Introduction to Chemistry Tools and Vocabulary through Word Walls and Centers
Learning Centers: Teaching Strategies 8
Lessons Learned with Elementary STEM Centers
Measuring Sound with iPads
The Scientific Power of Music
Two Teachers Learn from Their Students: Examining Teaching, Learning, and the Use of Learning Centers
Using Center Activities to Promote Student Learning
Content Learning Centers
Overview
This project is about Learning Centers: What are learning centers, how they are beneficial for children and teachers. The main goals within learning centers, and how to design appropriate centers sufficiently. Also included are examples and informational videos.
Introduction to Learning Centers
This project is about Learning Centers: what they do, how they help children, how they help teachers, main goals within learning centers, and how to design centers sufficiently.
Defining Content Learning Centers
Defining Learning Centers:
Learning centers or workstations are small areas around the classroom that allow students to select activities to practice and apply the skills they have learned. These activities are prepared by the teacher to help the students. The teacher creates different learning centers that help build and or reinforce skills for their students. In these centers, students need to be actively engaged in their centers while accommodating their own different approaches to learning, as well as their playful natures, and their need for choice. By allowing the children to make choices and having developmentally appropriate centers, a teacher can help develop their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well.
Learning centers encourage a positive relationship with learning, allowing children to discover new things and create. Learning centers apply to all the different ways students learn.
Why are learning centers beneficial for students and teachers?
Learning centers are beneficial for students because they are vital to children’s development and learning. These centers should be actively engaging and they should accommodate each child’s varying learning styles and approaches to learning.
Children are involved in learning center engagement when it is self-directed and based on the student’s own strengths, abilities, and interests. This engagement will help children develop enhanced skills.
These centers are beneficial for teachers, as well. Teachers can see how a child is doing while working in a center, and they can see where improvement and encouragement is needed. A teacher can then modify the learning center as needed. Learning centers should not remain the same all year long, rather, throughout the year there should be different activities for the children to learn and master. While activities could be similar, the learning is different.
Using Center Activities to Promote Student Learning
Rational:
Center activities play a critical role in fostering student learning. Cognitive skills are developed in a child-centered environment as students are empowered to make decisions, negotiate with peers, and create projects and scenarios while engaged in play. Executive function skills, such as self-control, planning/organizing, and cognitive flexibility, are central as students cooperate, problem solve and persist in an environment of creativity and curiosity. These same skills and behaviors, which are also assessed on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, connect directly to a person’s later success in school, college and career.
Centers are an integral part of the teacher’s daily schedule in early childhood classrooms. Dramatic play, blocks or construction zone, science, math, and art are some examples of centers commonly found in classrooms. Centers that allow students choice in how they engage and explore the materials are often referred to as developmental centers.
Teachers Role:
The teacher’s role is two-fold. First, a teacher should be purposeful in establishing the routines, selecting the materials, and planning a purpose or problem to solve for each center. The teacher is thoughtful in introducing the center to the entire class with a hands-on demonstration in the proper usage of the materials and the rules to follow.
The second role of the teacher is being intentional and visible by observing and engaging students during center time. Throughout the year, the teacher asks questions, provides feedback, highlights positive examples of student behavior and work, and makes adjustments when necessary. The information collected is used as formative assessment to inform instruction. It may be to introduce a new skill or concept, re-teach a skill, or challenge individual students to the next level in their learning.
(Using Center Activities to Promote Student Learning)
How to Make a Content Learning Centers
When creating a learning center, it is important to have a good understanding on what the topic they are teaching to the students. There are important steps within creating a content learning center which are:
- Opening- Discuss what will take place
- Large Group Activity- Teacher will teach the whole class
- Follow- Up Activity - Students work either individually or together
- Closure- Highlight the successes, solve problems collaboratively
Within the center, teachers should be sure to include most core content intertwined with the center. Whether it be science and reading, history and writing, or even math.
There are four goals that teachers should strive to achieve when doing Content Learning Centers. The four goals include: fairness, harmony, inclusion, and academic excellence. Fairness is to create opportunities for the children to get assistance if needed by both their peers and teachers and for students to collaborate with others. Harmony is for the students to collaborate within small or large groups. Inclusion is to increase the collaboration by all students. Academic Excellence is for the instruction to be meaningful for all the students, create opportunities for the children to engage within core curriculum, and to create instruction that is challenging to the students so they can advance in understanding to more complex levels.
Real-World Examples
Real-World Examples of Learning Centers
- 4th and 5th Grade STEM Centers
Students engaged in 12 learning centers to learn about the science and technology of sound and music. Students who partcipated used iPads to interact with the centers and teacher, Dr. Wesley Fryer. Dr. Fryer had pre-recorded instructional videos that students were able to access through a QR code scan at the centers. Sometimes Fryer would include informational videos at a center to provide variation of instruction. Below are two examples of centers used.
Centers:
1. Scientifc Power of Music
Dr. Fryer had students watch a short YouTube video before starting the center (see below) before answering some questions about the video. Students used their iPads to log into a classroom blog where they would write a post about the discussion questions and what they learned.
2. Measuring Sound with iPads
Students at this center were provided with a pre-recorded instructional video by Dr. Wesley Fryer (see below). Students used iPad apps like SpectrumView and Decibel 10th to measure the sounds of a xlophone. They were given a list of questions to complete during the experiments. Students then had to record themselves defining amplitude, decibels, and frequency as a group. This would be posted to their classroom blog.
- Chemistry Centers for Grades 1-3
Faith Sohns had her elementary class become familiar with tools and vocabulary words used in Chemistry through word walls and centers. Students who participated were assessed through observation and successful completion of centers.
Centers:
- Tracing: Chemistry tools Scanning the Tool
- Pipette Pictures Rice Table
- Fill the Container Find the Tool - Word Hunt
- Old Maid Matching - Term and tool
- Screen Science
How many centers you choose to do will depend on the time allotted for center participation. Dr. Wesley Fryer, see above, used 12 centers. Each of the centers required less time to complete compared to Sohns' 5 centers.