Learning Centres
A learning centre is a set of graduated tasks presented in an activity card approach, which allows for individualised learning and promotes independent learning habits.
A well-designed learning centre will cater for all students' interests and abilities and enable the gifted and talented student to progress at an advanced rate and depth. For students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) and those with a disability or learning difficultly, language-based learning centres may not be appropriate.
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Considerations when developing a learning centre
What type of centre?
What is its purpose? What access will students have? (When? How long? How many at a time?)
Where will it be positioned?
Needs to be easily accessible for students What form will it take - computer based, boxes, cards, folders, shelves ?
Collection of resources, work cards, games, books, activities, etc
Are they graduated in levels of difficulty?
Is there a variety of learning alternatives?
Are they subject or thematically centred?
Does the centre include various interactive media - tapes, videos, computers?
Are your instructions clear and concise?
Compile a master sheet of all tasks - for monitoring and recording progress.
Are there multiple copies of activities to allow for student interaction?
Is there scope for student evaluation of their own work and of the learning centre?
A learning centre should:
- consist of an attractive display of selected teacher made, student made and commercial materials presented in an activity card or web based format
- allow some choice with the variety and scope of tasks
- be open-ended in both the scope and approach of activities
- contain tasks that are graduated and based on sound learning theory, e.g. Bloom's Taxonomy
- allow for student input before commencement; during use and when evaluating
- be predominantly concerned with skills, and therefore fulfill a teaching role
- be supported by reference materials and access, if necessary, to the resource centre
- include opportunities for teacher and student evaluation
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Format and organisation
Learning centres may take many forms, e.g. file, carrel, shelves, box, bulletin boards, listening posts or via ICT web quests or other online learning opportunities etc.
Teachers need to ensure students understand the use of the centre and are encouraged to become independent learners. Involving students in the development of a learning centre is an excellent opportunity for teachers to connect with students' existing knowledge, skills and values as well as providing an opportunity for modeling and independence and collaboration.
Monitoring and recording of activities should occur and students need to be encouraged to maintain a file of completed work. A good idea is to keep a vertical file or master folder for each student.
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Ideas for learning centre development can include;
- using Blooms Taxonomy or Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory as a basis for centre activities or..
- the use of a BloomGard matrix (a planner combining Blooms levels of questioning with Gardner's Multiple Intelligence).
- develop learning centres with a Literacy or Numeracy focus
Resources for developing Learning Centres
Following is an example using Blooms Taxonomy to design Learning Centre activities with a class focus on monsters. This is not an exhaustive list and can be used to springboard ideas with students or colleagues.
| Knowledge and Comprehension |
Read about some famous monsters, then:
- Make a biography card for the monster. Include a picture, its name, what it looks like, what it likes, laces it likes to visit, where it lives.
- Create a colouring book/picture of famous monsters such as the Yeti, Komodo Dragon, Loch Ness Monster. Include its name and important information
- Read a fiction book about monsters then tell the class where this monster idea began.
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| Application and Analysis |
- Find out about the smallest and the largest monster. Make models of them on your own or in pairs.
- Research these monsters; phoenix, unicorn and the Chinese dragon.
- Read your favourite or a new dragon story. Make up a story or a poem about dragons to share with your class.
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| Synthesis, Evaluation |
Make a new monster
- Use a tri-venn diagram to join the best information you can find about three different monsters.
- Choose the parts you like best from this information and use it to make a new monster. Draw its picture and write some information about it to go into the class encyclopedia.
- Design a monster quiz game. Make up the rules and play it with friends. Design a feedback form for the game.
- Create a classification system by which to classify monsters. Classify every monster you have read about using your system. Select a method for presenting your information to another class or group of students
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