There is an entire philosophy behind the placement of furniture in the classroom. Time should be spent planning this out before the students enter the classroom the first time, and before each unit of instruction. The following is a list of ideas to help you plan and organize your furniture:

• student desks and chairs should be grouped to help gain space
• chairs that are stacked at the end of the day should be placed in an area that students can easily stack and unstack
• bookcases that are used a lot with key books should be in a quiet area: back
• supply centers (book resources and art supplies) should be either in the back or the side. I use labels to help students identify parts of the bookshelves.
  
• if you meet with pull out groups of students, an area should be predetermined
• teacher desk should be off to side and back
• podium should be moved from side to side in the front of the room if possible
• a surface area or two should be always available to place and prepare handouts (I use three-a rolling podium, a side computer bench/table that holds 4 computers but has a small space to one side, and an old rolling computer cart that is off to the back of the class for reading group materials near our meeting area).
• filing cabinets and wardrobes or cabinets should be in the back, side, or behind the teacher's desk
• walkways: at least two main aisles to the front of the room and enough room to walk the extreme edges of the room

As with class furniture, the way you set up your desks is important in many ways. If done correctly, you will maximize your classroom discipline system and limit interruptions.

If you have tables, you will have to adapt to the following "desk" strategy.

Some desks come with built in chairs. Some have separate chairs. Some classrooms (in relation to the "front" of the room) are horizontal, square, or rectangular. Adapt as needed.

For the best possible discipline, proximity control, and student engagement, follow these principles:

1. Arrange desks by your unit's needs. Never leave them in a configuration just because you always do; that's pointless. For example, early in the year I want to set the rules, tone, and pace of the class so I place my desks in rows (single desks or two by two). I want students to depend on me and follow a system. By the end of the year, we have multiple clusters of desks, an art center of desks, an actively used computer area, a resource area with a desk, and a meeting area of desks. My desks are arranged by pedagogical purpose: curricular and/or discipline management based.
2. The desks in the front of the room should be as close as possible to the chalk/dry erase/white board because the closer they are, the closer everyone is to the front of the room. This benefits instruction and classroom management.
3. Their should be at least two main walkways to the front of the room. It's amazing how this reduces distractions because not everyone will have to go the same way, every time, every day. I use two main walkways that are wide like park avenues, leaving me with just enough space to get by desks on the side.
   
4. The back of the room has a wide aisle. This allows small groups and individuals to work on the floor or in a wide area without distracting everyone.
5. When grouping, think across all classes from your smallest to largest classes. Try to align clusters of desks the closest you can to the front and in the center. If you have extra desks, place them on the fringes of the room and/or use them as group meeting areas.
   

It's important at some point to ask, "Why?"

Why do we need bulletin boards?
Why do we fill them up with certain materials?
Why do we have "that" poster in "that" spot?
Why do we have that kind of poster?

At some point....

I really believe, as part of my philosophy, that everything should have a purpose in the classroom that is clearly defined. It's important to have a clear idea as to why you use a bulletin board a certain way.

Bulletin Boards

• I use bulletin boards as interactive learning instruments. I place materials on them that the students have to regularly use or get information from.
• I also have the students create the bulletin board (with my general guidance). Sometimes I let them pick the topic within the unit's theme, or I have the material and they have to create it. I select one student for this class job, entitled, "Boards." They also get to clean the dry erase boards at the end of the block/day.
  

Posters

• I have three types of posters: content area, motivational, and organizational.
• I place the content area posters around the room next to current units. If they are resource-based (dictionary, grammar, parts of speech), I place them near the "resource" materials. For instance, the cursive letters are on the right side of the room where all students can easily look up from their work if they get stumped.
  
• I place the motivational posters in highly visible areas: one on the far wall opposite the main hallway door window, two in the front center of room, etc.
• I place organizational posters in different areas. The computer posters (how to log on, how to save, websites, etc.) over the computers, the behavioral management posters all over, and the Materials, Classroom procedure, and Binder sections posters right on the front wall.
  

Remember that like posters, some bulletin boards need to be changed on a regular basis to achieve current behavioral and academic goals (units-goals).

Double sided-poster to hang on the door when the class is out of the room, and to remind students of books.

A learning scale instead of a grading scale.

Classroom jobs that change every 4-6 weeks.

Materials that students should bring daily to class.

A list of content valuable activities to do when you don't know what you should do.

A list of ways to elaborate on any assignment (writing, project, reading response).

Binder sections that we use in their 3-ring binder.