remain strong...

SCROLLED DOWN FOR A KEY TAKEAWAY?

Hello to the speed readers, looking for a key takeaway. Here it is. Make a seating plan, make it visible and don't budge an inch. If student move themselves out of the plan it's a problem. Move them back... they will test your boundaries. And then enjoy calmer, easier lessons...

Sarah Hilton has been teaching business for 26 years in schools and colleges in the UK. She has been a GCSE and A Level business examiner for over 20 years, is a teacher trainer and educational consultant. She is currently writing resources and teaching business on supply (and loving it).