A Flexible Seating Arrangement That Teachers Love

After trying numerous seating arrangements—including rows, blocks, and U shapes—educator Jay Schauer stumbled on a desk layout that outperformed them all. Edutopia’s community took notice.

In this episode of School of Practice, Schauer walks listeners through the many benefits of arranging desks in L-shaped groups, including better communication, greater flexibility, and improved learning outcomes for students. Plus, we ask him how to adapt the setup for testing, tiny rooms, and a range of other real classroom challenges.

Related resources:

• A Desk Layout Alternative to Rows and Circles
• A Strategic Approach to Seating Arrangements in High School
• 11 Smart Student Desk Layouts
• Research: Learning With Jigsaw: A Systematic Review Gathering All the Pieces of the Puzzle More Than 40 Years Later
• Boosting Student Belonging With the Jigsaw Technique