Learning Centers

Centers are different from stations in that centers are distinct while stations work in concert with each other.  A learning center is a classroom area that contains a collection of activities or materials designed to teach, reinforce, or extend a particular skill or concept.  An interest center is designed to motivate student’s exploration of topics in which they have a particular interest.  In general, centers should:

• Focus on important learning goals
• Contain materials to promote individual students’ growth towards those goals
• Use materials and activities addressing a wide range of reading levels, learning profiles, and student interests
• Include activities that vary from simple to complex, concrete to abstract, structured to open-ended
• Provide clear directions for students
• Offer instructions about what the student is to do if they need help
• Include instructions on what the student should do when he completes a center assignment
• Use a record keeping system to monitor what students do at the center
• Include a plan of on-going assessment of student growth in the class in general, which will lead to adjustments in center tasks.