Horseshoe & Circular

For this classroom arrangement model, student desks and chairs are arrange to form a semi-circle/horseshoe shape. The teacher can position him/herself in front directly facing the learners or choose to sit among the learners.  Depending on the availability of the technology and resources, the ideal positioning of the smart board, projector screen, or the white board is in the front middle of the classroom. This arrangement best suit a small to medium sized class as it require a considerable space to accommodate this arrangement.

Arranging the chairs and tables to form a horseshoe, allow the learners and the teacher to have direct eye contact with each other. This may give the learners a feeling of exposing themselves as compared to orderly rows, and separate groups as learners does not have opportunities to blend in and escape from having direct eye contact from peers and the teacher’s attention.

Despite learners having direct contact with the peers and the teacher when sitting in this classroom layout, horseshoe seating arrangement can be used as a platform to create an intimate atmosphere to share learners’ feelings and information through learning activities that encourage and give recognition to learner’s funds of knowledge. 

Horseshoe Classroom Arrangement and Funds of Knowledge.

In recent years building on what students bring to school and their strengths – funds of knowledge has been viewed as an effective teaching strategy. Gonzalez, Moll, and Amanti (2006) defines funds of knowledge as a concept focusing on the potential associated with learners experiences as members coming from diverse households. According to Gonzalez et al. Household are ‘repositories of knowledge’ and this knowledge of learners can be used in an English language learning environments to benefit the teaching and learning experience.

What I bring to the class with me!

Teachers can design language lessons around learner’s personal experiences and views especially to improve the learner’s productive skill speaking and arrange the classroom furniture to form a horseshoe to provide a space for the students to share their views, feelings and experiences. 

Depending on the technology availability learners can use the smart board, white/black board situated in front middle of the class to project and display visual images/drawings when delivering small speeches, presentations using the target language - English. Especially in English as a Second Language teaching settings where learners come from diverse ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds facilitating learners to have such a platform to share their experiences, beliefs and cultures create a sense of acceptance within the classroom environment.

Circular Seating Arrangement.

Circular seating arrangement is formed by arranging student's desks and chairs modifying the horseshoe to form a circle allowing room in the middle. Compared to the horseshoe armament, this arrangement model does not give priority to face the smart board/ whiteboard. Despite this difference, circular seating arrangement also create an intimate classroom environment. The teacher can place himself/herself among the learners to give more power and acceptance. However, in education settings where teacher centered education is the norm, the teacher can place his/her hair or stand in the middle of the circle. 

Teachers can use both horseshoe and circular seating arrangements to build the field when using the Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC) procedure to sequence the language lessons. This classroom arrangement model also will be useful during the Production stage when using the Practice Presentation Production (PPP) procedure for speaking activities. 


References.

Gonzalez, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (2006). Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms. Mahwah, N.J: Routledge.