Eltam journal no 2 8th eltam iatefl tesol international biannual conference managing teaching and learning

Classroom environment 

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83 
The physical environment that the teacher and the students are in has a great influence on how 
they learn and what the atmosphere in the classroom and between the students is. Setting up the 
classroom is more of a compromise between the students and the teacher to fulfill all the 
functions the teacher would ideally want, and to make a good learning atmosphere. Still, having 
a perfect situation and environment is a real rarity almost equal to impossible. There are many 
factors over which the teacher has control and which can help developing the classroom 
atmosphere, creativity and improve learning. 
The most important and fundamental feature is how teachers organize the classroom, how they 
place the tables and chairs, there is a multitude of choices a teacher has in organizing the 
classroom. The tables can be in rows or groups; the whiteboard can be in focus or out of focus; 
there can be a carpet area where the students can sit up close to each other or not. Ideally, the 
teachers would want more flexibility and adaptability in the classroom in terms of changing the 
arrangements and the teaching setting to increase the number of choices when preparing the 
class. A default arrangement where students sit in groups but can easily turn their chairs to see 
the board is preferable for all the teachers, but some classrooms are limited by desk top 
computers or heavy and massive tables which cannot be moved.
Encouraging good group work is fundamental for creative, enquiry-based learning, good 
learning atmosphere and group seating encourages cooperation and collaboration. If the tables 
are too big then students won`t be able to hear each other well or see resources they are using. 
Students lose concentration if they see something upside down or only a part of it because it is 
not clear enough or far away from them. When planning a group work teachers are advised to 
seat four children on a desk for two, so they can be closer to each other and have a better 
collaboration and communication and that will give better results in creating good learning 
atmosphere.
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