• The ballroom/cabaret style uses round tables and chairs placed throughout the room. This is not always comfortable if you have your back to the stage, but is good for group interaction (as long as the tables are not too big and the facilitator is easy to see and hear).

• Blended classrooms use flexible layouts and have access to IT. You can move furniture to create a mixture of working environments. You may need to think about programs to control computers if the space is diverse, as learners could become distracted.

• The boardroom style is where the whole class sits around a table (e.g. a long rectangle or U-shaped layout). This is good for discussion and interaction with the teacher/facilitator.

• A circle or semicircle layout is also useful for discussion and interaction.

• Empty space is handy for creative improvisation, but you may need to think very carefully how you will use it.

• If using an IT lab with computers and desks in rows, you may need to consider how important group work or non-IT work might be. Computers can create a barrier between you and your learners so it may be more difficult to build a rapport with them while presenting in this room layout.

• A lecture-style layout where all the chairs face the front is useful for listening to the teacher and watching demonstrations, but not very good for group work. The teacher controls this environment, and has eye contact with everyone.

• Sitting in a lounge-style on easy chairs can be useful for discussions or tutorials, but it is not always easy to write or make things in this layout.

• The World Café (www.theworldcafe.com) layout is like a ballroom but with paper tablecloths you use to write your ideas on. This layout is good for mind mapping. Participants usually move between tables.