in most classes that i have had the honor of visiting or teaching in, the teachers operate a style of learning based on "centers". in these centers, students have the opportunity to explore different areas of study in a small group setting, usually with two or three other students. teachers explain the activity at the center for the day and give the objective, and then students are able to work more independently amongst themselves through the duration of the day. teachers are then freed up to work in more intense groups that need the direction of the teacher, like reading groups. students know that if they have questions or require assistance, they can ask questions when the current reading group has concluded, before the next one is up. students spend about 20 minutes working in their centers, and rotate through a few during the school day.
in a throwback to this method, i am putting together some "centers" here at home. we have a play space for the kids, and in it, i have assembled some of their toys into groups to use for their center time. for example, we have a bunch of musical instruments, so i grouped these items together for a music center. in the group, we have maracas, cymbals, a triangle, my old keyboard from seventh grade, a drum, and a few other items that we can use when we are singing,marching or wanting to make our own music.
i'm in the process of taking pictures of our collections so you can see exactly what i mean... here is the beginnings of some of our first centers.
