Diagramming the Classroom Dynamic
- Diagramming the position of the faculty member in the room during the class will typically show one of three patterns:
- Purposeful movement to establish contact with all reasonably accessible areas of the room (ideal). Such movements increase the alertness of the students.
- Confinement to a small space, often near a lectern.
- Pacing back and forth across a constrained space without establishing purposeful contact. In this case impact on student alertness is minimized because of the repetitive nature of the movement.
- Similarly, Dan Meyers (Sociology) has shared the practice of diagramming verbal interactions to create a record of which students (or what locations in the classroom) are involved in discussions and whether there are any student-to-student interactions.
Departments that decide these types of information are important will want to include a space for diagraming movement and interaction on their forms.
