Classroom Centers

Classroom Centers



Children learn best when they are actively engaged. Implementing centers in the classroom:

Promotes independence
Helps students become more responsible
Allows students to learn through self-discovery
Provides teachers with time to pull students one-on-one or in small groups to target specific academic skills, modify and enrich curriculum, and better meet the needs of individual students

I have taught both first grade and kindergarten and could not imagine teaching without centers. Every year I tweak and adjust my system to meet the needs of my students. Over the years, I have worked hard to move away from the more "cutesy" centers that must be changed out weekly and focused on creating more permanent centers with open ended tasks. Changing out centers weekly is just too much work! I select activities that involve students in practicing reading, writing, and spelling daily. I also choose open ended tasks that can be repeated with different poems, books, or writing topics.

Remember if it takes you longer to create the center than it takes your students to complete it, ask yourself if the activity is really worthwhile. All of us have spent hours coloring, cutting, gluing, and laminating file folder games and activities that are completed in minutes. So, try to keep this in mind if you are new to implementing centers in your classroom.

Think about what your goals for implementing centers are:
• Students actively engaged in meaningful learning.
• Students working independently.
• A peaceful working environment that is conducive to small group instruction.
On this page you will find suggestions for:
Centers to Include in Your Classroom Classroom Centers.docx

How to record where students work
Center Resources
How to Manage and Organize Centers in Your Classroom
Sensational Centers in Small Spaces
Literacy Centers

Using Digital Cameras to Complement Technology

Photo before the class


“Using digital cameras”, the topic shared this week went swiftly but smoothly. I was pleasantly surprised how much information from the session was new knowledge to me. I always took it for granted that a good picture was one that had sufficient light so that the images were clear to the viewer.
The session was necessary. Now I know that those thirds are important for balance, a focus spot is necessary to avoid confusion for the eyes and that there is no need to take the flash off when taking pictures outdoors. Oh happy day! Now you be the judge of my photo taking skills.




Photo after the class

Semantic Mapping

Semantic Mapping Technique Example 1: Using Whales: The Gentle Giants (1989) by Joyce Milton, Toronto: Random House.
The instructional sequence given in Masters, Mori, & Mori (1993) will be elaborated upon through the use of the above resource: (This can be done as an individual or group activity.)
1. Select a word central to the topic. For this book, the central word of the topic will be WHALE.

2. Display the target word.Display the word WHALE.

3. Invite the student to generate as many words as possible that relate to the target word. As students brainstorm, record the words on a chart or on the chalkboard.

4. Have the students write the generated words in categories. After all the brainstorming has taken place, discuss how the information could be placed into categories. For instance, each different whale could have its own group and add information to each group afterwards.

5. Have the student label categories. Label and add extra information to each category.

6. From this list, construct a map.


7. Lead the class in a discussion that focuses on identifying meanings and uses of words, clarifying ideas, highlighting major conclusions, identifying key elements, expanding ideas, and summarizing information. Various ideas and elements of the story may need elaboration. This could be done during the brainstorming/classifying activity or afterwards. A summarizing activity could be completed whereby the student writes or creates a project about the story.

Working with the Literacy Faculty

LITERACY FACULTIES

“When a staff collaborates well, it is a wonderful model for students”

What are Literacy Faculties?

A Literacy Faculty refers to the group of project teachers who meet under the leadership of a coordinator to collaborate on literacy, classroom and/or issues and decide how to improve them.

What are the Objectives?
defining the goals and objectives they wish their students to achieve;

pre-planning, teaching and evaluating research based learning activities; and

seeking out opportunities to initiate collaborative efforts with colleagues.


How Is Collaboration Done?

Guided discussion
Presentations
Dissemination of literature
Feedback

How is it organized?

Teachers choose one of the areas of concern or interest that is relevant to the student.

Teacher becomes responsible for researching the area, gathering relevant information and sharing these.

They share through disseminating literature, handouts, samples, in house workshops, coaching sessions, demonstration lessons, etc.

A Literacy Faculty Co-ordinator must be selected.

Co-ordinator works with Principal when scheduling activities.

Liaises with the Reading Specialist

Co-ordinator must seek advice from
Reading Specialist whenever needed.


Coordinator keeps Reading Specialist informed of all activities which must be documented.

Co-ordinator and other faculty members to collaborate and produce intervention report at the end of each school year.


Literacy Faculty Meetings

How often should the Faculty meet?

Faculty makes the decision about the meeting. Weekly, bi-weekly, forth- nightly, monthly sessions.


Where?

A room in the school, library, staffroom, church. A place which is convenient and comfortable.




When?

Faculty members decide on a mutually convenient time.
What is the principal’s role?
The Literacy Faculty is a ‘Facilitating Team’. The Principal could assist by giving administrative support for Literacy Faculty activities. Time maybe made available through the following suggestions.


Meeting at lunch time
Meeting after school
Early release of students on a particular day
Late start of teaching on a particular day
Using parents volunteers to read/supervise while teachers meet
Scheduling timetable

What is the reading specialists role?

Assist faculty members to manage the change brought about by the implementation of the Interventions.

Support both Principals and Literacy Faculty by guiding the process of documenting these meetings to capture on-going decision-making.

ANTICIPATED BENEFITS

Benefits to students include:
Improvement in student achievement
Improvement in behaviour and attitude


Benefits to teachers
A decrease in isolation
Stimulated creative expression and reflection
Delay in end of year burn out
Empowerment of teachers
Mature personal relationships

21st Century Literacy

Indeed technology can become infectious, but if the objective is clear and the technology is not abused then it can work towards good for all users.

As I searched the web for information to share with teachers on how they can teach differently to reach the student in the 21st century classroom, I found these videos very useful.

I found they were able to capture a little of the traditional teaching mode and effectively attempted to bridge the gap into the 21st century.
These I intent to share with many teachers in the different Literacy Faculties already established in some of our schools.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeKMILS8-QA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLRlRIV-alE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgKiU4xK9pM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JdG5U8Uwhg

"Look who‘s BLOGGING now"

I have reached my goal! Slowly but surely, I have gained a new friend in the technology. I now appreciate that hope leads to endurance and endurance leads to joy. I am blogging with more confidence now. What an effective way of sharing I have found this to be!

I must state that as the class continues to progress, I feel reassured that I am making progress. In evaluating my grasp of sharing and using blogs, I think I can now handle most of it very well. The difficulty arises when I do not practice, then I tend to forget and become frustrated. This feeling of frustration is often short lived since we have become a community of learners in the class, helping each other to achieve mastery.

To improve my situation I have been reading the resources shared by the tutors, this makes the task easier. Information posted on the portal have kept me afloat and functioning. The question and answer sessions we engage in as a class and sometimes as a small group, really serve to keep me focused.

I am eternally grateful to my tutors and my classmates for their unending support. Remember, we may not always be able to do everything on our own; at times we may need to get help, or to render assistance. This course requires a lot of practice but much more sharing. The race is not for the swiftest, but for the one who can endure.

The “aha moment” in Technology

The sessions in technology were quite informative and interesting. We explored a variety of topics but the sessions on digital and e-books were especially enlightening. I discovered that I did possess some knowledge about the topic, but lacked the hands on experience. Developing these manipulative skills, I realize, is vital to using this course in information technology.

During the session I was able to create two e-books, that was after having an “aha moment”. Following the step by step instructions of our tutor Cherisse, I was able to grasp the concept, to the extent that I was able to problem-solve with some of my peers. It was certainly a great feeling to have demonstrated that level of development, from the stage of information gathering to that of implementation.

I learnt to select appropriate clip arts and insert them into my power point presentations, making the presentations more attractive and reader friendly. I shared my books with Cherisse and a few colleagues, the feedback was positive and I was really proud of my progress. I thought to myself, if I was so elated and found so much pleasure doing the activity, how much more so would those students in the classroom.

I plan to use these strategies to assist two struggling readers who I know would benefit from this intervention. Now that I have tasted success with the technology, I intend to practice a lot in order to implement all of the other strategies that were proving to be a challenge. My blogs may be delayed, but I would preserve until I succeed.

Now that we know the Technology: What next?

Technology is another source for constructing reading material; it can promote students’ learning by supporting their construction with a high level of interactivity and experimentation. The constructivist theory suggests, learners comprehend more of what they create for themselves.

As Reading Specialists, now that we know the technology, it is time to use it to communicate effectively and to learn how to integrate and support this tool as we construct new learning with our students.

This course has provided me with a variety of tools that can be used to successfully promote reading growth, but as we press forward we need to pay attention to how we integrate and support the technology.

Integrate Technology into the Curriculum "Many teachers hunger for the time to translate new ideas and strategies into practical classroom lessons and unit plans," states McKenzie (1998). I intend to share these tools with classroom teachers and help motivate them to integrate the technology into the curriculum. I believe that the integration of technology into the curriculum will not succeed without giving teachers ample time to practice, explore, conceptualize, and collaborate.

Provide Technical Support Without continuous technical support, technology integration in the classroom will never be satisfactorily achieved (Bailey & Pownell, 1998). Experience has taught me that most teachers having heard the horror stories about equipment failure, software complexity, data loss, embarrassments, and frustration encountered by their colleagues, fear being left hanging with a class, wondering why nothing is working the way it is supposed to be.

When teachers are trying to use technology in their classrooms and they encounter difficulties, they need immediate help and support. "Helping technology users while they are actively engaged with technology is probably the most meaningful, essential and appreciative support that can be provided," (Brody 1995).

Save The Trees

Do you know that the use of technology can save thousands of trees and so contribute to the reduced rate of deforestation? Unfortunately,the biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture and to provide the world with paper products. Paper production worldwide has increased 20-fold since 1913.

In the last 5,000 years, humans have reduced forests from the lush expanse of fertile land to an eye sore, as they seek to satisfy the need for more paper, the result - deforestation. Surely there are alternatives to tree-cutting for paper making that would reduce the effects of deforestation.

Apart from simply not cutting down the trees, conversations among different writers on the topic suggest that the use of technology in our everyday life is an effective alternative to tree cutting for paper making that would reduce deforestation.

Use of technology can save the trees now and for generations to come. It would also contribute positively to the preservation of plant and animal live that is negatively affected as a result of deforestation.

Think about it, if we learn the technology and use it well we too can not only save the trees, but can contribute in a large way to the preservation of the eco-system, making sure that the forest environments remain intact.We will also be saving our students from the beaten tract of traditional teaching.

Using Technology to improve instruction

Technology is no longer an intimidating novelty. Its use in any industry is both accepted and expected. And here we are preparing our students for the world outside the classroom and yet have not equipped them with the right tools for them to survive, to acquire jobs in the real world. I am convinced now more than ever; educators need to get on board and see to it that students become technologically skilled. Technology is a tool that can change the nature of teaching and learning.

What came across clearly during the delivery of this course was the fact that in a technology-rich classroom, students don't "learn" technology. Technology merely provides the tools to be used for authentic learning. It is a means, not an end and as such provides educators with the opportunity to move from simply streamlining the way things have always been done to really imagining things they would like to do. Technology therefore provides the vehicle to accomplish educational goals. What a wonderful opportunity!

The visioning for a technology-rich classroom then, is students who are active, rather than passive -- producing knowledge and presenting that knowledge in a variety of formats. Teachers and students would move from pursuing individual efforts to being part of teaching and learning teams, which may include a global community. The classroom then becomes more student friendly with the teacher acting as a guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage. Of course, active learning can create busy, noisy, and messy classrooms. It's important to recognise therefore that this kind of learning takes practice-for both the teacher and the students. Now, right now educators must be instructed on how to best use technological to enhance teaching and learning.

Reading Failure real or imagined?

Are all students who fail to read unable to do so? Research has shown that failure to read is not always because students are unable to read. Listed high among the list of reading failure is students’ lack of motivation. A number of sources show that students may lack motivation due to the fact that they give up easily and do not pursue assignments past the point of difficulty; they give up on the first try. Once prodded that same student may demonstrate understanding of the reading process and a capability to read fluently.

How can a Reading Specialist help? Knowledge of reasons why children fail to read and the problems that may occur as a result of this would help. Reading Specialists must be ready with a “bag of tricks”, to solve students’ reading problems. Children learn well when learning is fun; they experience less drudgery when tasks are interesting and yet challenging. Therefore part of a Reading Specialist tools would be some aspect of technology; this would certainly guarantee excitement while students’ succeed.

Technologies shared during this course would prove useful to non readers despite the nature of the reading problem. The variety of tools shared would add richness to a Reading Specialists’ “bag of tricks”. Not only the technology, but the creative and diverse ways in which these can be presented, would add fun and flavor to the reading task.

Reading Disabilities: Guide to Paired Reading — Part I

Reading Disabilities: Guide to Paired Reading — Part I

http://mstliteracy.wordpress.com/feed/

Motivation to be a Reading Specialist

My name is Merle Patterson-Jobe, I am an educator and have experienced teaching at levels from early childhood to adult education. My interest in reading began very early in my teaching career, after I was assigned to a standard two class, having taught a standard five class for a period of time.

My challenges begun on the very first day I entered the class room and attempted to introduce a reading activity to the class. Reflecting on my knowledge base at that time, I will now confess that I was limited, but I knew enough to realize that my class needed help and needed it quickly. That was the start of my interest in reading.

I was further encouraged by a senior teacher who appointed herself as my reading guide and what a good guide she proved to be. Her encouragement led me to be trained and to function as a Reading Facilitator some years later, still this training proved inadequate if students and teachers were to benefit from excellent coaching in reading.

There was a burning desire to address the needs of those who were struggling and to ensure that they received excellent instructions. More important though, was the realization that classroom teachers at the primary level, and more so at the secondary level, were unprepared mentally as well as pedagogically to address the reading challenges our students were encountering. I recognized I could help to stem the flow of students leaving school unable to read if I had more information to share.

My longing to make a difference, to encourage teachers the way I was encouraged, to share with them what others have done and found to be successful, to work with parents and their children to widen the net of literacy and to improve my skills to be a more competent reading facilitator, has led me to be a participant in the first class of locally trained Reading Specialists.