Seating

I like to change seating every six weeks, and I always ask students to give me input before I make a new plan. Each student writes on paper: My name is___. I think I can work well with_____and_____.

I take this information and make a web showing who selected who.
This helps me identify students who are perceived as popular/strong students and which students are marginalized. I then block in students who need preferential seating or will need to be separated on my plan and support each group with a strong student, respecting far as possible, student preferences.

Shadow Teacher Perspective: students get to choose who they would like to sit with and where. This also enforces decision making skills and also allows for the opportunity for students who are shy to get to know and work with different groups. Remember students who are easily distracted should be away from windows, doors and teacher’s desk as this is where the most action happens. Also nearer to the board is ideal as they will be more prone to pay attention. What strategies do you employ in the classroom to avoid distractions? Please share-Angelik!