Just Asking
Where is the research on u-shaped classrooms?
The New York City Department of Education is 'strongly' urging teachers to make their students"comfortable" in their classrooms by sitting on rugs, having a rocking chair, and sitting in chairs arranged in u-shapes. Where is the research which shows that u-shaped classroom seating improves learning?
After reading the emails concerning teaching styles, I too wondered if there were any studies which "proved" the value of teaching to students placed in rows, circles, or U shaped set ups. I surfed the Web for a few minutes and came up with the websites below on the issue, just to touch the topic.
I think that a 'good' teacher can give any student a great deal of skills and knowledge, while a teacher who does not care to teach well, or cant teach at all, will be helped by circles because then the students can talk among themselves and not have to focus on the teaching going on. My four kids can tell in a flash whether the teacher is good or bad and whether the set up of the room is to reflect or deflect from the teaching style. They are not fooled by this maneuver. I believe a far more important issue is the fact that Principals cannot give teachers bad reviews if they want to get them out of the building. I've also heard that New York City has the highest number of 3020a hearings in the country - anyone know if this is true?
Anyway, if anyone out there has any definitive study, or any other websites on the issue, I'd be interested.
Betsy Combier
solarmedia@aol.com
learning styles data for college students
Thinking styles - basically for adult learners
Howard Gardner and collaboration
Teaching styles and WWW
research into small groups
learning styles for new students
learning via a corporate model and with the community, "real" world
Gardner and cognitive Science
The Learning Curve, Cognition, history of teaching
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005704/content_teaching_it_styles.php3?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0920
After reading the emails concerning teaching styles, I too wondered if there were any studies which "proved" the value of teaching to students placed in rows, circles, or U shaped set ups. I surfed the Web for a few minutes and came up with the websites below on the issue, just to touch the topic.
I think that a 'good' teacher can give any student a great deal of skills and knowledge, while a teacher who does not care to teach well, or cant teach at all, will be helped by circles because then the students can talk among themselves and not have to focus on the teaching going on. My four kids can tell in a flash whether the teacher is good or bad and whether the set up of the room is to reflect or deflect from the teaching style. They are not fooled by this maneuver. I believe a far more important issue is the fact that Principals cannot give teachers bad reviews if they want to get them out of the building. I've also heard that New York City has the highest number of 3020a hearings in the country - anyone know if this is true?
Anyway, if anyone out there has any definitive study, or any other websites on the issue, I'd be interested.
Betsy Combier
solarmedia@aol.com
learning styles data for college students
Thinking styles - basically for adult learners
Howard Gardner and collaboration
Teaching styles and WWW
research into small groups
learning styles for new students
learning via a corporate model and with the community, "real" world
Gardner and cognitive Science
The Learning Curve, Cognition, history of teaching
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005704/content_teaching_it_styles.php3?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0920