Re: [seul-edu] Math teachers...

[lp <prevettl@cochise.cc.az.us>]

Emilio Gerardo Milian wrote:
> 
> As a teacher of over 22 years, I don't agree 100% regarding seeing the
> back of students heads.
> I want to see their face and I want them to see me. Of course I'm
> teaching adults not teen-agers.
> If you are dealing with teen-agers perhaps you do want to see their
> screens.
> This is something that bugs me, because at school we have the room set
> up facing away from the teacher.
> But if you go to professional seminars and adult classes, you will see
> that the students face the teacher, not away from the teacher. So I have
> to go to the back of the room so I can see the students faces and ask
> questions to each of them.  Sorry but you hit my "button" and I had to
> respond with my opinion.

Yes, and sometimes you get into situations where the chairs are in all
different directions around a cubicle because of cabling or power
supplies
or something. What I really should have said is that you need to think
about all the possible needs and plan the layout carefully. Because it
is 
aggravating when a classroom is designed poorly or cannot be adjusted 
to fit some activity. 

For instance, sometimes you might want (or have to) accomodate two
students 
on one computer for some reason.

Other questions to be considered are handicapped access, future
expansions,
safety considerations - if you've got electrical equipment in a
chemistry
lab near a gas source, then you might be violating OSHA standards. If
you
are going to be doing experiments with liquids, you might want to get
some
kind of cover for the keyboards. The considerations go on and on ...


L. Prevett
Mathematics Instructor
Cochise College, Sieera Vista, AZ
prevettl@cochise.cc.az.us