<p>After trying numerous seating arrangements—including rows, blocks, and U shapes—educator Jay Schauer stumbled on a desk layout that outperformed them all. Edutopia’s community took notice.

In this episode of School of Practice, Schauer walks listeners through the many benefits of arranging desks in L-shaped groups, including better communication, greater flexibility, and improved learning outcomes for students. Plus, we ask him how to adapt the setup for testing, tiny rooms, and a range of other real classroom challenges.

Related resources:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/flexible-classroom-seating-design">A Desk Layout Alternative to Rows and Circles</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/best-seating-arrangement-high-school-classrooms">A Strategic Approach to Seating Arrangements in High School</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/visual-essay/11-smart-student-desk-layouts">11 Smart Student Desk Layouts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543241230064">Research: Learning With Jigsaw: A Systematic Review Gathering All the Pieces of the Puzzle More Than 40 Years Later</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/video/boosting-student-belonging-jigsaw-technique/">Boosting Student Belonging With the Jigsaw Technique</a></li>
</ul>

How to Get Students to Ask for Help When They Need It

School of Practice, the first podcast from the team at Edutopia, brings you ready-to-use strategies to improve your teaching today. Join us for 15-minute episodes filled with smart, pedagogy-shifting advice—backed by research and test-driven by teachers just like you.