Classroom Setup for Partnering Pedagogy

In Taiwan, the common setup of classrooms is parallel rows of desks and seats, which aims to send a message to students that obedience and respect for authority are two virtues they are expected to develop in school. When I was a student, I disliked never-ending lecture and sitting there taking notes all the time. I would like to see my classroom arranged in a way that facilitates cooperation, communication, and interaction. Before moving around desks and chairs, you should bear in mind that any setup is not supposed to be permanent. The arrangement depends on the purposes of different activities. Co-deciding with your students on the setup is an important step to show them that you are serious about partnering. 

I, for example, would choose inside horseshoe arrangement (figure 2.4) at the beginning of my class and post guiding questions (say, the pros and cons of using fossil oil) for my students to investigate individually or in groups with the help of computers. After 30 minutes, I would ask my students to rearrange their chairs into a circle (figure 2.3) so that they can face each other with a sense of equality and being respected, and start to share their own findings, while questioning others’. My role will be a mediator to facilitate children’s discussion and summarize and comment on their findings in the end.

Following are some figures offering you ideas about the possible arrangement of partnering model:








References
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. London: Sage Publishers.