3 Tips for Making Math Centers Work

*UPDATE: Registration for the Making Math Workshop self-paced, online course IS NOW OPEN! Don’t wait to get your spot in the online course!

Using math centers, or math stations, in the middle school classroom is an incredibly effective tool to get to know your students, find out why your struggling students are confused, improve behavior, and challenge your higher level students. However, a math workshop structure can be intimidating to start. In the years I have spent utilizing math workshop and helping other teachers get started, three common questions often come up. The tips and freebies below help solve these common obstacles to running an efficient math workshop.

How Can Math Workshop Work in Short Class Periods?

This might be the most common question I get. Although it might not be the ideal math workshop, running a variation on math workshop in shorter class periods is still more effective than many other models. Be sure to check out this post for some ideas on structuring math centers in different ways to accommodate the length of your class periods. Many of these setups involve combining a math workshop approach with a more traditional approach.

In addition to these different structures, remember you can also save time by shortening or eliminating the “warm-up” problem and keeping your mini-lesson with the whole class brief. In my opinion, meeting in small groups is often a more effective use of time.

How Do I Find Enough Materials for Math Centers?

Finding enough materials to use for math centers each day can feel daunting, but when you break it down it doesn’t need to be. In my workshop structure, I include a Teacher Center, Homework Center, Technology Center, and Hands On Center. By far, the most planning and prep is for the Hands On Center. My biggest tip here? Reuse, reuse, reuse! Find some engaging games and don’t be afraid to reuse them. Don’t feel like you need to use a game once and be done with it. I would use a new math game 3-5 days as a center and then store it away to use again later in the year as review. That means 7-8 days of the Hands On Center, if not more, planned with one game or activity.

To help get you started, try out this exclusive free Probability Panic math board game. This one is intended for lower middle school grades, but you can also find freebies like this 8th Grade Area, Volume, and Surface Area Connect Four Game to use for upper grades.

How Do I Manage Behavior During Math Centers?

Managing student behavior in the middle school math classroom is always the question, no matter what the structure of your class is. With math workshop, the built in movement breaks actually helps behavior. However, with students moving around and interacting more than a traditional class, it naturally leads to more conversations between students, which is a good thing if it stays productive. When thinking about behavior while running math centers, remember to keep it engaging and consistent.

The more engaging the materials and activities, the more likely students will stay on track and participating. Going back to the last question… find some awesome math center activities and reuse them. When it comes to consistency, make sure you and your students know what the expectations are and what will happen if they don’t follow them, individually and as a class. If an individual isn’t following expectations, having them complete the activity independently at their seat can be effective.

One strategy for the whole class is to start with four letters each day. If the class isn’t following expectations you can take away a letter. If all four letters are taken away, the class isn’t able to do math workshop the next day. Believe it or not, students typically love math workshop. This can be a very effective classroom management tool.

What Tips or Questions Do You Have?

Now it is your turn… I want to hear from you! What questions or tips do you have to make workshop work in short classes, find math center activities, and manage behavior during centers? Please leave a question or tip in the comments below!