How can learning/interest/activity centers be applied in my classroom and how do they contribute to a positive classroom environment?

 

How can learning/interest/activity centers be applied in my classroom and how do they contribute to a positive classroom environment?

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

I am teaching English Language and Literature to twelfth-standard students in a higher secondary school in Bhutan. My students are from 15 years to 19 years of age and are attending the Bhutan Board Examination. They actively participate in the classroom discussion and teaching them is comfortable for me.

According to my teaching philosophy, for effective teaching to happen in the classroom, creating the classroom as a learning/interest/activity center is one of the best possible ways that foster all the needs in molding students to meet 21st-century educational needs, because effective teaching is a complex process. Learning/interest/activity centers not only allow any teacher to have responsive instructions to assist small groups created in the classroom, but also help create a classroom community that would support learning through cooperation and collaboration for the development of values that are required by the classroom community (Hilberg, Chang, & Epaloosse, 2003).

How learning/interest/activity centers can be applied.

The idea of learning/interest/activity centers can be applied to my classroom because it would enable me to provide high-quality instruction in the classroom as they would be working in small groups, enabling them to become more productive by becoming independent learners through collaboration (Hilberg, Chang, & Epaloosse, 2003). According to Cox (2019), to apply learning/interest/activity centers in my classroom, I should involve my students through small group activities for self-directed learning whereby students sit in groups, discuss, and negotiate to achieve meaningful learning. They should be given the opportunity to use their own skills, such as critical thinking and social interaction, to create new information and apply what they've learned (Pellegrino, 2007).

To apply the center in my classroom, setting up my classroom is very important, depending on the size of my class and the number of students I have in my classroom. I should have clear ideas about the organization of the classroom materials, and about where to keep or display them in logical order. Clear directions and behavioral goals should be fixed with measurable expectations from the activities. I should not exceed five students per group while forming the group for the activity (Cox, 2019), and the seating arrangements are done based on the group size. Students should be made well aware of the expectations and the procedures to carry out the learning activity. Students are to be provided with plenty of time to come up with the conclusion during the activity. I should ensure the active participation of students in acquiring academic concepts to excel in their academic languages too. More than anything, I should be transforming students in my centers from busy learning tasks to effective learning tasks. According to Ginsburg (2016), my classroom center should be something that provides meaningful tasks based on students' choices and interests that are interesting and challenging for my students, so that they can practice skills in authentic ways to improve their learning and engage learners in making reflections. Moreover, I should be involved in monitoring their progress in learning and carrying out meaningful assessments for further support. 

I am planning to create such a center in my classroom because it is going to make my students independent learners through the promotion of research, inquiry, collaboration, debate, and learning by doing. By adopting such a center, my students would be able to learn in a relaxed environment through different styles. Moreover, they would be able to self-direct during the process of learning, and I would be able to meet the specific needs of every individual group separately (Ginsburg, 2016). 

How learning/interest/activity centers contribute to a positive classroom environment.

Learning/interest/activity centers are one of the best ways of promoting effective learning and a positive classroom environment because they promote learning by doing, whereby students are fully engaged in smaller groups during the learning process, making classroom management easier for the teacher. The teacher can easily monitor the class due to the lower number of students in the group, because of which the opportunity to create disruptive behavior is minimized (Childcare, 2019). Moreover, due to their engagement with increased responsibilities in the group, they remain focused and occupied with their work, which will ultimately reduce disruptive behavior. On the other hand, since students are working in their groups based on the topics of their choice and their interests, they pay more attention to their tasks, exploring and experimenting with their own ideas, making classroom management easier. Finally, teachers can give individual attention to every student through close observation since they work in small groups. 

 

Reference

Childcare. (2019). Using Learning Centers in Child Care. Retrieved September 23, 2021 from https://childcare.extension.org/using-learning-centers-in-child-care/

Cox, J. (2019). How to Set Up Classroom Learning Centers. Retrieved September 23, 2021 from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-set-up-classroom-learning-centers-2081841

Hilberg, R.S., Chang, J., & Epaloosse, G. (2003). Designing effective activity centers for diverse learners. Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence, pp. 1-11. Retrieved September 23, 2021 from http://manoa.hawaii.edu/coe/crede/wp-content/uploads/Hilberg_et_al_20031.pdf

Ginsburg, D. (2016). Four Keys to Effective Classroom Learning Centers. Retrieved September 23, 2021 from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-four-keys-to-effective-classroom-learning-centers/2016/02

Pellegrino, A. M. (2007). How can learning centers be used to support classroom instruction and promote critical thinking in the kindergarten schools. Retrieved September 23, 2021 from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://rdw.rowan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1831%26context%3Detd%23:~:text%3DLearning%2520centers%2520should%2520encourage%2520students,to%2520complete%2520within%2520each%2520center.%26text%3DOften%252C%2520teachers%2520use%2520learning%2520centers,students%252C%2520usually%2520during%2520guided%2520reading.&ved=2ahUKEwjW6uj625bzAhV07HMBHcpVDFAQFnoECAMQBg&usg=AOvVaw2qVj5L1S6B44JjptpHIXCX