2. Recognize effective centers and adjust your classroom practice
and set-up
Choose engaging and child-centered activities and apply them
to your lessons
Organize your students so that they guide their own learning
and you simply facilitate
Design the flow of the classroom so the centers are varied and
the rotations smooth
Assess your own classroom management and adjust your role
in the process of centers learning
Objectives After this PD, you will be able to:
4.
Centers:
• replace worksheets and workbooks
• provide choices that are relevant, personal
and engaging
• link to your teaching & the objectives
• start slowly & build knowledge and skills
• balance process & product
• less is more…keep materials to a minimum
• try one new thing at a time
Recognize and Adjust
5.
Students Teachers
• ask questions
• observe
• listen
• support first attempts
• talk, have discussions
• show when help is needed
• help make
discoveries/connections
• ask questions
• investigate
• explore
• examine
• experiment
• make decisions
• cooperate & share
• solve problems
• learn independence
Recognize and Adjust
6.
Centers guarantee independence
because we:
• model appropriate behavior
• gradually release responsibility
• provide a risk-free environment
• provide a proper independent
work level
• provide clear, explicit instructions
Recognize and Adjust
7.
• students participate independently or with a
peer of higher skill ability
• teachers plan with the learning objective,
not the product – free of a lot of fluff
• time must be a consideration
Recognize and Adjust
8.
Guidelines to forming flexible groups:
• 5-7 students maximum
• Intensive support (with
Teacher)
• mixed ability groups
based on need
• consider each student
• monitor high risk students
to make changes
Recognize and Adjust
9.
Learning Spaces around the room
Collaboration is key
Prepare for the focus
Choose and Apply
10.
The goal of reorganizing a classroom into activity
centers is to allow the teacher to provide the highest
quality instruction to a small group of students, while
other students work productively, independently, and
cooperatively in a variety of interconnected tasks at
other activity centers.
Choose and Apply
12.
Instructional Conversation
Center –
TEACHER
• challenging tasks and
instructional conversation
• uninterrupted instruction to 5-
7 students of the same
abilities/level
• assesses - observing,
listening, and questioning
• assists and advances their
understanding
Independent Centers -
STUDENTS
• collaboratively led by peers
• students work
independently following
directions on task card or
sheet
Choose and Apply
13. Choose and Apply
Joint
Productive
Activity
Language
Literacy
Development
Instructional
Conversation
The Five Standards and Activity Centers
collaboration on
a shared goal
rich in language
use and
conversation
link concepts
and instruction
to prior
knowledge and
experiences
teach concepts
and higher-order
thinking skills
(HOTS)
Contextuali-
zation
small group
discussion led
by teacher
Challenging
Activities
15. Organize and Facilitate
Implement a Behavior Management System
• Model, practice and review
procedures
• Don’t fret. It will take time!
• students practise classroom routines
again and again running smoothly
• Students need to know what to do –
before, after, if…, when…
• Students need to be on task
16.
Things to
keep in
mind
Be
consistent
All groups
move at the
same time
Students /
groups can
seek own
resources
Bell/sound/
blinking
lights
Counting,
singing or
chanting
Use charts
– behavior
and
completion
Manage Transitions
17. Design the Flow
Plan for 4-5 centers for each lesson:
1. Teacher-led Focus Center
2. Ipad Center/Whiteboard Center (using magnets)
3. Marks Making Center (pencil/marker/scissors)
4. Activity Center (collaborative)
5. (Oral) Communication Center
6. Reading Center
7. Dramatic Play Center
8. Creative Center
9. Games/Puzzle Center
19. Design the Flow
Mentally check, do your centers offer
different experiences from each other?
Teacher-
centered
Tech-
centered
Collaborative
Activity
Center
Fine Motor
(Writing)
Center
20. Design the Flow
• Model new materials and activities during
whole group discussions
• Stand at each center to show what will be
done (“at this center you will be…”)
• Some activities need repeated
modelling/showing; some need only once or
twice
• Modeling behavior student cooperation in
helping take care of centers, limits classroom
disruptions
21. Assess and Adjust
When behavioral problems arise, ask yourself:
• Did I do an effective job teaching the concept?
• Is the activity interesting to students?
• Have students mastered the skill and need to
move on?
• Is the center too difficult to do independently?
• Did I introduce too many new centers at once?
22. Recognize effective centers and adjust your
classroom practice and set-up?
Choose engaging and child-centered activities and
apply them to your lessons?
Organize your students so that they guide their
own learning and you begin to simply facilitate?
Design the flow of the classroom so the centers are
varied and the rotations smooth?
Assess your own classroom management and
adjust your role in the process of centers learning?
Objectives Do you feel better able to…
23.
24. Great Resources Here!
Prezi presentation:
https://prezi.com/p5cedbjtjgrb/center-based-learning-approach/
Scholastic website:
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/new-approach-
learning-centers/
Education World
https://www.educationworld.com/5-types-learning-stations-your-classroom
How do I set up a classroom for centers?
https://practices.learningaccelerator.org/problem-of-practice/how-do-i-set-up-a-
station-rotation-model-in-my-classroom
Khan Academy:
https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/ssf-cci/sscc-intro-blended-
learning/sscc-blended-learning-models/v/sscc-blended-station
The teacher figures out what they are trying to achieve and how to best help them achieve it
Learning through Play means the children don’t have to worry about the expectations so they can have a carefree and enjoyable learning experience. The expectations dictate which activities are prepared and presented to them
The focus is on the process of learning rather than the final product –centers allow students to practice the skills we need them to develop
They become more open and engaged, more comfortable with their surroundings and more natural. Learning needs to be FUN!
Children explore their own way of learning and intentionality. Think of the different types of intelligences; the different language levels, different personalities – the learning is centered around the child and his/her interests, learning styles and personal situations that shaped who they are
They can discover things that are new to them and make connections with things that they already know
Role playing helps children understand and make sense of the real world and their personal experiences in it
Children learn to see things through another person’s point of view by working together to create, construct and build
They face positive challenges and gain self-esteem through success
Children are motivated through completing purposeful activities, fueling motivation to continue learning
Classroom learning centers – when implemented properly – can be a place to promote emotional, social and physical development
Children have impulses to ask questions, investigate and explore, examine and experiment – all from their burning curiosity
Centers are areas in the classroom where children learn about specific subjects by playing and engaging in activities
Play is an active form of learning that involves the whole self
purposefully designed to include the most effective strategies for increasing learning opportunities for all students
the fundamental objective of all tasks at activity centers is to promote the use, elaboration, and application of academic concepts to advance student understanding
activity center tasks encourage active participation, collaboration, and opportunities for extended reading, writing and speaking to promote the development of everyday and academic language
Teachers are now the more passive contributor to the learning process and the students take charge and are directing their own learning
Children must be encouraged to play and explore their (classroom) environment for selfish and social reasons as well as the academic expectations
Classrooms are more play than “learning” – no longer strict and structured places of education
It’s a big shift from traditional teaching and teachers must learn to give up the control of the outcomes of the students’ behavior and learning path
Students must participate in activities they may either do independently or with help from a peer of higher skill ability.
Plan with the learning objective, not the product in mind. Though activities should engage students, there need not be a lot of fluff.
Time must be a consideration.
Keep group sizes small (5-7 students maximum)
Reduce the group size to 3-5 for students in need of intensive support
Base small groups on instructional need with specific instructional strategies in mind
Consider behaviors, attitudes and work ethics of each student
Monitor the progress of high risk students more frequently to make instructional changes or small group changes.
When space is tight, we need to use space wisely and make efficient use of or create nooks and/or alcoves for centers and resources
Activities must provoke a child’s creativity and curiosity
Prepare centers and activities that will target the focus of the lesson:
Materials
Folders/baskets – ready for the students and accessible to them
A list of rules and expected behaviors to restate before rotations begin
A sign for each center – with picture and words – so the students know what each center is for
The goal of reorganizing a classroom into activity centers is to allow the teacher to provide the highest quality instruction to a small group of students, while other students work productively, independently, and cooperatively in a variety of interconnected tasks at other activity centers.
At scheduled times, students shift to a different center so that eventually all students have the opportunity to complete the tasks at every center, as well as to work with the teacher in a small group
The goal of reorganizing a classroom into activity centers is to allow the teacher to provide the highest quality instruction to a small group of students, while other students work productively, independently, and cooperatively in a variety of interconnected tasks at other activity centers.
At scheduled times, students shift to a different center so that eventually all students have the opportunity to complete the tasks at every center, as well as to work with the teacher in a small group
The goal of reorganizing a classroom into activity centers is to allow the teacher to provide the highest quality instruction to a small group of students, while other students work productively, independently, and cooperatively in a variety of interconnected tasks at other activity centers.
They can be as simple as creating a poster, or as sophisticated as a series of technology or science lab activities. Almost any meaningful activity can provide the foundation for an activity center!
At scheduled times, students shift to a different center so that eventually all students have the opportunity to complete the tasks at every center, as well as to work with the teacher in a small group
Phase I: During Phase I, instruction occurs in a whole-class setting following the opening. During the instructional activities, between the opening and closure, the teacher floats to assist while students work individually, with partners, or in small groups.
In addition to providing assistance, the teacher interacts with students to get to know them and to assess skill levels, talents, capacities for various group roles, and to determine student affinities.
Co-develop with students the community values needed for a cooperative classroom that supports the learning of all students
Phase II: Students work on two to five different activities (as opposed to ‘activity centers’ that are semi-permanent stations) that occur simultaneously. The teacher assists one section of the class with one of the activities while the other(s) practice working independently on tasks connected by a common theme and leveled to ensure that all students will experience success without the teacher’s assistance. Routing patterns and transitions between simultaneous activities are practiced, and behavioral expectations are reinforced in the openings and closures, with an emphasis on praising students for self-management, community participation, and peer assistance. Phase III: In addition to having students work on different tasks occurring simultaneously, some with the teachers assistance and some independent of teacher assistance, the teacher routes students through the activities in various patterns so that each student has the opportunity to work with every other student in the classroom.
During this phase, the teacher focuses on providing students with feedback on their progress and continues to reinforce positive behaviors in the openings and closures. Students become adept at moving from one activity to another, less than a minute, and effectively participate in the maintenance of supplies and classroom systems for storing and retrieving their work.
♦ Group students in a variety of ways, both heterogeneously
and homogeneously, by affinity, language, diversity,
ability, or gender so students have opportunities to work
with all other students
Use the openings and closures to encourage students to:
- move from one activity to another efficiently, in less than a minute
participate in the maintenance of supplies and classroom systems for storing and retrieving work products
