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Student-centered learning Even in upper grades, learning centers make small group and one-on-one instruction manageable for teachers and accommodate students' varied ways of learning 
November 18, 2004 Second-graders at PS 64 work on contractions with Mary Maguire. Using pumpkins in autumn is an eye-catching way to get the kids interested. To help students learn that two words can contract into one, each eye of the jack-o-lantern has an individual word, while the mouth shows the contraction. For example, one eye has 'here' and another has 'is,' while the mouth says 'here's.' Even in upper grades, learning centers make small group and one-on-one instruction manageable for teachers and accommodate students' varied ways of learning. How to help kids learn when class sizes are large and learning styles and abilities vary? An important strategy in a teacher's arsenal is the use of learning centers, says New York City elementary teacher Mary Maguire, who finds rookie teachers are eager to master this decades-old approach to instruction. "Your main challenge is always keeping the other kids occupied and learning when you are trying to work with an individual student or smaller group," says Maguire, who instructs new New York City teachers at an annual institute sponsored by the United Federation of Teachers and the city's board of education. "Creative use of learning centers is not only an excellent classroom management tool, but also a way to accommodate varying ways students learn," noted Maria Neira, who is second vice president of New York State United Teachers and oversees the union's Division of Research and Educational Services. Learning centers are classroom stations where small groups can work on activities - preferably hands-on - that reinforce a specific academic goal. Maguire, a 34-year veteran, finds learning center materials in many places. A math center can be as simple as a coffee can that holds two dice, a pad of paper and a pencil. Depending on what skills the teacher wants to emphasize, students can use these tools to estimate, add, subtract, multiply, compile statistics or explore probability. Learning centers provide students with different ways to tackle academic subjects. For each center, Maguire creates a tabletop bulletin board on large tri-fold pieces of cardboard. Her tips include: Directions must be clear. Make sure there is a clear beginning that leads to the next step. To get fourth-graders geared up to write research reports, she created Animals Talk Back, a multi-step learning center. First, kids spin a dial of animal illustrations to help them decide what animal they want to research. The center's bulletin board clearly explains next steps: how to make notes, how to put those notes on index cards to organize them and how to create a bibliography. One activity directs students to imagine "interviewing" the animal they select to research. Directions must be comprehensive. Otherwise, instead of independent small group learning, you'll have non-stop questions. If students are studying maps and the learning center goal is for students to represent their neighborhood, Maguire lists everything the map must include. Besides directions, include the due date. Include incentives. As crime shows are so popular, Maguire developed a Crime Scene Investigation center. Students complete tasks such as reading mystery books and solving logic problems and math mysteries to rise through the ranks from patrolman first class to lieutenant. Students become detectives only after completing tasks such as passing a detective test, writing an original mystery and preparing a "Most Wanted" poster for the story's perpetrator. Provide reinforcement and plenty to do. Maguire has this large sign posted: "Think you're finished? Think again! You can always
Learning centers are more than just effective classroom management; they allow teachers to accommodate a range of learning styles, since some students learn best aurally, others hands-on, visually and so on. In What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action, Robert J. Marzano explains the importance of helping students reinforce a new concept by reiterating it in their own way, through drawing a picture, creating a graph or other non-linear representation; or through note-taking or discussion. Not just for elementary level Learning centers have benefits for middle and high school students, especially in cooperative learning where students work in small groups on content-oriented, concept-based projects. Differentiated instruction engages students as active learners, decision makers and problem solvers in the classroom. "Using learning centers or cooperative learning is a huge payoff for secondary learning because students are active participants in their learning, and classroom results are improved," said John Strom, a math teacher and member of the Endicott Teachers Association in Broome County. Strom stresses these strategies as an instructor for NYSUT's Education and Learning Trust, which offers research-based professional development for graduate credit and in-service programs at many locations around the state. "Many times we forget that students need to be taught how to interact with one another before we give them a task that requires them to work together and more specifically to learn from that experience," he said, noting that students need to be taught how to cooperate and how to break up into groups. He uses a numbering procedure, which also saves time taking attendance as students call out numbers instead of names:
Other ELT instructors offered these additional tips. "Take a look at the physical environment of the classroom," said Joe Crisafulli, a Latin teacher and member of the Fulton TA in Oswego County. He recommends creating a place where students can sit informally in small groups. Moving bookcases can turn a corner of the room into an area to encourage small group or individual learning. Terri Burke, a retired member of the Sachem Central TA on Long Island, encourages brainstorming as a learning center exercise. Challenging students to solve problems with others "allows students to take ownership and responsibility for their academic achievements," said Burke. It also fosters decision-making skills and teamwork. - Betsy Sandberg |
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