Active Learning
Children who are engaged in their work are on-task and learning, which is a key point when working with young learners. I need the bulk of my students to be engaged in their independent workstations so that I can conduct small group learning sessions with a handful of students at a time. If not for high levels of engagement, I would not be able to create a small group learning setting over at my teacher’s table.

Engaged learning takes place naturally when students work with a variety of learning materials, people, and ideas. Learning through activity allows dendrites in the brain to begin connecting. This is the most natural way cognitive growth occurs. This is one of the main reasons I host daily reading and math stations (centers) that contain standards-based and seasonally appropriate activities. Time spent in workstations is meant to practice skills that have already been taught during whole and small-group lessons. Repetition is important and does not have to be boring. Children may practice the same skills repeatedly and not realize they are doing so due to the resources inside of each workstation changing month after month to reflect seasonal themes. 

When you walk into our classroom, you will find us practicing alphabet sounds using American Sign Language, dancing and singing as we spell high-frequency words, counting to 100 while jumping, shuffling letter tiles while building words, and about a million other things. It’s important to note that repetitious practice through active learning does not make students remember learned facts perfectly. However, active learning does increase opportunities for learned facts to become permanent in a child’s brain.