Using the Entire Classroom
I will admit that I am not always great at using the entire classroom, but definitely see the value in covering the entire classroom - or floating. If I am concentrating on a certain item or writing things on the board, I find that I end up staying close to or near the front. How do you keep yourself moving around the room?
Setting up the seats is a great way to have control over movement in class.
I agree that walking around the class while lecturing keeps the class engaged. I have changed and moved the desks in several class rooms to make it easier to get around
I am lucky to (usually) have small classes. And I teach design so it is a hands on process. But I find moving around the room and interacting with students individually keeps them on task and keeps the entire class in check because they never know when I will be over THEIR shoulder!
I find that moving around the classroom a much more effective way to engage the class as a whole. when lecturing from the front of the class, the students at the back of the class are more likely to become distracted from the lecture. Moving around the class makes the student have to keep track of where you are and they seem less prone to distraction.
Any opportunity I can create to step away from the front of the class during a lecture seems to increase the interaction between myself and the students.
