How to Set up a Kindergarten Classroom for Success
Kindergarten students achieve the most when they have personalized attention. However, in a class of 25 or more students this individual interaction can be difficult to provide. One effective option used by kindergarten teachers is the concept of centers. Centers are designated parts of the room set aside for different types of learning activities, such as reading or art. Small groups of students work at each center part of the day so the teacher can work with fewer students at one time thus giving them more individual attention.
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Instructions
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Decide on the number and type of centers for your kindergarten class. You want small groups of four to five children working at each center so figure out how many centers you will need to accommodate your number of students. Alternatively, you can create any number of centers but not have all of them at use simultaneously. In this case, you should make a list of the centers you would like to include. Some ideas for centers include places for reading, listening to audio books, art, science, imagination and computers.
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Arrange center materials for collaboration. Kindergarten students enjoy working together and learning from each other so create the centers in a way that allows students to easily collaborate with one another. For example, if you have a computer area you should keep the computers far enough apart so two students can comfortably share one computer.
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Place noisy centers away from quiet centers. As you arrange the centers around your room consider the noise level produced with each activity. Quiet activities such as reading or molding with clay should be closer together than noisy activities such as music or imagination projects.
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Arrange desks in the main classroom area in a semicircle. Even with the centers, you'll need a portion of the room for large-group learning. If possible, arrange the desks in a single, semicircle pattern with a desk in the top center for you. With this configuration, all of the students have equal access to you and can look at each other while sharing.
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Tips & Warnings
Ask parents to volunteer to help with the centers if your school does not have the funds for teaching assistants. You can work with the school's PTA to have parents come in to help out with centers so you can provide more individual attention.
Make sure students have sufficient time at each center daily. Divide up your class day so students can spend 40 to 60 minutes in each center. You don't want them to get bored with the activity or not have enough time to complete a task. Have a signal when you want them to switch centers.
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