First, the fact that everyone faces the same way makes it easier for all students to see the board at the front of the classroom, which the teacher uses to write notes and project Power Point presentations. It also allows the teacher to see everyone's faces at all times and thus more quickly begin to match faces with names.
The grouping of the desks into mini rows of 2, 3, and 4 facilitates the parts of the class where students are working creatively by putting them in close contact with a few other classmates with whom they can discuss ideas. The mini-row setup also prevents unwanted social interactions (at such times as teacher or student presentations) by not facing the students toward each other the way they would be in a table-and-chairs setup. The aisles between columns also make it easier for the teacher and students to move about the room and have access to each other when needed. This access, based on my observations so far, seems to have positive effects upon the degree to which students remain on task and the ease with which a teacher can work privately with any given student. It also promotes a sense of overall safety; if there were an emergency, the teacher would be able to get to any part of the room quickly. Students would also be able to exit the room quickly regardless of where they are in it.
My classroom mentor also utilizes his board space well. The front board which everyone faces is used exclusively for notes pertaining to the present day's lesson. The board on the side of the room near the door is used for Do Now assignments, homework assignments, and the day's objective. Its location ensures that students will look at it upon entering and exiting the room, the two moments when the information on it is most relevant. The students will also see it anytime they look toward the teacher. The board on the far wall, because of its non-central location is not changed often and is used for things like reminding students what the code is for the Schoology website.
After a week of observing, I submit that this classroom environment is effective for the type of teaching and learning taking place which has so far included power-point presentation, lecture, student presentation, shared reading, independent work, and small group brainstorming. As the year progresses, I would like to experiment with other setups. In particular I have always preferred as a student the arranging of desks in a circle on discussion-oriented days. However, I worry that the size of the classroom compared with the number of students makes this design unfeasible.