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Of Primary Interest

Centering Your Classroom Setting the Stage for Engaged Learners

We know a lot about how young children learn. We know that children ages eight and under construct knowledge through hands-on exploration of materials and by inter- acting with people. We also know that children learn best when their physical needs are met and they feel psychologi- cally safe and secure.

Children need time to think and to manipulate materi- als for deep learning to occur. Play and other experiences in which children engage in active learning promote devel- opment in all domains. When adults scaffold learning ex- periences to fit individual developmental levels, children's learning Improves (Berk & Winsler 1995; Coppie & Bre- dekamp 2006; Epstein 2007).

We know a lot about teaching. Children need both child- guided and adult-guided experiences for optimal learning (Epstein 2007). An integrated curriculum helps children make connections between content areas, build on their previous learning, and strengthen their understanding of concepts (Coppie & Bredekamp 2006). Strong relationships between adults and children enhance learning through pur- poseful and frequent interactions such as conversations, giving information, or modeling an activity.

Learning centers

A kindergarten (and former first grade) teacher, Lynn Hef- fley, notes that young children need to be encouraged and taught to inquire, investigate, explore, and to record their learning (pers. comm). Learning wili not occur unless the

Gayie M. Stuber, PhD, is an early childhood program consuitant at the Kansas State Department of Education. She is the coordi- nator of a state ievel schooi readiness project and provides tech- nical assistance to schoois (focusing on primary grades) in the areas of school improvement, instruction, and assessment. Gayle can be reached at [email protected].

This column is available online in Beyond the Journal, July 2007, at www.journal.naeyc.org/btj.

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Gayle M. Stuber

teacher is knowledgeable, caring, supportive—and inten- tional in planning lessons and activities and selecting strat- egies that promote learning and support the growth of the whole child.

Learning centers are distinct interest areas in a class- room that offer various materials and opportunities for hands-on learning at individually appropriate levels (Cop- ple & Bredekamp 2006; Epstein 2007). Some kindergarten classrooms have a few learning centers, but many others offer only teacher-directed activities. Children cannot ex- plore the center materials freely, but must complete set ac- tivities often within a specified time frame. Since primary grade teachers now must devote much of their time to ad- dressing specific curriculum content, many feel like they and their students have less time than ever for what is of- ten viewed as playtime. Today, it is rare to see elementa- ry school classrooms with a plethora of materials that chil- dren can use in multiple ways depending on their individual learning styles, needs, and Interests.

Teachers often say they don't have enough time to es- tablish and maintain centers. Many believe that centers use valuable time and prevent them from covering specif- ic content learning required by standards. They also hold the misconception that play and work in centers interferes with the teacher's assessment of children and the docu- menting of learning needed so that children can do well on tests. When shown that centers are effective teaching and learning approaches for elementary school-age children, teachers will intentionally develop and integrate hands- on exploratory child- and adult-guided learning experienc- es. "Centers and Activities Supporting the Algebraic Concept of Patterns in Grade 2" gives an example of how centers can help teachers address specific content through multiple en- gaging activities that allow individual children at different de- velopment levels to experience learning in different ways.

5 8 Young Children'Ju\y 2007

References Teachers use centers in the primary grades to . . .

• Engage students in learning

• Promote development ofthe whole child

• Integrate multiple subject matters so that learning hap- pens in a meaningful context

• Assess student understanding and knowledge through observation and authentic assessment practices

• Foster a love of learning

Engaging environments Offering engaging learning activities at centers can actu-

ally make teaching and learning more efficient and more en- gaging for children. Playful learning balanced by purposeful activities means more engaged learning and fewer behav- ior problems (Perlmutter & Burrell 1995). The NAEYC po- sition statement on developmentally appropriate practice—remember, ear- ly childhood includes the years from birth through third grade!—says it well; Teachers need to "create an in- tellectually engaging, responsive en- vironment to promote each child's learning and development" (NAEYC 1997,11). Children need "supportive environments that nurture their so- cial, emotional, physical, ethical, civ- ic, creative, and cognitive develop- ment" (ASCD 2007, 10).

Centers can be used to support the whole child so that enhanced growth, development, and meaningful learn- ing can occur. In their book Buiid- ing the Primary Classroom: A Com- plete Guide to Teaching and Learning, Bickart, Jablon, and Dodge (1999) de- scribe how primary grade teachers can make informed decisions about the many aspects of teaching young children, including setting up a class- room environment that uses cen- ters to encourage learning and allows teachers to assess that learning.

Offering children genuine choices that are intentionally developed by a knowledgeable teacher promotes competence and independence as well as the more academic learning in all children (Bickart, Jablon, & Dodge 1999). Centers help teachers put the child at the center of their decision making—where children should be!

ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). 2007. The whole child. Alexandria. VA: Author.

Berk, L.E., & A. Winsler. 199S. Scaffolding children'.s teaming: Vy^tsky and early childhood educalion. Washington, DC; NAEYC.

Bickart. T.S., J.R. Jabion, & D.T. Dodge. 1999. Building Ihe primary class- room: A complete guide (a teaching und learning. Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies; Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Coppie, C, & S. Bredekamp. 2006. Basics of dei>elopmentally appropri- ate practice: An introduction for teactiers of children 3 to 6. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Epstein, A.S. 2007. The intentional teacher: Choosing the best strategies for young children's learning. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Kansas State Department of Education. 2003. Kansas Curricular Stan- dards for Mathematics Education. Topeka, KS: Author Oniine: www. ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=141.

NAEYC. 1997. Position statement. Devetopmentaily appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving chiidren from birth through age 8. Washington. DC: Author. Online: http://www.naeyc.org/about/ positions/pdf/PSDAP98.PDF.

Perlmutter. J.C, with L BurreH. 1995. Learning through "piay" as weil as "work" in the primary grades. Young Children 50 (5): 14-21.

Centers and Activities Supporting the Algebraic Concept of Patterns in Grade 2

Standard: The child uses algebraic concepts and procedures in a variety of sit- uations (Kansas State Department of Education 2003).

Second grade knowledge indicator: The child uses concrete objects, draw- ings, and other representations to work with types of patterns {for example, repeating, growing)

Center

Science

Art

Literacy (writ- ing, reading)

Mathematics

Blocks (house building)

Dramatic play (store)

Activity

Build a pattern using different kinds of rocks. This can be a pattern students create, or they can follow a model shown on a worksheet. Children then record the pattern in a jour- nal, using pictures, words, or drawings.

Create an abstract artwork with multiple patterns, using self- selected materials (pieces of tissue paper, crayons/markers, pencils, and so on).

Write a paragraph or two describing the abstract artwork to attach to the picture.

Buiid patterns with Unifix cubes, small blocks, or other ma- nlpulatives. Next, reproduce the patterns on paper in a math journal. Children can represent the pattern using writ- ten numbers or letters (for example, ABB).

Copy a picture of a building and show patterns of windows and doors using colored blocks. Children can create a neighborhood of houses and buildings that show a pattern.

Make a list of items needed to set up a store, using writ- ten words and symbois to represent the items (fruit, drink, food). The list will form a pattern: fruit, fruit drink, food.

Young ChZ/dren* July 2007 59