Learning Centers - they're not just for Kindergarten! #aeswired

Last Monday I had the pleasure of visiting a Kindergarten class at #aeswired.  The teacher, Memory Anderson, is one of our WOW Teachers who attended WOW Academy last summer.  It's plain to see why Memory is worthy of her WOW status!

What I observed in Memory's class really made me begin to evaluate how we are teaching in EVERY class.  Why are we only using learning centers in the lower elementary classes?!  Wouldn't ALL ages benefit from this kind of learning environment?!  Here's what I saw on Monday...

When Memory announced to her 5 year old students that it was center time, her little soldiers marched into action.  Several got up and went to a horseshoe table for time with the teacher, two went to the SMART board and started a phonics activity, two went to the iPad station and pulled up a letter writing app, two went to the computer station and chose a website from Memory's Symbaloo page, a few sat on the floor with big books to read aloud and a couple were on the floor with iPod shuffles reading along with audio books.

I.  Was.  Stunned.  No one asked a single question.  No one pushed.  No one ran.  The kids were all smiling and happily learning.  I found myself thinking back to when I would stand in front of my 5th grade science classroom and - like the good teacher dictator I was - CONTROL THE LEARNING.

I was a part of the problem then and I want to be a part of the solution now.  So I've started doing a little research and here are some great links, blog posts, articles and resources I have come across.  I hope that sometime soon I can post about putting these ideas into action.  Hey #keswired and #bmswired teachers, are you with me?!?!

Tech Chef 4 U - Setting up the Instructional Space
Ideas for Learning Centers
Templates for Creating Learning Centers
The Ultimate Organized Classroom
Setting up the Physical Environment