Why is the arrangement of desks and chairs important in

the ESL/EFL classroom?

Classroom arrangement fosters the interaction patterns:

teacher to student, student to teacher, and student to student. Furniture
can get in the way of interaction between the teacher and the students,
even when effective teachers plan specific activities that promote
interaction despite the seating arrangement.

Are there learning activities for which the traditional

classroom seating arrangement is the most appropriate?

No, because both teachers and students need to be able to move

around the classroom for various activities. Furniture can get in the way
of interaction between the teacher and the students. If there is a desk or
a lectern behind which the teacher sits or stand, it could be a real barrier
between the educator and the students.

1)The semi circle arrangement

The semi circle arrangement is ideal to work with groups in order to

make them participate in the learning process. Students can easily get
off the chair to participate maybe on a skit or to communicate with the
teacher. They are sitting side-by-side each other and not one in front of
the other. This way they all have the same view of what the teacher is
writing on the board or explaining to the class.
This arrangement is perfect for children sitting on the floor it makes them
feel more comfortable and relaxed.
Chairs arranged in a circle or semicircle promote unity and encourage all
students to participate “everyone sits in the front row” it also allows the
instructor to see everyone from a distance and communicate easier with
students including everyone in the room. There is no table in middle
therefore people can speak directly to each other creating equality
among the group with no designated leader position.

Interaction is greatly facilitated in this seating arrangement allowing for a

more natural construct in which to communicate as an entire unit.
Students are naturally engage as they feel part of a larger group instead
of just a single speck within a large frame. Also, the educator can occupy
the centre of the group to do experiments or demonstrations so students
can easily see and be engaged by the lesson. Another benefit to this
arrangement, the teacher can use a talking instrument, such as a stick,
and pass it around the group and have the student holding the item talk.
This gives everyone an opportunity to speak and really encourages the
others to listen as they are looking eye to eye with the speaker. The
semi circle is one of the easiest to work with and allows for easy
movement between seats and the whiteboard, for example. Sometimes
you will just want to rearrange the students' seats for one particular
activity. For example, a telephone call role-play activity done in pair work
with the seats back-to-back, and then afterwards re-assemble everyone
back into the regular configuration.

2)Students sitting in small groups

Interaction with cluster seating is a little different than semi circle
arrangement seating. In this sitting arrangement the students participate
as part of a large community. With cluster seating, students listen to
instruction as in traditional row seating, but operate within a small
community. This can be beneficial to shy students or students who wish
not to talk in a larger group. Also, the smaller group allows students an
opportunity to formulate beliefs, receive feedback in a relatively safe
confine of a few, and practice voicing their thoughts before opening up to
the whole class. In this way, interaction can first be within a smaller safe
area before moving to a larger area. In small groups, the interaction can
be more authentic as it is far more personal with a few students than
expressing an idea in front of many and having the constraints of group
dynamics. This safety encourages more interaction from shy students
who may never be active in a larger group setting.

This two sitting arrangements show us the contrast on which to use

depending on how we can make all students participate and learn
considering their personalities. These sometimes can get on the way
between the willing to learn and the social barriers we find in real life.