I love vocational centers. Love, love, love! ❤️️💛💜. I could probably give you a million reasons to use vocational centers… but let’s start with 10 reasons to use vocational centers in special education classrooms.
By the end of this list, I hope you are convinced to set up stations or centers in your vocational training classroom!
1. It allows you to target and reinforce specific skills.
You can easily set up stations or centers based on student needs, IEP goals, vocational outcomes, or based on interests! Everyone in class is different, so we should purposefully target the skills they need to improve.
2. Students generalize skills with different materials and in different areas of the room.
Because the students are changing activities, materials, or locations in the room, the vocational centers reinforce the student generalizing skills. That can sometimes be the downfall of a vocational training program. You teach them everything at their desk or with the same 10 task boxes for years. Then you’re surprised when they can’t generalize!
Nope. Vocational centers address that before it’s even an issue.
3. Work stamina improves.
During my first week back in the classroom, my feet are killing me! Literally. Killing me.
Well, those barking dogs (the sound of my feet trying to kill me) are because I am out of practice. Vacation has killed my work stamina.
The same holds true for our students. So much of their day is at desks in the classroom. Academics are like that. What we want to do is get them up and moving so they can build some work stamina.
Center-based or station vocational activities make that possible.
4. Prepare for postsecondary.
Vocational centers are more like real jobs. Most jobs are not single tasks repeated over and over, day in and day out. Our students have to learn to change tasks, locations, or co-workers to make it out there in the real world.
Vocational centers or stations prepare them for postsecondary!
5. Engage active learners.
Let me tell you… most students in secondary these days are not engaged in their learning. Things are cognitive and not interactive. Because of that, students disengage.
Vocational centers are a great way to get up and moving. And to use your hands and try new materials. That is soooo much more engaging for learners, specifically active learners. Those students need some focused sensory and kinesthetic tasks. Enter vocational centers for the win!
6. Support student interest.
Yup… if I have a student who loves small objects you better believe I’m going to make some vocational tasks that work with beads or paper clips. You want to hit a student’s interests as well as their needs. Since students all have different interests, vocational centers are a great way to get everyone engaged and excited.
One of my biggest hits in the classroom has been the Gift Card Vocational Center! My students love to be shopping at their favorite stores… so engagement is always high, including with my active learners. Check that out here.
7. Manage behaviors better.
So much of ‘bad’ behavior is because it’s boring. Or it’s long. So, when you use vocational centers, it’s amazing how many behaviors just disappear! Kids are moving, using high-interest materials that are hands-on, and interacting with peers to collaborate.
There isn’t time for being bad!
8. Better organize your lessons.
When you set up student schedules for your vocational centers, it makes lesson planning easy. You know what skill they need to target and what level they are at. Take their interests and preferences into account as you pinpoint the activities that are best suited for them.
Voila, lesson planned. #TeacherWin
9. Implement Tasks for Specific Skills.
What’s more, as you lay out your vocational training tasks, it is super easy to target specific skills. I love the printable task boxes and DIY dollar store boxes for just that reason. You can target a skill and then practice it in interesting and engaging ways.
10. Have more fun!
This covers all 10 reasons to use vocational centers in just three words: Have More Fun!
Let’s face it. Vocational Centers are just plain fun!
Sometimes when I have to reset the tasks, I do a few myself. Yes, that helps me procrastinate doing IEPs… but it is satisfying and fun. You will feel the same way, I promise. And so will your students.
Recap: 10 Reasons to Use Vocational Centers
If you want to get more meaningful, increase engagement, target vocational skills, and use vocational centers, you will be doing your students a favor. And it is a part of building a quality special education program.
If you’d like some resources to support your vocational centers, check these out and take the guesswork out of your setup.
Teaching is tough… But so are you. Remember to stay strong and teach on!
Read More about Vocational Training
