Does your school/grade put the desks in large tables?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you OP. I don't see it as an issue of the teachers not teaching, but having the desks facing each other in groups of 6-8 is so distracting. All I hear about is the kids chatting and gossiping when they should be working. Back in my day (ha!) the desks were all in a row and you stared at the back of someone's head. I may not be as into teamwork because of it but our classes were much better behaved than what I hear from my kids. How do you not talk when facing each other in a group - it's just human nature.

Back in my day in elementary school, which is probably farther back than back in your day in elementary school, the desks were in groups. Or we didn't even have desks, just tables. This is not a recent innovation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean do teachers never teach to the class anymore? I volunteer and these groups of kids just talk and goof off. No one is really facing the front if the class, but I guess the teacher really doesn’t need their attention at once. I just find the set up very distracting during “busy” work.

There are lots of ways to teach that don't involve the teacher lecturing from the front of the classroom to rows of students.

In MCPS the only ways to teach are chromebooks and busy work. I never see teachers teach to the whole class anymore.

Is that based on the nanny cam you have set up in your children's classrooms? WTF? The whole reason MCPS pushed for Chromebooks was because students have to take PARCC online. If we still took MSA on paper there wouldn't be as much of a need for Chromebooks. Not every teacher just throws their kids on Chromebooks all day.

You obviously haven't been in a classroom lately. Grades 3-5th all get their own chromebook and yes, they use all day except for part of math. They can play games on it too. Try finishing your work when the kid next to you (a foot away because the desks are right next to each other) is laughing and playing some fun game on the chromebook. Trust me, it is extremely distracting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you OP. I don't see it as an issue of the teachers not teaching, but having the desks facing each other in groups of 6-8 is so distracting. All I hear about is the kids chatting and gossiping when they should be working. Back in my day (ha!) the desks were all in a row and you stared at the back of someone's head. I may not be as into teamwork because of it but our classes were much better behaved than what I hear from my kids. How do you not talk when facing each other in a group - it's just human nature.

When I was in elementary school in the 90s, we had the desks pushed together into groups. Whether the kids listen has much more to do with the teacher and the material than the arrangement of the desks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see my children’s teachers teach to the whole class with some regularity but they do it on the rug not with kids at their desks.

Same here. They frequently all go to the rug for a whole-class lesson or discussion. they're up and down from the rug and their desks all day, from what I've seen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean do teachers never teach to the class anymore? I volunteer and these groups of kids just talk and goof off. No one is really facing the front if the class, but I guess the teacher really doesn’t need their attention at once. I just find the set up very distracting during “busy” work.

There are lots of ways to teach that don't involve the teacher lecturing from the front of the classroom to rows of students.

In MCPS the only ways to teach are chromebooks and busy work. I never see teachers teach to the whole class anymore.

Is that based on the nanny cam you have set up in your children's classrooms? WTF? The whole reason MCPS pushed for Chromebooks was because students have to take PARCC online. If we still took MSA on paper there wouldn't be as much of a need for Chromebooks. Not every teacher just throws their kids on Chromebooks all day.

You obviously haven't been in a classroom lately. Grades 3-5th all get their own chromebook and yes, they use all day except for part of math. They can play games on it too. Try finishing your work when the kid next to you (a foot away because the desks are right next to each other) is laughing and playing some fun game on the chromebook. Trust me, it is extremely distracting.

+1

[Anonymous]

Soon enough the kids won't distract each other whatever the classroom setting is since they are going to all facing and INTO their own Chromebook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you OP. I don't see it as an issue of the teachers not teaching, but having the desks facing each other in groups of 6-8 is so distracting. All I hear about is the kids chatting and gossiping when they should be working. Back in my day (ha!) the desks were all in a row and you stared at the back of someone's head. I may not be as into teamwork because of it but our classes were much better behaved than what I hear from my kids. How do you not talk when facing each other in a group - it's just human nature.

When I was in elementary school in the 90s, we had the desks pushed together into groups. Whether the kids listen has much more to do with the teacher and the material than the arrangement of the desks.

I don't even remember desks being put in tables except for K class, but I went to school in NJ.

Why not just give the classes tables then? I would think it would be much more cost effective and save room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you OP. I don't see it as an issue of the teachers not teaching, but having the desks facing each other in groups of 6-8 is so distracting. All I hear about is the kids chatting and gossiping when they should be working. Back in my day (ha!) the desks were all in a row and you stared at the back of someone's head. I may not be as into teamwork because of it but our classes were much better behaved than what I hear from my kids. How do you not talk when facing each other in a group - it's just human nature.

When I was in elementary school in the 90s, we had the desks pushed together into groups. Whether the kids listen has much more to do with the teacher and the material than the arrangement of the desks.

I don't even remember desks being put in tables except for K class, but I went to school in NJ.

Why not just give the classes tables then? I would think it would be much more cost effective and save room.

PP here. I was in NY for ES, FWIW. We kept our stuff in our desks, so having tables would have meant needing to find another place to keep our notebooks and whatnot.

[Anonymous]

I work in an MCPS elementary school - at least in the younger grades, it's very common for the teachers to call all the kids to sit on the carpet for some group instructions or a lesson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean do teachers never teach to the class anymore? I volunteer and these groups of kids just talk and goof off. No one is really facing the front if the class, but I guess the teacher really doesn’t need their attention at once. I just find the set up very distracting during “busy” work.

There are lots of ways to teach that don't involve the teacher lecturing from the front of the classroom to rows of students.

In MCPS the only ways to teach are chromebooks and busy work. I never see teachers teach to the whole class anymore.

Is that based on the nanny cam you have set up in your children's classrooms? WTF? The whole reason MCPS pushed for Chromebooks was because students have to take PARCC online. If we still took MSA on paper there wouldn't be as much of a need for Chromebooks. Not every teacher just throws their kids on Chromebooks all day.

You obviously haven't been in a classroom lately. Grades 3-5th all get their own chromebook and yes, they use all day except for part of math. They can play games on it too. Try finishing your work when the kid next to you (a foot away because the desks are right next to each other) is laughing and playing some fun game on the chromebook. Trust me, it is extremely distracting.

Well I teach 4th grade in MCPS so I can tell you that my students are not on their Chromebooks all day. It definitely comes down to the individual teachers and how they manage the use of tech in their classrooms. It has to be purposeful or it won't fly with my administration and staff development teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 38 and classrooms were set up like this (in table groups) when I was in ES. Besides, OP, the new thing is flexible seating with a variety of options. Desks placed on risers with stools instead of chairs, tables, lap desks, cushions, floor mats, etc etc. Bet you’d love that!

Primary teacher here and flexible seating is a joke.

I'm sorry it hasn't worked for you. In my building, the 4th and 5th grade teachers are seeing a lot of success with it. It's about accountability for your own learning and workspace. Those concepts might be too vague or complex for the primary set.

[Anonymous]

I work with a 2nd grade teacher who implemented flex seating really well.