Julia's+Classroom+Arrangement

This room arrangement has the 16 desks in groups so all students are perpendicular to the board. Lab benches are on the outside of the room arrangement and are unmovable. There is a chalkboard at the front of the classroom and there is a long teachers lab bench in front of the chalkboard. Both of these things are permanent fixtures. This room arrangement has only 15 desks, many students choosing to sit at lab benches if there is not enough seats. All permanent fixtures are the same as the above classroom set up, the only change being where desk have been put.
 * Students can easily see the teacher when the teacher is at the board, sitting at either the desks or lab benches. A visibility problem might come in if teacher gives instruction from the center of the room since four students will have their back to the teacher.
 * Teacher has a good view of all students and since they are in groups has a smaller space they have to watch.
 * Teaching supplies are within easy reach of both the teacher and students. Most worksheet can be kept right on the teachers lab bench, while lab supplies are kept in the many storage cases around the room.
 * Students can easily see the board from where they are sitting. While doing a lab all students will be standing at lab benches and can move around if any instructions are written that they can't see.
 * High traffic areas, the doors and areas around the lab benches are mostly clear. The doors have easy access but lab bench are close together, but since they are unmovable this can not be helped.
 * All students can see the teacher when teacher is either at the board or teaching in front of the teachers lab bench. If teacher is teaching at a lab bench other then their own students will have to move to gain better visibility.
 * Students can also see the board in order to take notes. The only students who could have poor visibility would be those sitting behind the three desks in the middle.
 * Teacher has a good view of students since the are contained in the center of the classroom. Visibility problems could happen if students are sitting at the lab benches closes to the front of the room, if teacher is instructing from the center these lab benches would be behind them. In order to help this teacher could instruct students to not sit at these two benches during instructions.
 * Teaching supplies are within easy reach of both the teacher and students. Most worksheet can be kept right on the teachers lab bench, while lab supplies are kept in the many storage cases around the room.
 * High traffic areas, the doors and areas around the lab benches are mostly clear. The doors have easy access but lab bench are close together, but since they are unmovable this can not be helped.

The two shown room arrangements are very similar since the only things that are able to move in the science lab are the desks. Most students change the setup of the room to work for them when they enter the classroom. The lab is set up poorly and has hardly any working equipment. All of the science labs in the school are set up like this, desks in the middle and lab benches on the outside. My hope is that the teachers are able to help design where the permanent fixtures are going to be when they build the new school.