Get to the Center Of It All
There’s something to be said about having freedom and independence in our general lives but applying it to your classroom can be something quite special. No matter the quantity of students present in your class, the important thing is to educate them to the best of your abilities, albeit with some help here and there now and again.
Short of an assistant or teacher’s aide, where else can that little bit of extra help come from? Why, from none other than the type of audio visual equipment that can make you look like you’ve been multiplied. Learning centers provide you with the ability to focus on individual students in separate groups. It’s almost as if there were more of you in the classroom, only the learning centers are your substitute teachers, so to speak.
They’re available in all shapes and sizes. They come with a media player or without so you can attach your own. Some are designed for use with a computer. They are available with different numbers of headphones, with a jackbox or without, and are even available for younger students too.
“Using the centers allows a teacher to work with smaller groups of students without taking away from the rest of their class.”
With students engaged in reading activities that are more advanced than others, implementing the Performer Plus™ or the four or six-person Spirit™ learning centers allows you the flexibility to group students according to their differing reading levels. If and when other students require your attention more urgently, the student groups can follow along with their reading assignment independently. With the freedom to direct specialized attention where it’s needed, you can feel confident that each one of your students are getting the best possible instruction. Melissa Boyle, a literacy instructional coach from Cedar Grove Elementary School in KY agrees: “Using the centers allows a teacher to work with smaller groups of students without taking away from the rest of their class.” In addition to differentiated learning, the centers also foster an atmosphere full of teamwork which also benefits the students down their education path.
The Spirit (shown above) and Performer Plus learning centers are also available as either tabletop or rolling Audio Pods™ to help reduce classroom clutter so students stay on task and so you can accomplish what you set out to do for them.
