Learning Centres

My experience:

I have never had the opportunity to use learning centres or to see them used in a junior class. The closest thing I have come to learning centres in my secondary classes is having a lab with different parts, where students had to move from one lab activity to another until they had completed the lab. In this environment some students were more difficult to manage (because they had so much fun equipment at their fingertips, or because they were not particularly inclined to read instructions) but for the most part students were easier to manage (because they were more engaged in the activity). I expect I would find the same results in a junior class.

Why I like learning centres:

One thing I like about this approach is that students are able to feel they have more responsibility for their learning. It expresses that the teacher has a level of trust in her students that they have the maturity to learn more independently. There isn’t always a teacher right there to help, so students have to draw from other resources -their own knowledge, other students, and books. Students may have choices regarding what order they visit the centres in, or they may even have choices of specific tasks within the station that appeal to different learning styles. There is also lots of opportunity to teach students to manage their own work habits through peer and self-evaluation. Students are able to work cooperatively, providing many opportunities to practice the group work and social skills that they have been taught. Learning centres work really well with an integrated approach to teaching the curriculum.

The physical environment:

In an ideal classroom, there would be permanent centres for the learning centres. Some would be tables with necessary materials within easy reach, others would be appropriate for a group of tasks (e.g. computer centre at computer desks, art centre next to a sink). There would be easy flow around the class to facilitate movement between centres. In a more realistic classroom, there would be some permanent stations (again, computers and art for example), but other centres would be stored in bins that can be opened up during learning centre time on a group of desks. Flow around the class would be as smooth as possible.

Classroom management:

Strong classroom management skills are important when using a learning centre approach. Learning centres should not be started until classroom rules and teacher authority have been established. There are, of course, going to be students who will be less inclined to do the work and who may start to become a disruption, particularly given the amount of social interactions that happen in learning centres. One key element to deal with this is ensuring that students have very clear instructions and that the activity is not above their instructional level. Heterogeneous groupings may also be helpful to ensure that there are stronger students who are able to help the weaker students. Having students complete self- and peer-evaluations after their learning centre work may encourage students to manage their own behaviour, but for some students there may be a need for the teacher to help them develop some behaviour management skills. Classroom management can be more challenging with a learning centre approach, but if students get engaged and the many benefits of learning centres occur, it will all be worth it.

Making Learning Centres Work:

1. Before beginning, establish rules and expectations for the centres, and strongly enforce them early in the year (requires activities that can be completed with minimal teacher involvement at first)
2. Consider posting rules and expectations specifically for learning centres in the classroom
3. Have good flow in the classroom
4. Provide a clear spacial distinction between centres
5. Have clear instructions and all materials needed at each centre
6. Teach cooperative group work and social skills for students to work through problems together and resolve conflicts independently
7. Provide choices within clear boundaries
8. Offer activities at varying levels of difficulty, but all appropriate to the skills and knowledge that students have already (identified through diagnostic assessments)
9. Use peer and self-assessments of work habits as well as academic work
10. Have a signal to draw the class’ attention back to you
11. Provide regular, ongoing feedback to students
12. Have a posted planning board for circulation of students through the centres with minimal confusion