Learning
Centres- Student Movement 
How do I monitor student movement?
Group Rotation A
- Students work in one of possibly 4 stations each day, requiring 4 days
to complete the rotation. The fifth day could be a finish up time or free
choice of centres. As students get more comfortable with rotations, centre
time may be increased to 2 centres each day with 2 time blocks on timetable
at different times of day. In this case the rotation requires 2 days to
complete rotation of centres.
Group Rotation B
- Number of stations is determined by number of students with a maximum
of 4 in each group. Students rotate through stations during a half day block
3 days a week.
Free Choice System
- Students move through centres on an individual basis and form self-selected
groups - teacher may use planning board, pocket charts or centre wheel with
names on clips, where student s can identify their selection and sign up
on a first come basis. The number of students at each Centre should be posted
by the Centre name. This system could also be offered at the conclusion
of a group rotation cycle enabling students to return to a Centre in order
to complete work or to choose Centres they have not visited.
Tracking
 A wheel made of tag board mounted on sheet metal allows magnetic name tags to be easily attached each day on this Theme Centre wheel. The sheet metal was cut to size for a minimal cost. It is fastened to a piece of plywood with a screw and the tag board glued with rubber cement. This teacher keeps groups to a maximum of 4 students and determines the number of stations based on that. The activities on the wheel match the location of the activities in the room. |
 Laminated Wheel - This wheel has set Subject Area Centres for the year. The student names are written on the wheel in washable pen. Some teachers have set groups that change only 3 - 4 times per year while others may change groups more frequently. |
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 Interest Centres in this middle years classroom, allow students to choose from a variety of hands on open-ended activities. These include building and deconstruction activities, drama, games, crafts, painting and musical keyboarding. Tongue depressors with student names are used for selecting the centres. |
Management
Strategies - Establish initial rules and procedures
prior to using learning centres.
| General Classroom Rules - There needs to be a balance between freedom and order. State classroom rules in a positive manner and review frequently. Discuss what will our room look like? |
| Acceptable Noise Level - Although the noise level in a Learning Centre classroom is usually higher than in a traditional classroom, there still needs to be guidelines for acceptable voice levels. Establish what "partner voices" and "small group voices" mean and reinforce regularly. Discuss what will our room sound like? |
| Changing Activities - How will students be notified of ending activity time and what procedures will they follow? You may find it helpful to use a kitchen timer for rotations and give students a "5 minutes remaining" signal to prepare for transition. |
| Managing Materials - Students should be completely responsible for collecting materials and putting them away. It is also important to reinforce care of materials that have many "teacher hours' of preparation behind them. |
| Finish-Up Time - What do students do if their activity is not finished? Where does incomplete work go? When is incomplete work finished? |
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Best Practices: Pieces of the Puzzle Copyright 2003 Regina Public Schools and Saskatchewan Learning |
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