USING MULTIMEDIA TO ENGAGE LEARNERS

Learning Centers & MultimediaSamantha Arnold

Frostburg State University

Spring 2013

LEARNING CENTERS

A learning center is an area of the classroom that is self contained to encourage individual or small group learning. In each learning center there is a topic that the teacher wants the students to focus on.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEARNING CENTER?

Organized

Interactive

Designed for individuals, pairs, or triads

Technology

Confined to a clearly identified area

Skill Centers• Provide students

with opportunities to reinforce a skill for additional practice. • Example: math

manipulatives with math problems on a worksheet.

• Example: Prefixes for students learning word skills

TYPES OF CENTERS

Interest Centers• Stimulate new

interests and encourage creativity.• Example: Prior to

teaching a unit on insects, create a center on insect life.

• Example: Before lesson on American culture, make a center representing the culture

Remedial Centers• Give additional

practice to the students who are struggling with a specific topic. • Example: Include

fraction dominoes in a center that is for students struggling with fractions.

TYPES OF CENTERS CONTINUED

Enrichment Centers• Offer stimulating

learning experiences for students who have completed their work for the day. • Example: Have a

computer game or video set up that will be interesting and related to a topic the students are learning

ADVANTAGES

Self pacing• The students are responsible for their own learning

and they can work at their own pace; this increases the likelihood of success.

Active learning• Students have hands on participation in their

learning experience.

Teacher role• The teacher can be free to move around the room

and assist students where needed, playing more of a coaching role.

LIMITATIONS

Cost• Time, planning, and equipment costs

Management• Teachers must have good classroom management

and organization

Student responsibility• Students have to be willing to accept some

responsibility for their own learning

MANIPULATIVES

Manipulatives are hands-on objects that can be handled in the learning setting. Manipulatives are often used in learning centers. Manipulatives are great because they promote learning by attracting student attention.

TYPES OF MANIPULATIVES

Real objects

Models

Mock-ups

REAL OBJECTS

Real objects are things such as coins, tools, artifacts, plants, and animals.

Real objects are appropriate for learners who are encountering a topic they have little experience on.

Examples of how to enhance classroom instruction• Cutaways• Specimens• Exhibits

Models are a three dimensional representation of a real object. A model could be larger, smaller, or the same size as the object it represents.

Examples of models include airplanes, zebras, human brain, or anything you can think of that will enhance the students learning.

MODELS

Mock-ups are simplified representations of more complex devices. They are used to clarify the more complex object. For example, a mock-up of a building is shown to the right.

MOCK-UPS

Realism-manipulatives provide realism and a 3D representation

Interest-manipulatives arrouse interest because everyone likes to touch them.

Cooperation-manipulatives stimulate small group learning

Expense-manipulatives tend to be pricey.

Storage-It is difficult to find and remember where the manipulatives have been stored.

Fragility- manipulatives are easily broken.

MANIPULATIVES

Advantages Limitations

S M A L D I N O , S . E . , L O W T H E R , D . L . , & R U S S E L , J . D . ( 2 0 1 2 ) . I N S T R U C T I O N A L T E C H N O L O G Y A N D

M E D I A F O R L E A R N I N G . ( 1 0 E D . ) . B O S T O N , M A : P E A R S O N E D U C AT I O N . I N C .

Resources