MrCicardo Arranged His Second Grade Students in Groups of Four

Essay

Mr.Cicardo arranged his second grade students in groups of four to accommodate group work for math.Students keep their desks in this arrangement at all times.During spelling tests,Mr.Cicardo reminds students to look only at their papers and demonstrate their individual ability to spell the words.Occasionally,he finds students looking at a neighbor's paper anyway.During language arts lessons,Mr.Cicardo often sees students mouthing messages to one another in their groups,and he reminds them to pay attention to the lesson.When Mr.Cicardo works with small reading groups,the rest of the class works on independent seatwork.This is a time when students often collaborate and talk with others seated nearby.The noise is distracting to students who are working quietly,and it disturbs the reading group being conducted.So,Mr.Cicardo frequently needs to remind students that this is independent work,not group work.
Describe specific changes Mr.Cicardo might make in both classroom arrangement and classroom procedures to improve the learning environment and increase academic learning time.