Teachers, what seating pattern has worked best for you in the classroom?

Question

And why?

Answer 1

This is gonna sound awful, but rows and columns.  Aka the standard setup.

And I tried them all:  

U-shaped or semi-circle, which is great for discussion but unfortunately classrooms are not large/wide enough to do this in one circle and everyone gets crammed together or you create a second, back row where the kids feel left out.

Groups of 3, 4 or 5 resulted in awkward arrangements difficult for me to maneuver around, in addition to rampant cheating and wandering eyes during testing, and also time spent figuring out the chemistry of the groups I chose.

Splitting the room in two sections with them facing each other, which resulted in lots of "us vs. them" debates -- almost an aggressiveness at times, and an awkwardness as many kids really don't like to look others in the eyes.  I often stood in the middle, waiting for people to respond, while the kids on each side just stared at each other, hoping someone on the other side of the room would raise his/her hand.

The standard setup allowed me to move up and down rows easily, stand at the back and see everyone during testing, keep each student contained in his or her own little "space" for lecture purposes, plus they could still easily push desks together when I wanted them to work in groups.

Answer 2

I find the grouping the desks together in sets of 4 to 5 work best for me.  It makes it easy for students to share and help each other too.

Answer 3

I think there is a reason classes have been arranged in rows of students facing the front of the room for decades.  I have tried so many different methods and keep coming back to the traditional set up.  

However, I do have my students form an oval for some class discussions and Paideia seminars.

Answer 4

Call me a rebel, but all the desks in my room are in one horizontal row. No one sits in front of anyone. No one sits behind anyone. My students are not well behaved and this is the most effective arrangement.

Answer 5

I put them in groups of four. Four desks are together and they usually do partner work. I find this seating arrangement helps develop friendships and are a more fun way to be seated. I change them every 2 weeks for purposes such as students are unhappy with seating, and kids get bored of sitting with the same people.