Proper arrangement of classroom space is important to encouraging
interaction. Today’s corporations hire human engineering specialists
and spend a considerate number of time and money to make sure that (1) ______
the physical environments of buildings are fit for the activities of
their inhabitants.
College classroom space, however, should be designed to (2) ______
encourage the activity of critical thinking. We are approaching to (3) ______
a new era, but step into almost any college classroom and you
step back on time at least a hundred years. Desks are normally in (4) ______
straight rows, so students can clearly see the teacher but not their (5) ______
classmates.
With a little imagination and effort, if desks are fixed to the floor, (6) ______
the teacher can correct this situation and create space what encourages (7) ______
interchanges among students. In small or standard-size classes, chairs and
desks can be arranged in various ways: circles, U-shapes, or semicircles.
The primary goal should be for everyone to see everyone else. Larger
classes, particularly those hold in lecture halls, unfortunately, allow much (8) ______
less flexibility.
Arrangement of the classroom should also make it easy to divide
students into small groups for problem-solving exercises. Small classes
with moving desks and tables present no problem. Even in large lecture (9) ______
halls, it is possible for students to turn around and form groups of four
to six. Breaking a class into small groups provides many opportunities (10) ______
for students to interact with each other.