Setting Up for Conversations

One important aspect to take into consideration when having a classroom discussion is the set-up of the room. Through ENG 408 we have had most of our discussion in a circle and in my opinion that has truly helped our class to have more open, honest discussions about social, classroom, and media issues. Therefore, whenever I have classroom discussions with my future students I will create an atmosphere that allows them to talk with one another in a more personal setting. When you can see who you are talking to it makes the conversation more real, more worth talking about because you can see others reactions to the conversations. This type of discussion set-up is something that I have not had that much experience with other than in this class and because of it, I have learned so much more about how my peers interpret texts in different mediums.

We have discussed in our TE classes that the set-up of the classroom really contributes to how students learn the lesson of that day. It is important as a teacher to take into consideration how students would best learn the lesson that is being conducted, whether that is students working in groups, individually, presenting, or conducting group discussions.