LEARNING CENTERS IN ENGLISH CLASSES Mgr. Lenka Rousová ZŠ Jižní IV, Praha

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1 LEARNING CENTERS IN ENGLISH CLASSES Mgr. Lenka Rousová ZŠ Jižní IV, Praha This article is an excerpt from a diploma thesis Leading Children towards Autonomous Learning, which investigated how learning centers can enhance language learners autonomous learning. You can read the whole text of the diploma thesis on: The article describes different types of learning centers that can be used in a language classroom and the reasons for using them. Learning Centers Learning centers are areas in the classroom created for the pupils to be engaged "in independent and self-directed learning activities" (Jabberwodsky 1). Reasons for Using Learning Centers Lemlech, in her work Classroom Management, states that "learning centers may be used to extend, enrich, and integrate learning experiences. Learning centers can be designed to allow students to respond in preferred ways" (Lemlech 114). Learning centers are a good means in the process of learning. It not only "motivates, reinforces and supports" the learning process but it also "meets the individual ability levels, promotes self-direction, and encourages responsibility and learner evaluation op process" (Lemlech, 114). Those are qualities crucial in developing children autonomous learning. Collins and Vojtková point out that by using learning centers, a teacher is able to structure both learner groups and skill-based activities to maximize student autonomy and time-on-task (4-5). To paraphrase Bottini and Grossman, learning centers give children the possibility to make their own decisions, collaborate with others, and be fully immersed in the process of learning (1-6). McDowell further suggests the following reasons for including learning centers in the

2 classroom: 1. promote independence 2. help students become more responsible 3. allow students to learn through self-discovery 4. provide teachers with time to pull students one-on-one or in small groups to target specific academic skills 5. modify and enrich curriculum 6. better meet the needs of individual students Those reasons support her idea that "children learn best when they are actively engaged" (McDowell, "Mrsmcdowell.com"). Types of Learning Centers An enormous variety of types of learning centers may be found. According to most writers the learning centers may be divided into three basic types which blend one with another: Interest center, Skill center and Enhance center. 1. Interest Center The Interest Center is designed to capitalize on the interest of students (Jabberwocky, 3). Children choose the center to work in according to their concern. They would work on this particular area of interest (e.g. country, animal, food, employment), study as much material as possible, and prepare an outcome to be presented to the classmates. It is believed that children are fully engaged in their work when doing things that interest them. It arouses their motivation and positive working attitude. Pupils' interest is one of the crucial points in the process of learning. 2. Skill Center The focus of the Skill Center is on tasks requiring memorization and/or repetition (Jabberwocky 2). According to the writer this center comes after the initial teaching of a concept or skill (Jabberwocky 2), for example a grammar explanation or

3 vocabulary presentation in order to practise and reinforce the input. 3. Enhancement Center The Enhancement Center may be defined as a center where children are free to choose whatever activity they want. It is a center where students go when they have finished their work. This center can provide any exercises or activities in order to keep the children working. As Collins and Vojtková state, students have the option to go to the Enhancement Center to select an activity to do while they wait for the next whole class activity (Collins 4-5). Further division of Learning Centers The centers mentioned above might be further divided into centers where children can be helped and guided by an older student, an assistant, or a teacher himself, and to centers where a child is completely self-dependent. Learning centers can also be made with a time limit or without any time restriction. They are some that should be finished within one lesson and others that should be fulfilled within a series of lessons. There are centers in which children work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. In this article, centers suitable for language learning are considered. For the purpose of English language learning, centers might be divided according to the four language skills. These skills are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. However there are also vocabulary and grammar centers considered. Learning Centers in the Language Classroom When planning learning centers for the language classroom, "the primary criterion is the importance that they match student interest with curricular needs" (Jabberwocky 2). This is the reason why Learning centers are divided into the following types, where various strategies are offered to the children as well as most learning styles are covered in order to offer a suitable center for each student. Both learning styles and learning strategies were mentioned earlier in the work.

4 Vocabulary Center The Vocabulary Center is a center designed to learn, improve, and practise new as well as already known vocabulary. It offers various methods and strategies, such as associations, making flashcards, playing domino, or using a new word in a sentence. Grammar Center The Grammar Center is created to better understand new as well as already learned grammatical structures and to practice them. In this center both inductive and deductive strategies should be present. Examples of activities are fill-in exercises, translation, creating a table or scrambled words (Lindsay, and Knight 82). Reading Center In this center children do not only practise reading aloud but also learn to understand the whole text, read for gist, read for specific information, scanning and skimming. Some suggested activities would be to read a text and make a summary of it, answer the questions, fill in the gaps, or read the instructions and draw a picture. Writing Center In the Writing Center pupils are offered activities to improve their writing. Lindsay especially mentions handwriting, spelling, use of punctuation, or forming sentences (Lindsay, and Knight 87). In this center activities such as scrambled letters, gap filling, dictation, reordering, making comics, letter writing, and many others can be offered. Listening Center The Listening Center is made to make children practise their listening skills. In this center children can find activities like watching films, listening exercises on the computer, listening to audio books while reading them, or listening to the friends instructions and drawing a picture.

5 Speaking Center The Speaking Center is designed to improve children s oral production. They may practise and learn the correct pronunciation and intonation as well as creating sentences and talking for a longer period of time. Among many activities that this center may offer are talking about a topic for one minute, projects on a certain topic, telling a fairy tale in a group, creating a story based on pictures and many others. Organization of learning centers The organization of learning centers is tightly connected with the organization of the classroom. Lemlech, in her book Classroom Management, emphasizes the influence of the organization on the effectiveness of the learning process. She mentions several aspects of organization of learning centers. Those aspects are the room arrangement, the presence of notice boards, and the importance of classroom decorations (such as students work, flowers, and pictures), the presence of a classroom library, computers, resource materials, and many others. Lemlech further stresses careful and thorough arrangement of the learning centers. It is advisable that the centers are easily reached by the pupils, that children have enough working space, and that they are easily monitored by the teacher (Lemlech ). Used sources: Bottini, Michael and Sue Grossman. Center-Based Teaching and Children's Learning: The Effects of Learning Centers on Young Children's Growth and Development. Bay Ledger News Zone, 31 May Web. 23 Aug Collins, Rita and Naďa Vojtková. "Using Learning Centres in the English Language Classroom." Voices 2010: 4-5. Print. Jabberwocky. Learning Centers. Teacher Vision. Web. 23 Aug Lindsay, Cora, and Paul Knight. Learning and Teaching English. Oxford: Oxford University

6 Press, Print. Lemlech, Johanna Kasin. Classroom Management. 3 rd ed. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc., Print. McDowell. Classroom Centers. mrsmcdowell, Jun Web. 30 Jan