USEFUL DESIGNING TIPS

Choose topics that can easily be altered to be used in other classes

Many teachers teach different levels of the language. Sometimes the material taught in those levels overlaps each other. In Spanish III students learn the use of the preterit and the imperfect in the same sentence. In Spanish IV they will study this again. A teacher that has both classes can easily change some of the centers and adjust them for the next level without having to spend a lot of time doing so.

Get a teacher-partner to develop the activity

When teachers work hand-in-hand developing the learning centers or the materials to be included in them the job becomes easier to handle and more ideas will ensure the success of the activity. Sometimes educators can find that other person in the same school or even in the same school district.

Set rules and procedures clearly

As with any other classroom activity, teachers need to state the rules and procedures in a timely fashion. Explanations should be precise and clear, and must be done prior to the beginning of the activity. Students need to understand what the consequences will be when they break the rules.

Always have one or two extra activities on hand

Sometimes groups do not work at the same pace unless the teacher decides to use a specific time frame for each rotation. When this happens it is necessary to keep students busy and under control. Having at least two additional activities ready for this occasion will help the teacher to maintain good classroom management.

Explain each center before starting the activity

It is very important that teachers take the necessary amount of time to explain the activities of each of the learning centers before starting the first rotation. This will give students clear guidelines of what they will do. In the long run this will allow teachers the extra time they need to spend at the speaking center or just supervising the development of the activity.

Write clear instructions for each learning center

Each student should have in his/her hands a paper with the instruction for the center where they are working. The instructions should be clear and should include any material that would help students answer questions that they may have. Whether to write them in the target language or not depends on the teacher and how well he/she knows the student's proficiency in the language.

When possible provide answer sheets

Some centers will not be evaluated, but still are part of the activity. For these centers students can receive immediate feedback of their work when teachers provide them the answer sheets. The teacher has to create a method of giving the answer away. Some teachers have the students show them their work first and then they receive the sheets; others just put them in an envelope that is already at the center and ready to be opened by the students at the conclusion of the activity.

Prepare a learning center for every four to five students

While it is a good idea to keep the groups small, the creation of more centers will give the students different ways of learning the material, thus allowing for the differentiation of learners and their particular learning styles.

Name the learning centers

This will facilitate the flow of the activity. It can be done with names like: speaking center, writing center #1, writing center #2, listening center, TV-VCR center, etc.

Assign a leader or captain for each group

Involving students on the development of the activity will give them a sense of ownership and the desire to do their best. The leader of the group will make sure that every member of the group is on task and working to make this collaborative project a successful one.

Reward the groups that exhibit exemplary performance through the activity

Rewards will motivate all the students to perform at their best. Rewards can be small things such as pins, bookmarks, pens, pencils, or other materials that the teacher has been collecting for occasions like this one.

Keep records of your students rotations

There will be times when a teacher will be doing the learning centers with different classes at the same time. It will be hard to remember who has done a certain center and who has not. Keeping records of the students' rotations will help to organize the activity every time the class meets. Also, this lets the students know that they have to finish one center in order to move to the next one.

Evaluate the success of the activity

The teacher can do this by him/herself, or by asking the students for feedback when the activity is completed. Evaluating the centers will point out areas that need to be changed or that can be improved. Therefore, the design of the next learning centers will likely improve after the implementation of the last one.

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