Occasionally, a group of students are supposed to be working together, but they are sitting so far apart that you wonder if the group members are afraid of catching colds from each other. This is where Environment Positive Interdependence comes in. The idea is that students need to be sitting close together so that they can easily hear each other, without having to speak in a loud voice that will disturb other groups.

Also, when students sit closer together, they can easily share materials and learn from each other’s work. And, they are more likely to do this sharing, because there can be a link between physical distance and psychological distance.

One way to promote Environment Positive Interdependence is to use small group. The smaller the group, the easier it is to arrange chairs and desks so that groupmates can easily see and hear one another. At the same time, students need to be able to see the front of the classroom. This will sometimes involve turning their chairs. Plus, teachers need space to be able to walk around and observe all the groups. Thus, there are many points to consider when arranging a classroom for cooperative learning. However, once the arrangement is set, it can stay in place the rest of the year, except that which student is in which seat will vary if the membership of the groups changes periodically throughout the year.