How to Create an Interest Center or Learning Center

Learning, interest or activity centers are small areas in the classroom designed around specific educational experiences. Learning centers provide the teacher with opportunities to focus on a specific topic and provide students with a comfortable learning environment. Effective learning centers require preparation, organization and monitoring by a dedicated classroom teacher. Well-designed learning centers give students varied opportunities for self-directed, individualized learning activities.

• 1

  Assess each student to obtain information about learning styles, preferences, strengths and weaknesses. This step enables the teacher to design activities that can meet students' individual needs.

• 2

  Design learning activities for the centers that enrich and support lessons taught during class and small group instruction.

• 3

  Group the students for the learning centers. Students can be grouped alphabetically, by developmental reading level or randomly. Name each group after a shape, color, animal or a current lesson concept.

• 4

  Set up a schedule for the learning centers. Permit approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes for each center to run. The schedule should allot adequate time for all students to rotate to each center.

• 5

  Provide clear instructions and procedures for using the learning centers. Instructions can be provided on audio tape with earphones, in writing and with visual aids.

• 6

  Rotate students through the learning centers. A signal to change centers can be a song, word, bell or clap. Students can walk through the centers as an orientation or practice to understand the rotation process.