Teacher notes — Discussion & Debate
Should Schools Let Students Choose Their Own Class Seats?
- Pre-assign sides so the debate is roughly even. Letting students pick their own side usually means everyone picks "free choice" and the lesson dies in five minutes.
- Model the sentence frames on the board before pair prep. Weaker students will lean on "I think ___ because ___" the whole class, and that is fine.
- Keep the vote simple: a show of hands at the end works better than a worksheet.
- For a stronger class: add a third position, "mixed seating that changes every month", and ask students to design their own seating rule for the class as a closing task.