A teacher has a lot of choice in their environment. I did cause a little problem my first couple of years when I moved my room. The class was all in rows with the computer facing the front of the room. I am a talker so I knew that students were going to talk. In an effort to promote collaboration and make projects easier, I changed the desks. The challenge came around the plugs. The plugs we use are on the floor and are spaced in separate rows mentality. I have always felt that collaboration and working together with peers is a strong reinforcement of lessons and ideas. I have been a follower of David Thornburg since meeting him in the late 1990s at the Technology in Education Conference in Colorado. His work on the Campfires in Cyberspace changed how I thought about teaching. The simple premise is that we have 4 learning environments. a Campfire, a Watering Hole, a Cave, and life. The Campfire is the traditional teaching with the teacher (elder) telling stories at the campfire. The Watering Hole was working with peers and sharing information and ideas like in a desert the way that a watering hole is an equal gathering space. The Cave is learning in isolation and with no outside influence. Life is simply the process of going through day-to-day experiences. One revelation that has come to me in the last few years is that when I would ask kids which way they like to learn, about 70 to 80% said in a cave. After the pandemic when it was the ultimate cave, the number is down to about 20%. I think a balance of styles is important to learn. We spend so much of our time trying to find that perfect balance in a classroom that we sometimes forget the student. I also reinforce to the students that even if they do not like a particular style, it is important to understand how they learn in a different setting to optimize their education.
The change-up of the desks showed me that there was still a way to go but they really do make better connections in these little pods. Instead of 1 or 2 people around to collaborate with, they have 5 to 7 that are within easy distance. It may not be the perfect approach but it seems to work for me. I encourage you to explore David Thornburg’s ideas in this document: https://dcdc.coe.hawaii.edu/ltec/612/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Thornburg-Campfires_in_Cyberspace.pdf
I also encourage you to look at the work of Marshall McLuhan. His work on the Media Theory is a cornerstone that still holds in today’s fast-paced social media environment. If he were still alive I know he would be having a great time as these new mediums come in and out of existence.