What technology should I use?There are many questions that teachers need to ask themselves when getting ready to set up the centers. The following are some of them:
What technology should I use?
Teachers will need to use the technology that they have available and that matches their learning objectives. When thinking about the unit that will be presented educators have to decide which will be the best way to present it to the students. At this time it is necessary to collect all the topic-related materials and try to visualize their role in the lesson plan.
How many centers should I prepare?
The answer to this question depends on how many students the teacher has in the class and also on how long you he/she wants the activity to last. Obviously if the learning centers are being set up for a week it will be necessary to provide enough stations to allow for many rotations. On the other hand, it will be necessary to reduce the number of centers if the activity is going to last only a few days. For example; when there are twenty four students in the class it would be a good idea to prepare six learning centers so each one will have four students. Those centers can be divided as follows: speaking, computers, writing, listening, the TV and VCR center (mostly for cultural notes), another one could be a repetition of any of the above using other technologies or other materials that the teacher may have on hand.
Should the centers be topic-related?
The use of the learning centers provides students with a lot of different techniques to master material and/or improve certain language skills. The teacher should decide if the centers must be related to each other or if there will be a variation of topics. A good way to accomplish both ideas is to integrate one topic with another that supports and further develops the first one. For example, in a unit about the subjunctive mood the teacher may want to avoid having grammar exercises in each center. In order to bring more interest to the activity the teacher incorporates in two of the centers activities related to a story about the Mayas where the subjunctive is used many times.
When should I do the centers, at the beginning or at the end of the unit?
This activity can be done at the beginning, at the middle, or at the end of the unit under discussion. If prepared at the beginning it will serve as the primary tool of instruction. Teachers need to make sure that instructions are well explained and that students are working properly on the different assigned tasks. When done at the middle of the unit it helps to bring more variety to the lesson and students enjoy this kind of change. When placed at the end of the unit the centers will serve as a review of the material already learned. Students will work on the centers in order to get ready for the final evaluation.
What about setting rules and procedures?
As in any other class activity this one requires a clear set of rules and procedures. This has to be carefully done when presenting the learning centers for the first time. Once again teachers need to create their own set of rules according to their students. It would be good if these rules were kept posted in a visible place as a reminder that they need to be followed at all times. Good behavior and commitment on the part of the students is necessary for the success of this activity. At the same time teachers need to develop well structured procedures explaining the dynamic of the learning centers.
How am I going to evaluate the learning centers?
This is definitely one of the most important parts when designing the learning centers. It is well know that students need to know that they will be evaluated on the material if they are to make an effort to learn it. Learning centers seem to be a special game for students that don't approach them with the necessary maturity. In order to avoid this situation teachers need to decide what centers will be evaluated and how. Grading so many papers can easily overwhelmed any teacher. Selecting two or three centers to do that, and have an easy key to correct the work is one solution. It is also a good idea to evaluate the speaking center.
What will be my role as a teacher?
Once the teacher has set up the learning centers his/her role in the classroom will change; from being the primary provider of information to one of guide and supervisor. He/she will have more time to spend with the students and this will definitely help both parties to create a better learning environment.
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