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In this action research， it analyzed the teaching outcomes achieved according to different seating arrangements from observations and data collected from three language classes from Hawaii Pacific University， USA. Moreover， it offers an opportunity for researchers to make a proposal of further research by comparing the recording of the students’ behavior in different seating environments and evaluating if students have enjoyed their classes.
Original Stimulus
I went to observe three different teachers’ classes at Hawaii Pacific University at Honolulu， USA. After the observation of those outstanding instructors， I was impressed by how those teachers arranged their classroom for different activities. More specifically， how they arranged the seats for students in ESL/EFL classes. As I saw in one beginning language class， the teacher arranged students to sit in several separate rows and never changed it. Similarly， in another writing classes， the teacher had the whole class unintentionally divided into two groups with a path in the middle and never changed. However， in the international education classes， the teacher changed the seating of the classes almost every time according to different classroom tasks.
The different seating arrangements affected teaching outcomes. Because of the traditional desk rows arrangement in the beginning language classes， I saw students sometimes playing on their cellphones， and sometimes dozing off in the class. Although it was better in the writing class， students sometimes appeared placid and lacking in interaction with the teacher and peers. On the contrary， in the international education classes， students were more focused on the class since they had to move around and sit in different places. For instance， they sometimes were seated in four or five clusters， sometimes in a semicircle， and sometimes in two horizontal lines. As an observer， I noticed that students in this class were strongly involved in the classroom activities and interacted with the teacher and their classmates constantly， which made a great impression on me.
When I look back on my previous career as an English teacher in a local college sin Tibet for years， I never really thought about the effects of the arrangement of the physical classroom environment. When arranging the seating for my students in a class， I would mostly put them into traditional desk rows， no matter if it were a listening or speaking class. In other words， it was a traditional classroom with students facing forward toward the teacher and the blackboard in either horizontal or vertical rows. Part of the reason for this classroom arrangement was that there were usually 50-60 students in a class and it was hard to arrange them into different seating patterns. Another reason was that I， as the classroom manager， was not sure what kind of seating arrangement was suitable for certain classroom activities. I never considered that various student-seating arrangements could make it easier for the teacher to accomplish his or her teaching goals and manage student discipline issues. Therefore， I want to explore seating arrangements for different classroom activities. It will definitely be a benefit for students to reach their study goals， and also make it easier for the teacher to have better control of any student misbehavior in class. Narrowed Topic- Focus
Observing the seating arrangements for different classroom activities has aroused my interest in this topic. It is a main part in a teacher’s plan for classroom management. Not only do teachers need to consider the seating arrangement for the room but also the nature of the students involved. I want to explore five main patterns of seating arrangements for listening and speaking class activities. They are： clusters， desk rows， table rows， semi-circle， and pairs. If I can judge the appropriateness of seating arrangements for certain activities， it will help to facilitate a teacher’s instruction and students’ learning as effectively as possible. To be specific， a teacher should be able to arrange different seating patterns of students in order to achieve specific teaching goals. Students should be able to interact more frequently with the teacher and peers and the number of behavioral problems should decrease.
Motivation
A good arrangement of the physical environment of a classroom is one way to improve teaching and learning outcomes. The physical arrangement can affect the behavior of both students and teachers. When I was teaching in Tibet， sometimes it felt very hard to control students’ behavior in the classroom； I spent a lot of time on discipline. The students who sat in the front of the class or near to me tended to interact more frequently with me and were more involved in classroom activities. However， students who sat far from me tended to have increased behavior problems. Others who sat in the corners or the back of the room were more likely to be off task than those who sat near my desk. What can I do to improve the effectiveness of my teaching and save limited class time？ Obviously， a good and appropriate seating arrangement will benefit a lot. A well-arranged seating environment tends to improve a teacher’s instruction and students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. It is also a way to more effectively manage instruction because it triggers fewer behavior problems and establishes a climate conducive to learning. However， if seating is not properly organized to support the type of schedule and activities a teacher has planned， it can impede the functioning of the day as well as limit what and how students learn.
Literature Review
According to Paul （2006）， “Successful teachers are often very effective managers of the classroom environment. They create a positive learning community where students are actively involved in their own learning and the management of the classroom. They organize the physical environment … and interact with others when needed” （p. 2）. Seating patterns are one of the most important of classroom arrangements. It is the spatial arrangement of the classroom. It refers to where students are seated， where relationships between a teacher and students are established， how people move around the room， and the whole atmosphere and order of the classroom. So what is well-arranged classroom seating？ Stewart and Evans （1997） held the same believe as Walker， Colvin and Ramsey （1995） and Walker
Original Stimulus
I went to observe three different teachers’ classes at Hawaii Pacific University at Honolulu， USA. After the observation of those outstanding instructors， I was impressed by how those teachers arranged their classroom for different activities. More specifically， how they arranged the seats for students in ESL/EFL classes. As I saw in one beginning language class， the teacher arranged students to sit in several separate rows and never changed it. Similarly， in another writing classes， the teacher had the whole class unintentionally divided into two groups with a path in the middle and never changed. However， in the international education classes， the teacher changed the seating of the classes almost every time according to different classroom tasks.
The different seating arrangements affected teaching outcomes. Because of the traditional desk rows arrangement in the beginning language classes， I saw students sometimes playing on their cellphones， and sometimes dozing off in the class. Although it was better in the writing class， students sometimes appeared placid and lacking in interaction with the teacher and peers. On the contrary， in the international education classes， students were more focused on the class since they had to move around and sit in different places. For instance， they sometimes were seated in four or five clusters， sometimes in a semicircle， and sometimes in two horizontal lines. As an observer， I noticed that students in this class were strongly involved in the classroom activities and interacted with the teacher and their classmates constantly， which made a great impression on me.
When I look back on my previous career as an English teacher in a local college sin Tibet for years， I never really thought about the effects of the arrangement of the physical classroom environment. When arranging the seating for my students in a class， I would mostly put them into traditional desk rows， no matter if it were a listening or speaking class. In other words， it was a traditional classroom with students facing forward toward the teacher and the blackboard in either horizontal or vertical rows. Part of the reason for this classroom arrangement was that there were usually 50-60 students in a class and it was hard to arrange them into different seating patterns. Another reason was that I， as the classroom manager， was not sure what kind of seating arrangement was suitable for certain classroom activities. I never considered that various student-seating arrangements could make it easier for the teacher to accomplish his or her teaching goals and manage student discipline issues. Therefore， I want to explore seating arrangements for different classroom activities. It will definitely be a benefit for students to reach their study goals， and also make it easier for the teacher to have better control of any student misbehavior in class. Narrowed Topic- Focus
Observing the seating arrangements for different classroom activities has aroused my interest in this topic. It is a main part in a teacher’s plan for classroom management. Not only do teachers need to consider the seating arrangement for the room but also the nature of the students involved. I want to explore five main patterns of seating arrangements for listening and speaking class activities. They are： clusters， desk rows， table rows， semi-circle， and pairs. If I can judge the appropriateness of seating arrangements for certain activities， it will help to facilitate a teacher’s instruction and students’ learning as effectively as possible. To be specific， a teacher should be able to arrange different seating patterns of students in order to achieve specific teaching goals. Students should be able to interact more frequently with the teacher and peers and the number of behavioral problems should decrease.
Motivation
A good arrangement of the physical environment of a classroom is one way to improve teaching and learning outcomes. The physical arrangement can affect the behavior of both students and teachers. When I was teaching in Tibet， sometimes it felt very hard to control students’ behavior in the classroom； I spent a lot of time on discipline. The students who sat in the front of the class or near to me tended to interact more frequently with me and were more involved in classroom activities. However， students who sat far from me tended to have increased behavior problems. Others who sat in the corners or the back of the room were more likely to be off task than those who sat near my desk. What can I do to improve the effectiveness of my teaching and save limited class time？ Obviously， a good and appropriate seating arrangement will benefit a lot. A well-arranged seating environment tends to improve a teacher’s instruction and students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. It is also a way to more effectively manage instruction because it triggers fewer behavior problems and establishes a climate conducive to learning. However， if seating is not properly organized to support the type of schedule and activities a teacher has planned， it can impede the functioning of the day as well as limit what and how students learn.
Literature Review
According to Paul （2006）， “Successful teachers are often very effective managers of the classroom environment. They create a positive learning community where students are actively involved in their own learning and the management of the classroom. They organize the physical environment … and interact with others when needed” （p. 2）. Seating patterns are one of the most important of classroom arrangements. It is the spatial arrangement of the classroom. It refers to where students are seated， where relationships between a teacher and students are established， how people move around the room， and the whole atmosphere and order of the classroom. So what is well-arranged classroom seating？ Stewart and Evans （1997） held the same believe as Walker， Colvin and Ramsey （1995） and Walker