While using station teaching or acceleration centers as an approach to co-teaching is often very successful for both teachers and students, it is important to use this approach correctly. To help those co-teachers already using, or thinking about implementing, an acceleration center approach in their classroom, here are:
Tips for Successful Acceleration Centers
- Reassign partners every four to five weeks.
- Don’t change partners in response to student requests or complaints. Doing so opens up a Pandora’s box of potential problems.
- Acceleration Center assignments must be able to be managed and completed independently. If students cannot manage the assignments by themselves they will often stop completely or interrupt the teachers and/or other small groups for help. The goal of the center is for students to be able to increase achievement but also for teachers to gain valuable conferencing time or small group work time uninterrupted. Teachers must be able to optimize Acceleration Center time.
- Acceleration Centers are not thematic nor do they become obsolete at any point during school year. Avoid any seasonal connotation. They are set up for sustainability, requiring minimal prep work when prep for the centers is viewed in light of creating lesson plans suitable for an entire school year.
- Use Acceleration Centers to support state standards or curriculum goals from basic to proficient. … Read More