Learning center activities are opportunities for students to practice and extend the standards they are learning during instructional time, but more importantly, they are a self-motivating way of extending learning from guided to self-paced activities. In special education, learning stations are an excellent way of addressing different learning styles and providing opportunities for self-paced multisensory learning.
WHAT ARE THEY?
I like to call them learning stations. Autism educators call them work tasks. Kindergarten teachers call them centers. Regardless of the terminology used, the idea behind them is the same: they provide real opportunities to practice skills that may be critical to a student’s independence. They are organized, predictable and fit well into the routine a student with autism may need. They can be anything from sorting into categories and comparing sizes, to more complicated activities like practicing content related skills for Science, Social Studies, ELA or Math. I love incorporating learning stations into the schedule. This year I have a great variety of activities to pick from: 16 different literacy stations that practice ELA content (writing narratives, informational, how to, character, setting, main idea, etc), 1 Science, 1 Social Studies, and 3 Math stations. Over 20 stations to choose from! The activities are fun and do not require a lot of thinking about the how to process, once the procedures are learned. The stations stay the same throughout the entire year, so once the students learn the routines, they are at ease working independently, and for me, this chunk of time becomes really easy to manage and allows for one-on-one time with other students.
HOW TO SET UP A LEARNING STATION
Each activity comes with a basket that holds together the supplies and an anchor chart describing the steps for completing the tasks. The anchor chart stays the same, but the supplies may change based on the season, special events or the lesson taught.
Students can complete their tasks in a different places around the classroom. Some enjoy working in the actual station area, some prefer their desk, while others will choose to lay on the fuzzy rug or cuddle up in the cozy dish chairs. I allow them to sit wherever they choose, as long as another activity isn’t going on there at that moment. They must be able to stay in the same area for the entire time and complete their task. For the students who need reminders, I set the visual timer.
One thing I’ve learned a long time ago when I’ve began my journey with the Montessori approach, was that children need clearly defined boundaries, they need order and neatness. Therefore I avoided clutter by placing only one basket on each shelf. Sometimes the materials cannot all fit in the basket, so there will be a separate container that goes with the basket, like in the picture, but that’s ok. The rule is still the same: one basket per shelf. That also helps come clean up time: students look for an empty shelf and take their basket to that spot. No questions, no fuss, no frustrations.
WHEN CAN AN ACTIVITY BECOME A STATION?
A stations is never a new learning activity. When station activities have been taught in mini-lessons to a small group of students or individually, they can be placed in the learning station area. That’s mainly how I rotate my Science and Social Studies stations and keep them current for the unit taught. Sometimes an activity requires further explanation and practice before it can become a station. If that’s the case, do not rush to create a station. It will raise questions for the students, and instead of independent work, you will end up with confused or frustrated students.
In order for your stations to work, you need to teach them! Yes, you need to teach your students how to go to stations, how to stay engaged, how to use the materials, how to ask for help, and how to clean up. I have anchor charts that break down all of these procedures into small steps. I practice them during the first two weeks of school, just like any other rules and procedures in my room. Depending on the age of the students, you may want to limit your stations to 2-3 at the beginning, and gradually introduce more each week. If your students are familiar with some of the activities, you can begin with 5 – 10 stations, then add more during the following months.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING STATIONS
- Are excellent practice opportunities;
- Provide meaningful learning experiences while the teacher conducts small group lessons or progress monitoring;
- Provide excellent enrichment and remediation opportunities for content related skills.
- Expectations are clear, simple, and repetitive;
- Activities are self- paced;