Learning Centers…An Exciting Approach To Teaching

Just about every Sunday school teacher has, at one time or another, found themselves getting stuck in the rut of using the same teaching method week after week. It’s quite easy to cling to a teaching method that seems easy and workable and, without really thinking, get trapped into a pattern that soon becomes old-hat and even boring for the students. That’s why it’s so important to continually be on the lookout for new ideas that can keep teaching fresh and exciting.

One of the newer teaching ideas that has come into practice over the past few years is that of learning centers. Simply stated, learning centers are self-contained, self-instructing learning tools that students can use to learn a part of the total lesson.

The idea of the learning center approach to a lesson is to divide the lesson into a number of parts and then to use a different activity in that particular learning center to help the students, either as individuals or in small groups, to participate in actively learning that part of the lesson.

The various learning centers might involve games, viewing filmstrips or videos, crafts, maps, drawing, studying objects related to the lesson, etc. The class members go from center to center, actively participating in the activities of that area. Each center is complete in that the instructions for that area are available on a printed sheet or cassette recorder, so that the students can complete the activity in their own way and at their own pace.

In using the learning center concept to present a lesson, each individual center presents just one part of the topic. When these different parts are combined, the total picture and total message of the lesson are obtained. But, even though all centers are designed to be a small part of the total picture, each should also be complete in itself. That means that even if the student cannot complete all of the learning centers, they will still have learned much about the theme.

Preparing a learning center requires time and some special effort. Basically there are four steps involved in preparing a learning center:

1. Decide on the theme or topic you will present. Then study as much about the subject as you can to get as much background on the subject as possible. As you study, divide the subject into smaller parts that can help you organize the different learning center themes.

2. Collect ideas and materials. Watch for games, worksheets, crafts, filmstrips, videos, books, and magazine articles, etc. that relate to the different ways of presenting the various themes you determine in step one.

3. Plan the actual learning centers you will use. Make a list of supplies and materials needed. Also, check the different types of learning centers you have planned. Make sure you have a balance in the types of activities you have planned. Try to get a variety of activities, things that will interest all students in one way or another.

4. Finally, set up the actual learning centers. Place a large sign at each center to identify what it is or what the activity involves. Be sure you have all materials and instructions with each center.

Even though you should try to make each learning center as complete and self-explanatory as possible, you will still want to be available to answer any questions and clarify instructions. And, as your students go from center to center, try to evaluate what interests them most.

If you’re not sure how to go about planning a learning center program for your class, check with your local Christian bookstore. A number of publishing companies are incorporating the learning center concept into their materials. Using one of these prepared programs or at least studying it to get more ideas is a great place to start.

(This article appeared in the "Fall, 1990" issue of "The Herald.")