SEATING ARRANGEMENTS FOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
*************************  Appendix H - Seating  *************************

		Appendix Eight for A System Approach To Training
			by Donald Clark copyright 1997
		http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd.html
			donclark@nwlink.com


Note: Even if the activities of the learning session do not require
changing the seating rearrangements, there are several reasons to do so:
	* Learners are given a new perspective on the activity
	  by sitting in a different part of the room.
	* They get better acquainted with their peers.
	* Learners are not consistently "punished" by being at
	  greater distances from the screen or speakers.
	* Small cliques do not arise - there is nothing wrong with
	  cliques but in some cases they can become a problem by
	  forcing their norms or agendas upon the entire group.
________________________________________________________________________

Traditional Seating - Best used for short lectures to large groups

	O  O  O  O  O  O  O
	O  O  O  O  O  O  O
	O  O  O  O  O  O  O
	O  O  O  O  O  O  O
	O  O  O  O  O  O  O

	         X

* Communication tends to be one way
* Trainer cannot see the learners in the back
________________________________________________________________________

Modified Traditional -  There is more participation

	          O O O O           O O O O
	           O O O O         O O O O
	            O O O O       O O O O
	             O O O O     O O O O
	              O O O O   O O O O

	                      X

* Allows the trainer to see all the learners
* Reduces space between trainer and learners as trainer can move up aisle
* Best used for short lectures to large groups
________________________________________________________________________

Horseshoe - Nonverbally encourages participation by allowing eye contact
	    between the trainer and all the learners

	O  O  O  O  O
	O           O
	O           O
	O           O
	      X

* The trainer is able to move closer to each learner
* Works well when all learners must be able to see a demonstration
* Works good when learners will be involved in large group discussions
________________________________________________________________________

Modular - Learners can work in small groups on exercises and projects

	  O	 	 O
	 ----	----	----
	O|  |O  |  |O  O|  |O
	O|  |  O|  |O   |  |O
	 ----	----	----
	  O
	 ----		----
	O|  |O 	       O|  |O
	O|  |          O|  |O
	 ----		----
	                 O
	          X

* Communication between trainer and learners is more difficult
* Trainer must move between groups during lectures and activities
* Good for courses that require a lot of group work
________________________________________________________________________

Circle - Most democratic and unencumbered with no status symbol

	          O O
	         O   O
	          O O

* With no table each person is "totally revealed"
* Subtle nonverbal communications are possible
* Good for T-groups and sensitivity training
* There will be conversations, shorter inputs, and more members will
  participate, when they sit at a round table rather than at a square table
________________________________________________________________________

Square - More formality than a circle

	   Solid                Hole in middle
	 O  O  O  O		 O  O  O  O
	 ----------		 ----------
	O|        |O		O| ------ |O
	O|        |O		O| |    | |O
	O|        |O		O| |    | |O
	O|        |O		O| ------ |O
	 ----------		 ----------
	 O  O  O  O		 O  O  O  O

* Nobody can see all the faces of the other participants
* Depending where visual aids are placed, one side may become the
  "head of the table"
* A solid table seems to encourage conversation
* With a hole in the middle, some people do not speak at all, and some
  who do speak tend to talk for longer periods of time
________________________________________________________________________

Rectangle - Fewer people can communicate face-to-face

	 O  O  O  O  O  O
	 ----------------
	O|              |O
	O|              |O
	 ----------------
	 O  O  O  O  O  O

* The seats at the short dimensions of the table are often seen as
  leadership positions (because the father sat at the head?)
* If used, the learners should be forced to take distinctly different
  positions every now and then (i.e. randomly shift the name cards)
________________________________________________________________________

Scatter shot - seems extremely haphazard but good for experiential training

	O O         O
	 O      O   O O
	   O   O O       O
	  O O      O    O O
                  O O

* Permits quick change of learner focus
* Produces tremendous investments of learner energy
* Works well with multiple role plays
* Can quickly form into large groups
* Bad for note taking