The difference between centers and provocations

two year olds put their houses on a map

During a meeting a few weeks ago a teacher asked the preschool staff what the difference was between 'centers' and 'provocations'. It seems to me that there are a lot of similarities between the 2 things. Provocations are materials or experiences that Teachers set out to provoke children's thinking. From what I've seen, centers are classroom areas that are set out to give children experience with certain developmentally appropriate learning activities.

So in a traditional classroom you might see a literacy center where children can practice certain writing activities, and in a Sabot classroom you will find writing materials, a variety of papers, things that make marks, envelopes, books and other tools and materials that can be used for writing. One mistake people sometimes make is to assume that the fact that the environment is set up differently and may look looser and less formal in a more progressive school means that teachers don't look for those moments when a child is ready to receive some information about forming letters or to support specific literacy skills.

But it seems to me there is a difference in control in centers vs. provocations. In a center the teacher has decided what will happen, and in the case of a provocation, the teacher provides some things and then watches what happens when the children come in contact with them...the teacher is not in control.

the children draw paths between the houses so they can visit each other

Does that sound right? Doesn't the difference come down to the image of the child -the way teachers can practice listening to the children through documentation, and the way they plan both the classroom environment and activities, with and in response to the children? It's like the geese, and the farmer who thought about what geese need from their environment and then planned how he could create that on his farm. they-have-to-believe 

Provocations are provided to create a context where the child can explore and the teacher can listen and learn what to do next.

Some of the materials in our school may be the same as those found in a traditional early childhood classroom, but on a fundamental level, their purpose is different.

















here are some links to some articles about centers, some more progressively focused than others; www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/centertime.html

www.communityplaythings.com/designingenvironments

www.trcabc.com/implementing-literacy-centers-in-the-early-childhood-classroom/