Learning Centres or Stations

Purpose:

Early Learning

Overview:

Differentiated Instruction

Procedure:

Learning stations are physical locations in the classroom where students are asked to explore a topic, solve a problem or answer questions using the materials provided. The students are allowed to work individually or with others. 

Learning Stations provide students with engaging and interesting experiences to practice, enrich, reteach, and enhance their learning. Often centers may contain loose parts, manipulatives, tech tools, art and writing materials, books, and other instructional tools chosen by the teacher to engage learners in exploration around a specific learning goal or topic.  

Well-designed learning centers help learners engage in the curriculum in real-time, hands-on ways. 

Tips:

For students to work successfully in centers or stations, students are always pre-taught the expected behaviours as well as how to complete the tasks or activities therein, before they are allowed to work independently. The power of learning centers is two fold:

1) Centers frees up the teacher, and creates time for them to work with children in small groups or one-on-one.

2) Students who need more practice or to process information in a different mode receive a more individualized experience than a whole-class lesson can provide, thus helping students learn and explore in their own way, style and time.

Source:

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/new-approach-learning-centers/

https://publications.saskatchewan.ca/api/v1/products/74066/formats/82946/download