I teach French 8, 9, and 10 in British Columbia and I must admit – I LOVE seating plans for French language learning. Seating plans combined with effective desk arrangements can maximize engagement and effective language learning! Here is how you can increase engagement and learning via effective seating plans + desk arrangements for French language learning in your own classroom.
Before we begin – a little about my teaching situation
I teach high school Core French in British Columbia. I mainly teach French 8 (13-year-olds), French 9 (14-year-olds), and French 10 (15-year-olds). We also have individual desks at my school (not tables). Teachers are also not allowed to go without desks or have fancy alternative seating. Lastly, we also have a cap of 30 students in high school classrooms in my province.
If you are completely new to me, please do read this blog post that goes in-depth about my teaching philosophies which guide how I make seating plans and organize desk arrangements to maximize learning and engagement.
Why are seating plans AWESOME for French language learning?
I do not create seating plans to punish my students. Instead, I love seating plans for the following reasons :
- managing the energy of students (classroom management)
- facilitating new friendships based on personality
- ensuring shy students have people around them who will be kind (kindness + supporting risk-taking)
- making sure all students have a friend and/or peers they enjoy working with (collaboration = important for French language learning)
My seating plans have created so many best friends! Not only that, but I WANT my classroom to be a collaborative, fun space.
I also change up my seating plans quite frequently (every 2-3 weeks).
Effective desk arrangements for French language learning – let’s break down the different arrangements
In order to keep this blog post efficient, I am not going to share every single desk arrangement that exists out there. I am only sharing desk arrangements for French language learning that I have found to be effective in my practice. Hence why I am not including single rows – I absolutely despise them!
Desk arrangement #1 : The horseshoe shape
Background : this was the first seating arrangement that I loved. I had my desks arranged this way for years. There wasn’t enough space in my classroom for a true horseshoe shape, so I did need a small row of desks in the very middle.
Pros :
- tons of space in the middle of the classroom for interactions and activities
- all students sit next to at least two friends
- easy to keep certain students faaaar away from each other
- really great for student collaboration
- everyone gets to see the front board easily
Cons :
- students are elbow to elbow and this can sometimes cause conflict
- unfortunately, I also found that colds/flu would also spread easily among because students were so close to each other
- there can be A LOT of chatting depending on your class
- not everyone gets the chance to sit with a friend
Desk arrangement #2 : Horizontal rows
Background : I tried out horizontal rows for a very brief period of time during the 2021-2022 school year.
Pros :
- everyone faces the front of the classroom
- easy to ensure that everyone has a friend or two to sit with
Cons :
- it’s easy for students to hide their cell phones and be on them
- difficult for me to get in between horizontal rows to support students and answer questions
- very little space in the classroom for students to stand up and work on activities
- does not facilitate group or collaborative work (which is most of what I do) and therefore, we often had to change up the desks during class and then move them back
Desk arrangement #3 : Rows of twos
Background : when I first became a classroom teacher, this was my very first desk arrangement!
Pros :
- everyone faces the front of the classroom
- most kids get to sit with a friend
- easy to separate students who have a tough time sitting with friends and getting work done/making good choices
- easy for students to reorganize desks for group work
- ideal for facilitating new friendships
Cons :
- little to no room for whole-class stand-up activities and interactions
- very little room for me to walk around and support students
- I could NEVER tell where the talking was coming from and this drove me UP the wall
- students hiding their cell phones so well
- I felt bad for students who had to sit with peers who could not sit with friends (teachers – you know what I mean)
Desk arrangement #4 : Table groups of 3s and 4s
Background : this has been my desk arrangement for the 2022-2023 school year and I have LOVED it. Please do note though that I have had relatively calm classes. I can think of certain classes in previous school years that would not have been able to handle this much peer collaboration.
Pros :
- everyone gets to sit with a friend or two
- there is still tons of room for whole-class stand-up activities and interactions
- easy to facilitate new friendships
- a lot of space for me to walk around and answer questions
- I can very easily spot students on their phones
- really ideal for group work and group collaboration
Cons :
- some students have their backs to the board
Please feel free to let me know what desk arrangements you have found to be tried and tested for French language learning.
Hi Pav,
If you put the desks facing east/west or facing the side walls then no one has their backs to the front board. I use this a lot for collaborative group work but I also change up my seating based on the activity. I use a paired U for whole class work and sometimes we shove the desks to the walls and bring chairs to the middle – sometimes a circle and sometimes a U. I also have test formation which is straight rows. Students become familiar with the different arrangements and will help me move desks – I try to have the same arrangement for all my classes throughout the day but sometimes it´s not possible.