Learning Centers are a great way for student centered learning. Students essentially learn through doing. Through my experience as an Educational Assistant I have seen the success of learning centers in classrooms from kindergarten to grade 5. Learning centers give students differentiation in learning because each center is unique and caters to different needs of the students. Students can use a variety of materials that are set out by the educator to explore with.
Learning Centers allow students to extend their knowledge of the lesson that has been taught by the educator in various ways, by using various tools. For example, a grade one educator has taught a lesson on patterning in math. The educator then sets out various Learning Centers for the students to explore such as; using beads to create a pattern and make a bracelet, use stickers to create an ABBC pattern, and make a crown creating your own pattern etc. Students usually rotate in groups day to day until they get to the last center, this also depends on how the educator wants to set up the learning centers. This type of learning allows students to not only learn by doing but additionally, it allows them to have fun while they are learning. In this type of learning the educator is not always in front of the class teaching.
In my practicum placement I am in kindergarten and my Associate Teacher has centers set up for students. It is not as structured as other grades, however, students can explore from center to center the things they have been learning in class and essentially put the learning into practice.
Avonit OTECC@NU
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