How can learning centers be used to support classroom instruction and promote critical thinking in a kindergarten classroom?

The purpose of this study was to examine how learning centers can be used in the Kindergarten classroom to support regular classroom instruction and encourage students to think critically. This qualitative study used observations, interviews, surveys, student work samples, photographs, and discussions to collect information about the effectiveness of learning centers in the classroom. Sixteen Kindergarten students participated in learning center activities planned and implemented by the researcher to examine how the learning centers related the curriculum and whether the activities encouraged students to think critically about the content. The researcher found that the Kindergarten students showed improvement in their engagement in learning center activities, quality of work, and use of higher order thinking skills to complete the tasks when the learning centers were clearly linked to classroom instruction and included critical thinking activities