Classroom management in an ICT suite

Classroom management in an ICT suite

Classroom organisation and the use and appearance of the physical environment can have an enormous impact on the attitudes and behaviours of pupils. Significant improvements in learning can result from simple adjustments to aspects of the environment that are within the teacher's control. The design and arrangement of furniture and equipment in an ICT suite makes whole-class and group teaching more demanding without careful management.

Sometimes pupils need to move their chairs away from computer screens or to turn their monitors off if they are to concentrate on the main display in the classroom and engage with whole-class work and discussions. They should learn that not all ICT lessons involve working with computers, and that many will include a mix of activities, some at keyboards and some away from them. If the ICT suite does not have space and suitable furniture for collaborative work, consider grouping pupils around one machine. An alternative is to move to a classroom with a single computer and display and use it for demonstration and modelling, with interaction from groups of pupils.

Consider the position of an interactive whiteboard – the position should be such that pupils can be involved in the activity and gather around the board to facilitate group work. Teachers should look for alternative technologies if this is not possible.

Whenever possible, arrange equipment and furniture so that pupils have space for planning, drafting and any other written tasks. The impact of good teaching can be diminished by pupils not having sufficient space around the computer to place and manage their reference material, notes and so on.

There will be times when you want to group pupils for particular purposes (for example, for differentiated activities) to allow experienced computer users to assist the less experienced, to create single-sex groups or to separate pupils with behavioural problems. Pupils should not always expect to sit at the same machines, but to work in a different part of the room and on a different computer as appropriate. You will need to make sure that the network allows for this.