As the new school year arrives, odds are good that you have spent at least a few moments considering your classroom seating arrangement. You can always go with the time honored “put them in rows and move students as problems arise” method, but we’ve seen some great ideas and tips around the web that we would like to share.

• Incorporate some “active” seating – buy a yoga ball or two and keep them around for the kids that always seem to have excess energy.
• Turn seating into a learning game – one website talked about a math teacher who turned her classroom into a coordinate plane, and gave students equations or a point in the graph in order to help them find their seat. How fun for her students!
• Incorporate a quiet space – Some students might find themselves overwhelmed by the classroom environment, especially if you have a large class size. If you have the space, consider creating a small decompression zone where kids can have peace and quiet with a book for a few moments.

Also, a few other things to keep in mind:

• Make sure your layout allows for easy movement around the desks.
• Make sure you can see all students. You don’t want anyone hiding in the back and getting left out.
• Be flexible. You might think you have a brilliant idea for arranging your classroom, but discover very quickly that it doesn’t work. Rearrange! Or perhaps you get halfway through the year and your kids need something to freshen them up. Try something else! Seating arrangements are (mercifully) not set in stone and flexibility will go a long way toward helping you find something that works best for you and your students.

How do you like to arrange your classroom? For those of you PowerSchool users, PowerSchool 7.2 came with a seating chart feature that you really should check out!

Our ‘Classroom Arrangement Ideas’ board on Pinterest has additional inspiration!  Also, you can read more tips and ideas HERE and HERE.