LEARNING
CENTERS
LEARNING CENTERS
ENRICHMENT CENTERS
SKILL CENTERS
INTEREST AND EXPLORATORY CENTERS
PARTS OF A LEARNING CENTER
SUGGESTED LEARNING CENTERS
THE BASICS OF LEARNING CENTERS
GROUPING CHILDREN FOR LEARNING CENTERS
SETTING UP A SCHEDULE FOR CENTERS
ROTATING STUDENTS THROUGH LEARNING CENTERS
PARENT HELP WITH LEARNING CENTERS
IDEAS FOR LEARNING CENTERS
LEARNING CENTERS LINKS
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SECTION 1
LEARNING
CENTERS
A learning center is a space set aside in the
classroom that allows easy access to a variety
of learning materials in an interesting and
productive manner. Learning centers are usually
designed to offer a variety of materials, designs,
and media through which students can work by
themselves or with others to operationalize the
information learned in the classroom. Centers are
designed to enhance the learning of concepts,
skills, themes, or topics. This learning can take
place after a topic is presented to students,
during the course of presenting important concepts,
or as an initial introduction to material in the
text.
Learning centers can have any number of designs,
each limited only by your creativity and imagination.
Feel free to work with your students in creating a
center they will want to use.
Such shared responsibility assures that students have
a sense of ownership in the center and will be more
willing to engage in the resultant activities.
Most teachers will agree that there are three
different types of learning centers:
enrichment centers,
skill centers,
interest and exploratory centers.
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SECTION 2
ENRICHMENT
CENTERS
Enrichment centers are designed to offer students
a variety of learning alternatives as an adjunct
to a common unit of instruction. These centers are
typically used after the presentation of important
materials or concepts and are designed to provide
students with opportunities to enrich and enhance
their appreciation and understanding of the topics
through individual experiences in the center. For
example, after you have presented a lesson on the
life cycle of plants, you might assign individual
students to a center with the following components:
•Construction of a terrarium using soil, several
plants, rocks, etc.
•Observing several plants under the microscope
•Designing an individual observation kit for use in
the field
•Preparation of several foods using different types
of common plants
•Exploring various news articles on plants in our
daily lives
•Creative writing on the uses and misuses of plants
in modern society
•Watching a filmstrip on the ecological implications
of acid rain on plant life
•Painting a mural on the stages of plant growth
Enrichment centers require you to be aware of your
students' learning styles (see Chapter 2) as well as
their knowledge about a topic. The enrichment center
can provide individual students with varied activities
or combination of activities that differ from those
pursued by other students. As such, the center becomes
an individualized approach to the promotion of the topic.
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SECTION 3
SKILL
CENTERS
Skill centers are similar to enrichment centers
in that they are used after the initial teaching
of a concept or skill. Their difference lies in
the fact that students are assigned particular
areas in the center as opposed to having free
choice of the topics they want to pursue.
Thus, after introductory instruction on a particular
concept has taken place, you can assign students to
various parts of the center to help reinforce the
information presented. You must be aware of the
various skill needs of your students to effectively
assign individuals to the areas in the center through
which they can strengthen and enhance these skills.
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SECTION 4
INTEREST
AND
EXPLORATORY
CENTERS
Interest and exploratory centers differ from
enrichment and skill development centers in
that they are designed to capitalize on the
interests of students. They may not necessarily
match the content of the textbook or the
curriculum; instead they provide students with
hands-on experiences they can pursue at their
own pace and level of curiosity. These types of
centers can be set up throughout the classroom,
with students engaging in their own selection of
activities during free time, upon arrival in the
morning, as a “free-choice” activity during the
day, or just prior to dismissal. These centers
allow students to engage in meaningful discoveries
that match their individual interests.
The success of this form of learning center depends
on your knowledge of your students' interests. You
might want to use student interests that will help
pinpoint the specific areas you can use in the
design of relevant centers. A paper-and-pencil
inventory can provide you with important information
about their interests.
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SECTION 5
PARTS
OF
A
LEARNING
CENTER
The following ideas provide you with any number
of options to include or consider for a center.
It is important to understand that no two centers
will ever be or look the same. Centers can range
from elaborate displays to a card table set in
the back of a room. Establish learning centers as
formally or informally as you want—the primary
criterion is that they match student interests
with curricular needs. Here are some suggestions
to get you started:
•Title.
Provide an interesting title that identifies the
center as separate from other classroom activities.
•Furniture.
Arrange necessary furniture in a pleasing and
productive manner. Decide how you will set up
chairs, tables, storage facilities, and the
like.
•Storage.
Keep materials in a safe place where they are
easily accessible by students.
•Space.
Consider the use of space within the center.
Where will the activities take place? Is there
a need for independent study? Will large- or
small-group instruction take place within the
center?
•Materials.
Determine how you will obtain materials. You
might be able to obtain materials from parents
or the school. You may also want to consider
other sources such as local businesses, catalog
supply houses, or community agencies.
•Location.
Consider the physical placement and arrangement of
centers in your room. Students need to be able to
move to and among centers with minimal disruption
and time.
•Responsibility.
An important consideration in the development of
any center pertains to the responsibilities of
students and teacher to the center. For example,
students need to know who is responsible for
cleaning up, who will be sure there's an adequate
supply of consumable materials (paper, paint,
soil, water, etc.), who will be in charge of
evaluation, and so on.
•Learning alternatives.
Include a variety of learning alternatives within any
center. For example, include a variety of tasks ranging
from difficult to easy. Also include activities that
relate to various students' interests.
•Instructions.
Post a set of directions in each center. Plan time
to share and discuss each set of directions and/or
routines with students as part of one or more
introductory lessons.
•Sequence of activities.
It may be important to consider how activities
within a center will be sequenced. That is, will
students need to complete one or more specific
activities before moving on to more complex
activities later?
•Number of centers.
You will need to decide on the number of centers
you want to establish in your classroom. Base your
decision on your management skills as well as the
needs of your students. You might want to start
with a single center and, as you and your students
gain more competence in designing and using the
center, develop additional centers later in the
school year.
•Assignment.
Consider assigning students to selected centers as
well as offering students opportunities to select
centers on their own.
•Duration of centers.
Decide how long a center or group of centers will
remain in existence. As a rule of thumb, keep a
center in operation only as long as students'
interests are high and it meets your program's
instructional goals.
•Management system.
You can assure the success of your centers by
teaching your students familiar routines (how to
move between centers, how to work cooperatively).
Devote several weeks at the beginning of the year
to teach these routines.
•Time.
Talk with students about the amount of time
necessary to engage in or complete the activities
within a center. It is not critical for students
to complete all the activities within a center.
•Help!
Establish a procedure or routine that will allow
students to signal when they are having difficulty
with a specific center activity.
•Assessment.
Decide on the nature and form of assessment for the
center(s). Will assessment be the responsibility of
the students or the teacher? How will it be
accomplished—informally (discussions, observations)
or formally (skills test, chapter exam)?
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SECTION 6
SUGGESTED
LEARNING
CENTERS
Here is a partial list of suggested learning centers
you might want to consider for your classroom:
Elementary
ABC/Spelling Center
Art Center
Pocket Chart Center
Free Reading Center
Storytelling Center
Big Book Center
Numbers Center
Puzzles/Blocks Center
Science Center
Water Center
Middle School/Secondary
Listening Center
Writing Center
Readers Theatre Center
Free Reading Center
Drama Center
Poetry Center
Map and Chart Center
Invention Center
Biography Center
Weather Center
As you can see, there is no limit on the type and number of
centers possible for your classroom. Take advantage of this
instructional tool, and watch students' interest increase.
Learning Centers
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/learning-center/new-teacher/48462.html
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SECTION 7
THE
BASICS
OF
LEARNING
CENTERS
Centers can be an excellent method for teaching students effectively.
Working with children in a small group setting allows for more direct
teaching and enhanced student response. Centers provide a less
intimidating environment for the students and give the teacher the
opportunity to focus on specific areas of study. Although centers take
a lot of organization and preparation on your part, in the end the work
can really pay off.
Any area of study can be taught using centers, but I've found them to
be particularly successful with language arts; students can learn
reading, spelling, and writing in small groups.
A good time of day to do centers is first thing in the morning when
the students are awake and focused. This is also the most convenient
time for classroom volunteers, since many of them may be dropping
their children off at school. The following steps will help you get
centers up and running in your classroom.
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SECTION 8
GROUPING
CHILDREN
FOR
LEARNING
CENTERS
•Divide your class into four even groups. You can divide them
by their developmental reading ability, by table groups,
alphabetically, or randomly.
•Name each of your groups. Names can be after colors, shapes,
foods, animals, or something related to what you are studying.
After each group is named, put a corresponding sticker on the
students' desk name-tag to help them remember what group they
are in. (This will also be helpful for substitutes.)
•Remember to keep the groups flexible, and allow for movement
among them.
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SECTION 9
SETTING
UP
A
SCHEDULE
FOR
LEARNING
CENTERS
•First thing in the morning is a great time to run language arts
centers. If school starts at 8:30, give yourself 15 minutes to
get the students inside and settled, and begin your centers at
8:45. This will allow time to explain the centers for the day.
•Centers should run for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. This
provides for four centers at 18 minutes per center. It is important
that your students rotate to all four centers each day.
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SECTION 10
ROTATING
STUDENTS
THROUGH
LEARNING
CENTERS
•Select a signal to change centers. It can be a patterned clap,
a bell, a song, or a specific word.
•During the first week of school, have your students walk through
the centers to understand the procedure. One possibility is to
have your "center stations" set up in four different areas of your
classroom. This will allow students to rotate in a clockwise or
counterclockwise fashion. Practice this several times to show your
students how you expect them to do this.
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SECTION 11
PARENT
HELP
WITH
LEARNING
CENTERS
•Parents can be of great help with centers. Set up a volunteer
calendar at the beginning of the year to schedule different
parents to come to class and run one center.
•Have a schedule on each center's board that shows who is
running the center and a general title for the center.
•After all of the parent volunteers have arrived for the day,
explain each center to the children and the volunteer.
•If possible, have directions and sample work at the centers
for parents to refer to.
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SECTION 12
IDEAS
FOR
LEARNING
CENTERS
One center should always be guided reading with the teacher.
The other three centers depend on the number of available
volunteers.
•Parent centers: spelling, word sorts, vocabulary, letters to
student-of-the-week, language arts games, phonics lessons, a
thematic lesson from a unit of study, poetry, a writing
workshop, Readers Theatre, etc.
•Independent centers: listening center, silent reading, book
share, journal writing, independent language arts games.
Teacher Vision
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods-and-management/curriculum-planning/4755.html#ixzz1umK3bysK
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SECTION 13
LEARNING
CENTERS
LINKS
Download Childrens World Learning Center Software
http://childrens-world-learning-center.winsite.com/
Forms & Downloads
http://kidszonelearningcenter.com/forms-downloads-2/
Free Download kids learning
http://www.top4download.com/free-kids-learning/
FREE EDUCATIONAL/LEARNING GAMES FOR KIDS
http://www.thekidzpage.com/learninggames/index.htm
Free kids learning software download
http://en.softonic.com/s/free-kids-learning-software
Free Learning Center
http://www.classicalconversations.com/free-learning-center
Kids Know It.com
http://www.kidsknowit.com/
Learning Center
http://learningcenter.unt.edu/
Learning Centers
http://free-worksheets.com/learning-centers/
Learning Centers
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/learning-centers-4948-2-1
Learning Centers
http://www.seniornet.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=47
NSTA Learning Center
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/
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Academic Kids Free Online
Educational Encyclopedia
http://academickids.com/
Children's encyclopedias
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Children%27s_encyclopedias
Difference Between
http://www.differencebetween.info/
Education.com
http://www.education.com/
Nick Jr.
http://www.nickjr.com/
Highlights Kids.com
http://www.highlightskids.com/
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