A number of studies have reported on the positive impact of social constructivist approaches on learning in introductory chemistry courses. However, the widespread use of such approaches is being hampered to a certain degree by uncertainty as to whether one needs a special type of classroom. In this study, we investigated student learning in two different classroom environments, the Node and the Spoke, in two first-year organic chemistry courses. Using, for the first time, formative assessment (in the form of clickers, or personal response systems) together with summative evaluations, we found no significant difference in student performance between the two classrooms. There was, however, a consistent trend of higher average grades among students in the Spoke environment compared to those in the Node classroom. (Contains 3 figures and 4 tables.)