How does your teacher make you sit—in rows or in groups? How would you like to sit?Does sitting in rows make you feel good or does it make you feel lonely? Do you feel that sitting in a group and discussing things makes you learn more in an easier way?
In the last 30 years or so, experts on teaching methods have thought about these questions.They felt that sitting in rows was not very useful to children, and that they learnt easier and better when they sat around a table in a group. That way, they could also learn to get along with others and exchange ideas easily.
However, it seems they were not quite right. At least Nigel Hastings, professor of Nottingham Trent University.does not think so. He has been researching classroom behavior for the last 20 years in England.His conclusion(结论）is that children work much better when they sit in rows than sitting around in groups.
His study found that students wasted a lot of time talking when they were placed in groups. When children were made to sit singly or in pairs and not in groups as they were used to, they were more attentive(专注的)to their work.
Right now,most primary school students in England are seated in groups of four and six. according to Sunday Times. So the report of Nigel's study could make a big difference to how they will sit and learn.
1.Why did some experts think sitting in groups was better?__________________________________________________________________________________2.What's the conclusion of Nigel's study?__________________________________________________________________________________3.What happened when students sat in groups in Nigel's study?__________________________________________________________________________________4.How are the most pupils in England seated nowadays?__________________________________________________________________________________5.Would you like to sit in groups or in rows? Why?__________________________________________________________________________________
1.Because they felt that students learnt easier and better when they sat in a group. 根据第二段第二句“They felt that sitting in rows was not very useful to children, and that they learnt easier and better when they sat around a table in a group.”可知，专家们认为，按排坐对孩子们来说没有多大用处，而当他们围坐在一张桌子旁时，他们学得更容易、更好。故一些专家认为按小组坐更好，是因为他们认为按小组坐时学生们学得更容易、更好。2. Children work much better when they sit in rows than sitting in groups. 根据第三段最后一句“His conclusion is that children work much better...than sitting in groups.”可知，Nigel Hastings的结论是，孩子们按排坐时比按小组坐学得更好。3. They wasted a lot of time talking. 根据倒数第二段第一句“His study found that students wasted a lot of time talking when they were placed in groups.”可知，在Nigel的研究中，当孩子们按小组坐时,他们浪费了很多时间用来交谈。4. They are seated in groups of four and six.根据最后一段第一句中的“Right now,most primary school students in England are seated ingroups of four and six”可知，目前，英国的大部分小学生是按四人或者六人一组分组坐的。5.I like to sit in rows because it helps me focus on what the teacher is teaching.(答案不唯一，合理即可）长难句分析原句：（第二段第二句)They felt that sitting in rows was not very useful to children, and that they learnt easier and better when they sat around a table in a group.译文：他们认为，按排坐对孩子们来说没有多大用处，而当他们围坐在一张桌子旁时，他们学得更容易、更好。分析：本句是一个复合句。其中that sitting in rows... to children 和 that they learnt easier...in a group 均为that引导的宾语从句，作felt的宾语。在第二个that引导的宾语从句中，包含一个when引导的时间状语从句。
