128 Part II: Putting Your Lesson Together
Arranging the room
When it comes to tables and chairs, each style has its own advantages. I
show you the various types of arrangements and talk about their good and
bad points in the next sections.
Circling the horseshoe
The most popular layout is a horseshoe formation, shown in Figure 9-1.
Figure 9-1:
The horse-
shoe puts
you at the
centre of
attention.
Teacher
Board
Individual chair (or desk and chair)
Key
The advantage of this layout is that everyone in the room can easily see
everyone else and the board. In addition, students usually have room to
stand in the middle for more energetic activities.
This layout gives an informal atmosphere to the class but is not for very
large groups (much more than 20). It functions well when students work only
from their chairs (without a desk) or with tablet chairs (where a mini-desk is
attached to the chair).
Grouping students together
Another style, shown in Figure 9-2, is particularly suited to group work. In
this case students work at a desk in pairs or fours.
