Briefly describe the math center.
The math center is located in a quiet area of the room, away from the hustle and bustle of play and noise generated by the children in the more active areas. This allows those in the math center to concentrate on working with numbers and manipulatives. Along one wall are wooden shelves with clear plastic boxes containing the materials to be used in the math-learning center. Each box is clearly labeled using both pictures and words. Placed at appropriate distances from each other are tables and chairs that allow the children enough space to work with the materials. The wooden tables and chairs are stained to give them a natural look. On each table are bins with pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and paper. The floor is carpeted with a neutral color rug. On the walls are posters, designed with the help of the children, that display examples of math and counting problems both in picture and written form. The area is adequately lit with florescent lights in the ceiling, along with low hanging lamps above each table and work center. In one corner is a beanbag. In another corner is a cubbyhole to allow the students to have some alone time while continuing to study math principles. Finally, a wall with the children’s finished work is located in the most visible area.
Describe three (3) ways that the math center will enhance children’s development.
There are many ways in which a math-learning center can enhance children’s development. Three of those ways will be discussed here. Although later in life all children begin to understand things in an abstract way, young children do not yet have that ability, thus it is important for them to have ample opportunity to play and experiment with concrete objects. Using these concrete objects will give them hands-on experience that will enhance their ability to understand more abstract ideas, as they get older.
In addition to the physical objects that allow the children a better understanding of the abstract characteristics of math, the physical objects they are experimenting with also allow them to work with real life objects that they will encounter in later years. Such things as working with the play money in the math-learning center while learning to count, make change, etc. will give them the experience they will need when they begin dealing with real money when they get older. When using measuring cups, they will begin to see first hand what their parents are talking about when they are discussing measuring ingredients for cooking.
A third area where their learning is enhanced is in the furniture and layout of the center. Having furniture that is comfortable and pleasing to the eyes makes the learning experience much more enjoyable. If they are comfortable, they will stay in the center longer, and go there more often. If they are constantly fidgeting while trying to get comfortable, they will move onto other centers, and will be less willing to return to the math center in the future. Some children prefer to study or learn alone at times; the cubbyhole built into the corner allows for that practice.
Describe three (3) attributes of the center that will make it an effective math center.
Centers that display appropriate attributes allow for even more effective methods to helping the children learn. One attribute that is highly effective is quietness. While many activities can be engaged in while being noisy and rowdy, math lends itself more to a quiet style of learning. This is due to the fact that math is a subject that requires concentration and perseverance to master. When children, or adults for that matter, are studying math, it is of great importance that a quiet space be created so that the learner can concentrate. Even as an adult, when studying math in college, I preferred to get away by myself to a quiet area so that I could concentrate more easily.
Another attribute that will enhance the learning in the center is the idea of allowing the children to not only display their work, but also allowing them to have taken part in helping to design some parts of the learning center: the math concept posters on the wall, for example. This encourages the children to see the learning center as a part of something that is their own special creation, and not just a room designed by the teacher that is only theirs in the short time they are playing and studying there. This gives the children a sense of ownership and empowerment. This means that they will see it as their center, where they will want to spend more time, and use their time there more wisely.
Finally, designing the center in a way that makes it aesthetically pleasing as well as comfortable will help to enhance the students’ learning. If the child is uncomfortable while trying to study, they will spend more time trying to get comfortable than they will actually studying and learning. Also, if the room is something they enjoy looking at, as opposed to being ugly and something they want to avoid, they will spend not only more time there, but also more quality time.
Provide four (4) examples of appropriate materials you will need for the center.
While there are many toys, manipulatives, and learning aids that can be used in a math-learning center, there are some attributes that must be considered that will make the center a more appropriate place to play, learn and study. In order to keep the children from “learning” something that is incorrect, having toys and objects that are self-correcting is important. One example is counting blocks that are different sizes, and thus can only be placed into certain locations on a puzzle board. This will keep the child from learning the incorrect order of the numbers when learning to count.
Another aspect of materials in the learning center is that they should be able to be used to teach more than one concept. Rulers are a good example of this. With rulers, the child can practice not only how to measure various objects and give them a numerical designator of their sizes, they can also increase their vocabulary dealing with such words as bigger, smaller, longer, shorter, etc.
Magnetic shape blocks are another good example of manipulatives that can be used to teach multiple disciplines. In this case, not only can the children practice learning the names of shapes, but they can also see how different shapes, when combined, create new shapes. For example, after putting two triangles together, they can discover that they have created a square. In addition, this activity also allows the children to work on and improve their eye-hand coordination attributes.
When teaching aspects of classification, bowls of different colored animals can be used. Using these toys allows the children to separate them into more than one classification. One time they can divide them into various colors, another time they can separate them by shape, or they can divide them up based on what animal they are, or they can separate them by land, sea, or flying animals. There are almost an endless amount of possibilities.
As can be seen, there should be a lot of thought put into designing a math-learning center for children. It may take some time, expense and effort, but in the long run, it will be worth all the effort you have put into it. Everyone involved in the education of your students, whether it be you as the teacher, your helpers, the parents of the students, or even the students themselves, (although they may not at first) will appreciate all the effort you have put into your math-learning center. https://earlychildeducationarticles.blogspot.com