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Don't just do Station Rotation:  3 New Ways to Teach with Tech

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Don't just do Station Rotation:  3 New Ways to Teach with Tech

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https://www.edweek.org/leadership/dont-just-do-station-rotation-3-new-ways-to-teach-with-tech/2017/07

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For a long time elementary teachers have used "learning centers," in which students rotate between several independent activities. The practice frees the teacher up to pull individual students and small groups to work on areas of need.

It also serves as a classroom management tactic-teachers often set a timer and have students rotate when it goes off.

Blended learning -in which students get a mix of teacher-led and computer-based instruction-is basically a variation of this theme. When one or more of the centers is on an Internet-connected device, it's frequently called the "station rotation" model of blended learning.

But is that the best way to serve students? A new paper by the Christensen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on innovation (and claims to have coined the term station rotation), looks at how a handful of teachers have modified the set-up.

Here's what three of those classrooms looked like initially using station rotation and after making modifications (click on each to see a larger version):

No More Rotations

A 7th grade English language arts and world history teacher at Bella Romero Academy, a K-8 public school in Greeley, Colo., started using blended learning a few years ago with three stations: an online station where students took adaptive reading assessments, a reading station, and a writing station. The teacher, Mallory Mattivi, floated around the classroom.

"With an excess of choice and a lack of structure, not all students could manage to stay on track with the content," the report states. Mattivi began sitting down with individual students to offer feedback and incorporating more peer collaboration. She gave each student a checklist of assignments they needed to complete by the end of the quarter. Now, instead of using a rotational model with "lockstep choreography," she has "stopped rotations altogether in an effort to provide students the flexibility and choice to choose their own path through the checklists."

Less Strict Schedule

The 4th grade teaching team at Bella Romero, overseen by coach Angela Jones, started with a uniform approach to blended learning. They each used three stations: 40 minutes of online learning, 20 minutes of independent or collaborative learning, and 20 minutes of working with the teacher.

They have since ended the fixed times, and now students finish their work at their own pace. They replaced small-group instruction with independent work. "That leaves each teacher available to roam the classroom and pull out individuals or small groups of students who need intervention the most," the report says.

Setting Individual Student Goals

When she began blended learning, Diane Johnson, 5th grade math and science teacher at Orr Elementary School in Washington, started with a daily routine of doing a whole-group lesson, then having student move through three 15-minute stations. One station was online, another was math games, and a third was independent work. She pulled out small groups to reteach or give extra help.

To try to give students more independence, she began letting them sit anywhere they wanted and set their own goals. That turned out to be too much independence for some, so she reined it back in and returned to a modified station rotation model.

She's since moved away from whole-group instruction and added a teacher-led small group into the rotationso she can work with students at their level. Johnson also made time for peer collaboration. And she's added time each week to set goals with individual students. Now students rotate "with personalized goals on their mind," the report says.

Just last week the RAND Corp. released a study showing that personalized learning is both promising academically and incredibly tough to implement. As my colleague Ben Herold wrote, the researchers cautioned that personalized learning "may not work everywhere," and should be carefully considered before its put in place.
See also: For more news and information on the teaching profession: And sign up here to get alerts in your email inbox when stories are published on Teacher Beat.

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Don't Just Do 'Station Rotation': 3 New Ways to Teach With Tech

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For a long time elementary teachers have used "learning centers," in which students rotate between several independent activities. The practice frees the teacher up to pull individual students and small groups to work on areas of need. It also serves as a classroom management tactic-teachers often set a timer and have students rotate when it goes off.

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CoTeaching Lesson Plan Template : Skeleton

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https://cognitivecardiomath.com/cognitive-cardio-blog/math-centers-in-middle-school/

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Ready to make math centers work in shorter middle school class periods? Get the details - structure, scheduling, activities, and more!

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https://keslerscience.com/setting-up-effective-science-stations-for-your-middle-school-classroom

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Setting Up Effective Science Stations for Your Middle School Classroom

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Science stations are a staple in my classroom and have made the biggest impact on student mastery. I'm a firm believer in student-led learning in any subject, but in science, it is so important that hands-on exploration is part of the learning process. There's no reason your middle school science curriculum should be boring!

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(Template) Grade CoWorc form - Co-Planning Checklist

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(Template) Grade CoWorc form - Grade Level

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https://practices.learningaccelerator.org/strategies/student-input-in-classroom-layout

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Overview

With lessons and students that are continually evolving, classrooms must evolve too. Teachers at West Belden make frequent use of redesigning the classroom so it works better for all of their students. In some cases, students provide input as to which layout works best.

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With lessons and students that are continually evolving, classrooms must evolve too. Teachers at West Belden make frequent use of redesigning the classroom so it works better for all of their students. In some cases, students provide input as to which layout works best.

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https://practices.learningaccelerator.org/strategies/learning-zones

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Resources & Guidance from The Learning Accelerator

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Organizing physical space to correspond with learning modalities.

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VMS SWD Guide_ Using MISIS to Support Students with Disabilities

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1_25 Gutierrez Propaganda Station Teaching

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12_9 Stations - Slope and Rigid Transformations Review

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https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-choose-co-teaching-model/

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Knowing the pros and cons of the six models of co-teaching can help teachers determine which one is best for a given lesson.

Bob Daemmrich / Alamy Stock Photo

One Teaching, One Observing: One teacher is directly instructing students while the other observes students for evidence of learning.

One Teaching, One Assisting: One teacher is directly instructing students while the other assists individual students as needed.

Parallel Teaching: The class is divided into two groups and each teacher teaches the same information at the same time.

Station Teaching: Each teacher teaches a specific part of the content to different groups as they rotate between teachers.

Alternative Teaching: One teacher teaches the bulk of the students, and the other teaches a small group based on need.

Team Teaching: Both teachers are directly instructing students at the same time-sometimes called "tag team teaching."

Teachers who are assigned co-teaching roles often have little experience or training in co-teaching. Learning what works and what doesn't often must come with experience. And teachers don't always get to choose who they teach with, which adds an extra layer of challenge because it can leave the individuals' roles in the lesson planning phase and during instruction blurry.

Teaching partners should consider each model's purpose and merit before deciding which to use for a particular lesson or part of a lesson. Considering the benefits of each model should help teachers determine which to use for a given lesson.

6 Models of Co-Teaching: Pros and Cons

One Teaching, One Observing: As a supervisor, I've seen this model implemented both with purpose and without. It takes time to develop a working relationship with another teacher. When the relationship isn't working, this model appears more often, and often without purpose.

When one teacher is directly instructing the students, the other should be observing. The observing teacher is collecting data, which can be useful in determining what instruction takes place next, which students need additional help, and what co-teaching model may be used next to address any identified needs.

Pros: less time collaborating, less interruption, more focused and purposeful data collection.

Cons: loss of one instructor, can be used too often due to a lack of planning or a lack of content knowledge or self-efficacy, can be underutilized for its intended purpose without focused data collection.

One Teaching, One Assisting: This model is often implemented in a one-sided fashion, with one teacher left in the role of assistant. This model can be extremely useful if the teachers swap roles so that both gain comfort in teaching the content and in assisting students one-on-one. Being professional and looking for signs that students are either not on task or are struggling with the content and sharing those signs with the other teacher can mean the difference between a student's success or failure in a lesson.

Pros: less interruption between teachers, more eyes on students to identify those in need.

Cons: loss of one instructor, can be used too often due to a lack of planning or a lack of content knowledge or self-efficacy, can be underutilized for its intended purpose without a focused group of students to assist based on the lesson design.

Parallel Teaching: I've seen parallel teaching work extremely well-it can be a great way to reduce the feel of a larger class. By breaking the students into two groups and teaching the lesson simultaneously, more students can get the close, small-group instruction that research indicates helps struggling learners. More students have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the process than they would in a larger group.

This is also a great model when the content is extremely challenging because it allows each teacher to really differentiate instruction for each student in the smaller group.

Pros: smaller instructional groups, more time for students to fill in instructional gaps, classroom management is easier.

Cons: difficult logistics, takes more time to collaboratively plan, requires that both teachers have content expertise.

Station Teaching: Station teaching is a way for each teacher to own a piece of the content and replicate that piece of the lesson multiple times within the same period with different groups of students. Unlike parallel teaching, teachers using this model can each focus more on a specific part of the lesson as groups rotate through each teacher's station. Additional stations that aren't led by one of the two teachers can foster students' independence and give them time to practice the material.

Pros: capitalizes on each teacher's strengths, smaller instructional groups, refined lesson planning.

Cons: takes more time to plan, requires good timing on the part of both teachers.

Alternative Teaching: I've seen teachers use this model to help a small group of students accelerate their learning, catch up on missed content, or fill in their gaps in understanding. The keys are finding space so that the other students are not disrupted while this small-group instruction is taking place, and ensuring that students in the small group don't miss new information.

Pros: gives students opportunities to close instructional gaps, can help students with chronic absenteeism, focuses resources on a target student population.

Cons: requires dual planning of time and content so that there's no missed instruction.

Team Teaching: A true team-teaching lesson is a thing of beauty. Two teachers whose personalities complement each other offer benefits for all students in the classroom. Getting to this point requires years of experience, collaborative planning, and a positive, professional relationship that is always being refined and improved. Supervisors and principals need to know that this model can be achieved by making the teaching pairs a priority when scheduling the building.

Pros: capitalizes on two teachers' expertise and instructional strategies, gives both teachers the spotlight in front of the entire class.

Cons: often requires experience in working together (although it can be done with a new pair of team-teachers), immense planning, and a healthy relationship in order to work.

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Knowing the pros and cons of the six models of co-teaching can help teachers determine which one is best for a given lesson.

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https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/co-teaching-push-in/

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Impossible. That was my first thought when I saw the class roster. In one of my ninth grade English classes, 13 of my 27 students had IEPs. Additionally, about one-third of the students had failed the class the previous year. I dreaded the first day of school. But then something wonderful happened: The principal assigned me a co-teacher, a special education expert to serve as another set of hands (and eyes and ears!) during this class every day. I was thrilled.

My co-teacher Sandie was a joy to collaborate with, but our relationship was by no means perfect, especially at the beginning. We often struggled to find planning time. Sometimes we disagreed about how to best help a particular student. However, we nurtured the co-teaching relationship and, in time, found a rhythm that worked for us-and for the students we served.

In the years since I co-taught with Sandie and other teachers, I've coached and consulted with dozens of successful and not-so-successful teams. Co-teaching, when done well, offers benefits for both students and teachers. When not done well, it can be confusing or downright frustrating for all involved. If you are or will be part of a co-teaching partnership, this post will show you some ways to make your partnership work beautifully.

What is Co-Teaching?

In a co-teaching relationship, also known as a "push-in" arrangement, a general education teacher partners with a specialist who may be certified in teaching English Language Learners (ELLs), students with learning disabilities, or some other special population. A co-teaching team works in the general ed classroom; for the majority of the time, students with special needs are not pulled out to receive services in another location.

For instance, a middle school social studies teacher may have an ELL teacher co-teaching with him during one class period because five students in that class are newcomers to the United States and speak only Arabic fluently. A high school teacher may have one or two sections of biology to which many students with IEPs for reading are channeled; a co-teacher who specializes in reading disabilities co-teaches in these classes. A 4th grade teacher may have two students with 504 plans and another three who have specific learning disabilities in her class; she works alongside a special education teacher daily during lessons in the four core academic subject areas.

For more background, download this Brief History of Co-Teaching.

Co-Teaching Structures

General education teachers working with specialists in a "push-in" model often work in one of the following structures described by Friend and Cook (1996):

One teach, one observe: One teacher delivers instruction while the other observes student learning. Usually the observer collects data on student understanding so that the co-teaching team can better plan future instruction. Sometimes, specific students are watched closely so that the teachers can determine new strategies to use with them.

One teach, one assist: One teacher takes the lead in providing instruction while the other moves around the classroom, assisting struggling students. This help is not limited to students with special needs; the assisting professional is there to serve whomever needs support.

Parallel teaching: The class is divided in two groups and the same material is presented simultaneously by both teachers. The teachers plan the two groups deliberately to maximize the success of all students; this is not simply a "pull-out" or intervention group sitting in the same room.

Station teaching: Both teachers are actively involved in instruction as students are divided into groups and rotate from one station to the next. There may be stations where students work independently or with a paraprofessional in addition to the two stations the co-teachers facilitate.

Alternative teaching: One teacher takes a small group of students and provides them more intensive or specialized instruction that is different than what the large group receives from the other teacher.

Team teaching: Both teachers teach the content at the same time in tandem or "tag team" fashion.

It is important to note that both teachers have equal status and equal responsibility in all six of these arrangements. In the co-teaching relationships that work best, at no time is one teacher seen as subordinate to the other. Both professionals are credentialed professionals, although each may have his or her specific areas of expertise.

How to Make the Most of a Co-Teaching Partnership

Researchers and practitioners have tons of advice about how to co-teach effectively, and as a person who has been "in the trenches" with several different co-teachers, so do I. The advice below sums up the most common recommendations.

1. Respect each other.

Not surprisingly, mutual respect is critical to the co-teaching relationship. You'll have to share ideas openly and do much of your work facing students together, so respecting each other is paramount. Sometimes you'll disagree, and that's to be expected. As co-teacher and ELL specialist Melissa Eddington says, it's fine to disagree with someone's ideas, but don't make the disagreement about the person.

Teachers in co-teaching situations that don't work well often report feeling disrespected. Amy* is an ELL specialist paired with a middle school social studies teacher. When they collaborate, Amy feels her suggestions for tweaking whole-class lessons are not taken seriously by her partner. "She respects me as a professional," Amy says of her co-teacher, "but I think because I'm not experienced in her content, she doesn't see my input as valuable."

Susan*, who is licensed in both secondary science and learning disabilities, works with two physical science teachers and one biology teacher. The physical science teachers welcome her ideas and eagerly adjust their lessons based on her suggestions. They are seeing a steady increase of students mastering the required standards in the classes Susan supports. The biology teacher, however, dismisses many of Susan's ideas and accuses her of "dumbing down" his content. Susan feels disrespected and finds it hard to even be in the room with the biology teacher because he constantly positions himself as "the expert" and places her in a subordinate role.

Words and gestures speak volumes. Take care to show respect for your partner in all you do.

2. Clearly define roles and responsibilities.

Co-teaching works better when the partners agree on who does what, when. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities prevent either partner from feeling the other has overstepped a boundary or shirked responsibilities.

Natalie Marston (2002-2015), an elementary special ed teacher, recommends co-teachers reach agreement on scheduling, classroom procedures and behaviors, classwork and homework policies, grading, and school/home communication together so they present a united front at all times.

Obviously this type of planning requires a great deal of time, ideally before school starts. If extended time is not available prior to the beginning of the school year, then the co-teaching team should expect to put in extra hours before and after school in the first few weeks so things get off to a good start.

My co-teacher Sandie and I did not have advance warning of our assignment. We found out about it on the first teacher workday, leaving us only a few days before the students arrived. For weeks, we both felt like we were playing "catch up and keep up," but found that having lunch together (and some happy hours together) helped us stay in sync.

3. Be flexible.

Innovation is difficult. That's why so many teachers find themselves falling back on comfortable (and even tired) activities and strategies. Co-teaching allows you to gain another person's perspective on how instruction might be improved, how students might be best assessed, what resources to use, and so much more. Sometimes this means one person has to put aside his or her favorite tried-and-true strategy and try something different.

When Susan suggested a tactile, quiz-like method for reviewing the periodic table to her physical science co-teaching partners, they were skeptical about the time and materials it might require. They initially felt it would be more efficient to simply give additional notes to their students and then pair students to quiz each other. However, they agreed to try the review Susan's way. The students loved the activity, and almost every student with special needs passed the chapter test two days later. All three teachers were thrilled and committed to using the activity in future years.

4. Plan together.

The co-teaching relationship brings together two people with wonderfully rich expertise and experiences. Special educators are typically skilled in individualizing curriculum and instruction based on children's needs (Dettmer et al., 2005; Volonino & Zigmond, 2007). General educators, on the other hand, tend to have broad knowledge of the curriculum, standards, and desired outcomes for the larger group. Therefore, when general educators plan lessons, they tend to aim for the masses (Dettmer et al., 2005). Both perspectives are important, and co-teaching teams need ample planning time to work through how to best utilize each one.

Lack of planning time can lead to territorialism. Without time to plan for a good balance of content and individualization, a general ed teacher may become protective of his subject matter, or a specialist may become protective of his students. Emma*, a high school special ed teacher partnered with two geometry teachers, has experienced this. One teacher often asks Emma to pull aside the five or six students with specific disabilities within his class and work only with them. He sometimes says to her, "You worry about your kids. I'll worry about geometry." The principal is now providing an additional hour of planning time for Emma and this teacher. An assistant principal who oversees the math department facilitates the meetings so Emma feels supported and the geometry teacher has another content-area expert to hash things out with.

Keep in mind that planning must include both instruction and assessment. Considering many students with special needs have legal accommodations for assessment (like being provided translation, extended time, or oral reading), it's best to include both partners fully in designing quizzes, tests, papers, and other high-stakes assessment tasks.

How much time is ideal? One study found that co-teachers desired, on average, 15 minutes to an hour each day for planning (Dieker & Murawski, 2003). This figure corresponds to what worked for my co-teacher and me, and it also confirms what I hear from many co-teachers in the field. Strive to find that time any way you can.

5. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Innovation requires failure. Many times, teachers feel they've failed somehow during instruction, and in reality, the students haven't even noticed. We are often our own worst critics. Revisiting or correcting something later in the day (or the next day) doesn't mean you failed earlier. It means you've learned something since. This is the kind of ongoing learning we want to model for our students.

And, as in most situations in life, a little bit of humor goes a long way. Laugh with your co-teacher. Allow students to see both of you laughing with each other and with them when something is surprising, silly, or just doesn't go the way you planned. In the words of Jennifer Wolf who co-teaches with Melissa Eddington, "Take the work seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously."

Eddington adds, "You gotta laugh at each other! Our job is hard, and if you're not laughing and making light of some things, then it's just not going to be a good place to be."

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Planning time is one thing; constant communication is another. Not only should co-teachers frequently plan for what standards will be covered, how material will be taught, and how students will be assessed, they should also regularly communicate in less formal ways.

Co-teaching teams have different methods to create and sustain that communication:

Eddington and Wolf use the Voxer app throughout the school day and on their drives home to send messages back and forth. Voxer works like a walkie-talkie and allows back-and-forth conversation in real time when two people are not physically close to each other. Melissa says, "We're constantly communicating. We're talking about specific students. We're looking at assessments to see what areas are lacking...different things we want to bring to the classroom, things we don't want to do..."

Some other teams I've worked with use texting and emails throughout each day to share updates. Voxer, texts, and emails can all work well, especially if one teacher has urgent information or an urgent question about a particular student.

Teams can use Google Docs or other shared documents to keep track of lesson planning and to share feedback with each other on how lessons went. Collaborative documents can also be used to provide each other with information about targeted students.

In addition to ongoing communication, Ariel Sacks (2014) reminds us to periodically check in with our co-teacher about how we are doing in general. She recommends asking your partner the following:

Are there management items we should clarify, such as when are students allowed to go to the bathroom?

Are we sharing airtime well?

Are we dividing grading in an equitable way?

Would different teaching formats better utilize the two of us in the classroom?

Finally, co-teachers need to present a united front when dealing with parents. Some partners go as far as to create a shared email address from which all communication flows. This may or may not be practical in your situation. At the very least, important parent communication about a student's progress should be drafted by both parties.

For more in-depth information about communicating and collaborating with your co-teacher, see Communicating and Collaborating in Co-Taught Classrooms (Conderman et al., 2009).

7. Seek administrative support.

Sometimes, teachers have been scheduled to co-teach by administrators but didn't have much advance notice. This is what happened with Sandie and me. We were able to find snippets of time during the school day to use for planning and checking in with each other, but we had no common planning period. If you and your partner don't have a common planning time when you can frequently collaborate, ask for it. Go to your principal with a couple of proposals about how this can work without too much disruption to the rest of the schedule.

Sometimes co-teachers may not understand fully why they are being asked to team. If this is the case, ask for a meeting with the principal and any others responsible for the assignment. Ask them why they thought the two of you would be a good fit and what they hope you will accomplish with students.

If you're already in a co-teaching partnership that's not working well, and you've tried to address this with your partner, turn to a trusted administrator next for advice. If you and your co-teacher have not recently been observed, ask the administrator to come sit in on part of a lesson. Tell him or her what you'd like feedback on or what feels like it's not working well. Debrief with the administrator, ideally with your co-teaching partner. When an observer offers data and feedback to both of you, it may feel different for your partner than when you share things from your perspective. (This co-teaching observation form can help.)

It's important not to go to other teachers with your concerns. Respect the collegial relationship you have with your co-teacher and don't do anything that might undermine it. And it should go without saying that you don't want students to perceive any problems within the co-teaching relationship. Be cognizant of your demeanor, tone, and body language. Students are quite perceptive and can easily spot trouble. They are also experts at "good cop/bad cop." Don't let students play you and your partner against each other. If your colleagues or students give you any evidence that they know the co-teaching arrangement is ineffective, head straight for that trusted administrator to support you. ♦

*These names have been changed.
References:
Conderman, G., Johnston-Rodriguez, S., & Hartman, P. (2009). Communicating and collaborating in co-taught classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus,5(5). Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ967751.pdf

Dettmer, P., Thurston, L., Knackendoffel, A., & Dyck, N. (2009). Collaboration, consultation, and teamwork (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson.

Dieker, Lisa A., Murawski, W. M. (2003). "Co-teaching at the Secondary Level: Unique Issues, Current Trends, and Suggestions for Success." The High School Journal, 86(4). Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220220652/13494E2D48D1DB506F0/8

Friend, M. & Cook, L. (1996). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Marston, N. (2002-2015). Six steps to successful co-teaching: Helping special and regular education teachers work together. National Education Association. Retrieved January 26, 2017 from http://www.nea.org/tools/6-steps-to-successful-co-teaching.html

Sacks, A. (2014, October 15). Blog post. Eight tips for making the most of co-teaching. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/15/ctq_sacks_coteaching.html

Volonino, V. & Zigmond, N. (2007). Promoting research-based practices through inclusion. Theory into Practice, 46(4), 291-300.

Learn More

Angela Peery is the author of The Co-Teacher's Playbook, which will be available in September 2019.

Links to this book are Amazon Affiliate links. Cult of Pedagogy gets a small commission for all purchases made through these links.

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When done well, co-teaching offers benefits for both students and teachers. When not done well, it can be confusing or downright frustrating for all involved.

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Studies on Collaboration and Co-Teaching

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Studies on Collaboration and Co-Teaching

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Collaboration and Co-Teaching Table of Studies

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10 Tips for Teachers Using Station Rotation Model

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10 Tips for Teachers Using Station Rotation Model

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https://catlintucker.com/2018/09/10-tips-station-rotation-model/

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10 Tips for Teachers Using the Station Rotation Model - Dr. Catlin Tucker

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Teachers are already blowing up my Twitter feed with awesome photos taken during their first few station rotation lessons! It's exciting to see so many teachers trying this blended learning model and creating opportunities for small-group instruction, real-time feedback, collaboration, and differentiated learning. 1) Use your teacher-led station for a range of activities beyond differentiated [...]

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Secrets to Managing Station Work in Middle School

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Secrets to Managing Station Work in Middle School

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https://teachingelawithjoy.com/secrets-to-managing-station-work-in-middle-school/

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When I first considered implementing stations with my students, I was excited! I knew they would love the variety of activities and the movement. I wanted my students to practice standards-based skills through discussion and teamwork. But I was also a little worried. After all, managing station work in middle school definitely offers some challenges.

Do the Benefits of Station Work Outweigh the Challenges?

These days, teachers are expected to provide interactive learning experiences. That's why administrators love seeing students engaged in meaningful station work when they stop by our classrooms. Movement during class is encouraged when we plan lessons. According to an article in Education Week, research now shows that when students get up out of their seats as part of their learning, blood and oxygen flow increases, which positively affects their cognitive development. Studies have also noted that working as a team helps build students' self-esteem and leadership skills.

So why do teachers sometimes hesitate, or run into problems when they have tried station work in middle school? Though there are several factors, the biggest issue is classroom management. Picture full-sized classes of adolescents, in groups, each on a different task with different materials, each getting up to move from station to station and then re-directing themselves back into new tasks. If your students are perfect angels, and you're expertly prepared, bravo! But what about teachers who worry about behavior, and noise level, and work completion?

I will explain an amazing "secret" that will transform the climate of your classes during station work. Let's start with practical steps you'll need to take that just make sense. They have to do with your own preparation and preparing your students.

Prep Work for Teachers

Whether you're creating stations yourself or purchasing a resource, go with station work that doesn't require too much prep on your part. You don't want to have to sit and cut out lots of items, laminate too many different things, etc. You'll be exhausted before you even start. Go with something manageable.

Make sure you have several stations that will function without technology. Technology is wonderful, but if technology breaks down, you don't want to be left with no stations! That's why I say try a balanced approach. If a few of the stations require technology, perfect!

As an added "less prep" bonus when possible, create your stations so that they can be used more than once. That means more station work for your students with no extra work for you! For example, with my stations for non-fiction , I can simply choose different articles and use the stations over again. You could do this if you're creating stations for punctuation or vocabulary. Just place different sentences or vocab words at your stations each time. With my mentor sentence stations , different mentor sentences can be substituted so that students work on writing skills at stations throughout the year.

Have something ready for early finishers to do. I require students to bring their independent novels to class every day, so my procedure is "after you turn in the group's responses, take out your novel and read until time is called." Maybe you have a or something else, but be sure you are clear on this expectation to prevent opportunities for socializing.

After you've made all your copies, read over the materials for each station carefully. That way you'll be ready to help students right away when you circulate. Then decide on the time limit you'll give students for each station. This decision should be based on your instincts, knowing your students. Of course, you can always adjust time limits once you see how things are going.

Formulate your student groupings. If students regularly sit in groups, change it up so students can work with new faces. I like to put some strong learners with average learners, some average learners with struggling learners, etc. Definitely mix up the ability levels, and of course, spread out the students known for behavior issues. Assign each group a number. This is important for grading purposes later. Have your group lists ready, and call them out quickly at the last minute (no time for moaning), just before students actually get up and move to their first station.

Preparing the Students

Introduce the station work by identifying the key concepts you'll be focusing on in the lessons. Give students an idea of how the stations will be setup, and then project an example of the station work on your whiteboard. Require your students to focus on the projected example. Point out its directions, its materials, the expectation of group discussion for all of the tasks, etc.

Explain the time limit and the numbered order of the stations (the direction students will circulate).

Demonstrate for students the method by which they will turn in completed work.

My Classroom Management Secrets

So now let's get back to those potential challenges: off-task behavior, unacceptable noise levels, lack of cooperation and work completion. Plus, you're probably wondering how you will grade all of the station work. Well, through conversations with a fellow teacher, I stumbled upon an idea that has been a game changer when it comes to these issues!

So here's the BIGGEST secret to managing station work in middle school:

Before announcing who will be in which group, explain to students that they will be expected to all work together. They will discuss each task and complete it at the same time. No one can rush ahead or work on their own. There is a reason for this. Explain that each student's individual work will be turned in to the group folder. However, you will randomly choose only ONE paper to grade for each station. And that grade goes in the grade book for everyone in the group. If students work together carefully, they should all be inputting similar information for their responses. So every paper should be a good one!

How does this system make a difference?

1. It gives higher-level learners an incentive to look out for struggling students and help them along as they all work together.

2. It limits off-task behavior because students know their paper could be the one chosen, and they don't want to let down their peers.

3. If students do begin socializing outside their groups, group members are quick to pull them back in because their grade could be affected.

Remind your students that you will be circulating. You expect to see everyone in the group working on the same question and recording their agreed-upon answers at the same time. Then, let's say you're walking around and see a student who is off-task or behind. You can lean in and quietly say within earshot of the group, "Let's get focused because I might be choosing your paper for the group's grade." Group members will perk up and help that student back to the task.

More About Grading

An easy way to set up the grading is to get a crate of some kind with a hanging file. Label one hanging file for each class you teach (any other sectioned container will work). Then get plain manila folders and label one for each group (Group #1, Group #2, etc.). Place them within the hanging file for each class. Then physically model that when time is up, one student in the group (they decide, but it will be the same person every station) will collect all the responses. That student will bring them to the crate, and place them in the group's file. I like to keep a box of paper clips by the crate. That way, the student can clip the group's papers from each station together before depositing them into the folder.

Teachers, do you see the extra big bonus here? No only does this method motivate students to work together, stay on task, and monitor their own group-mates' behavior, but you only have to grade one paper per group (per station)! That's a score!

And guess what? You can look for strengths when choosing which paper to grade. Of course every student's work should be represented somewhere among the different tasks you grade.

Students embrace station work and from my experience using this system, they do a really nice job. The grades are good! They bring each other up working together for that common grade. And they really do learn!

I hope that you get some encouragement from my secrets to managing station work in middle school! Students are energized moving from activity to activity. And teachers definitely love hearing all the meaningful discussions.
Click and have a look these easy-to-use ELA stations resources I created: Literature Stations for any Novel, Drama, or Story Non-Fiction Stations for ANY Informational Text Mentor Sentence Stations with 120 Mentor Sentences
Source for my reference to Education Week article: Abdelbary, Marwa. "Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom." Education Week, Editorial Project in Education, 27 June 2018, www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/08/08/learning-in-motion-bring-movement-back-to.html.

Click here if you'd like tips for managing successful book clubs for choice reading!

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Secrets to Managing Station Work in Middle School

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When I first considered implementing stations with my students, I was excited! I knew they would love the variety of activities and the movement. I wanted my students to practice standards-based skills through discussion and teamwork. But I was also a little worried. After all, managing station work in middle school definitely offers some challenges.

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https://www.ksuiteach.org/blog/station-rotations

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I love using stations, voice, and choice in my classroom, but I am having trouble managing behavior. Do you have any suggestions? Sincerely,
Struggling with Stations

Dear Struggling with Stations,

Kudos to you for giving your students voice and choice in how they learn! Managing behavior is a common issue teachers face when implementing stations, so know that you are not alone.

Keep in mind that all behavior is a form of communication, so it's important to reflect on why students are exhibiting a specific action. Figuring out why the behavior is occurring will help you determine how to address it. We know that's hard to do in the moment, but we can train ourselves to be better at this. Some common messages your students might communicate during your stations are:

I'm confused about this task.

This is too hard/easy for me.

I'm having a hard time working with my partner/group.

I'm frustrated.

I don't know how to use this tool.

Teaching executive function skills could be the answer. Executive function skills help us prioritize, plan, and focus so that we can complete multiple tasks successfully. Stations are a great way to build and practice these skills. If you notice that students are off-task at a station because the task is too difficult, perhaps you can create tiered versions of the task to ensure work is engaging and accessible to all students. After the tiered version is created, students can make a decision about which task they believe is the best fit for them. This may require some conferring with the student so they can recognize which tasks will be too easy or may challenge them. Self-regulation and self-advocacy are executive function skills that need to be developed, and these conferences will aid in this process. If you'd like more suggestions on how to support learners as they develop executive function skills, check out our Supporting Executive Function infographic.

It's also important to model and practice the behaviors that will lead to productive station time. The white paper Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence examines existing evidence that shows units of behavioral influence, or kernels, can produce behavioral shifts. This simply means that making small changes, such as using verbal cues during transitions, can positively change behavior (Embry & Biglan, 2008). So how can we put these kernels into practice?

Teachers focus on modeling and practicing a lot at the beginning of the school year, but we forget that it's important to do this year round, especially as you introduce new stations and tools. Furthermore, some students will need extra scaffolding and support, and that's okay! Use a strategy like Morning Meeting or other Responsive Classroom strategies to build community in your classroom. During this time, students can set goals, reflect as a group, and publicly compliment their peers. You can also use that time to have students role-play situations that come up during your stations. Then have students brainstorm solutions. During station time, be sure to use specific language to praise students who are using the solutions your class came up with or demonstrating productive behaviors. Name the student and the practice in your praise - "Janiyah, I appreciate how you remembered to gather all of your materials before you went to your next station." After all, this simple strategy can improve behavior by 80%! ( Shores, Gunter, & Jack, 1993).

For more information on classroom management and learning through stations, check out Todd Finey's article 11 Research-Based Classroom Management Strategies or TeachThought's article How to Scaffold Learning through Station Teaching. By identifying expectations and creating a plan for how you will help students meet these expectations, you can ensure that all students are engaged and productive during stations in your classroom.

Yours truly,
Coach

Sarah Yoo is an Instructional Technology Coach with Kennesaw State University iTeach. She supports K-12 educators and students through classroom coaching and professional development. She is passionate about bringing authentic and relevant learning into all classrooms through pedagogies like project-based learning, community-based learning, and maker education. Sarah officially started her education career in 2003 teaching 3rd grade in Philadelphia, but she believes it really began when she was a fifth grader helping her grandmother prepare for the U.S. citizenship test. Connect with Sarah on Twitter at @sarah_yoo.

I love using stations, voice, and choice in my classroom, but I am having trouble managing behavior. Do you have any suggestions? Sincerely,
Struggling with Stations

Dear Struggling with Stations,

Kudos to you for giving your students voice and choice in how they learn! Managing behavior is a common issue teachers face when implementing stations, so know that you are not alone.

Keep in mind that all behavior is a form of communication, so it's important to reflect on why students are exhibiting a specific action. Figuring out why the behavior is occurring will help you determine how to address it. We know that's hard to do in the moment, but we can train ourselves to be better at this. Some common messages your students might communicate during your stations are:

I'm confused about this task.

This is too hard/easy for me.

I'm having a hard time working with my partner/group.

I'm frustrated.

I don't know how to use this tool.

Teaching executive function skills could be the answer. Executive function skills help us prioritize, plan, and focus so that we can complete multiple tasks successfully. Stations are a great way to build and practice these skills. If you notice that students are off-task at a station because the task is too difficult, perhaps you can create tiered versions of the task to ensure work is engaging and accessible to all students. After the tiered version is created, students can make a decision about which task they believe is the best fit for them. This may require some conferring with the student so they can recognize which tasks will be too easy or may challenge them. Self-regulation and self-advocacy are executive function skills that need to be developed, and these conferences will aid in this process. If you'd like more suggestions on how to support learners as they develop executive function skills, check out our Supporting Executive Function infographic.

It's also important to model and practice the behaviors that will lead to productive station time. The white paper Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence examines existing evidence that shows units of behavioral influence, or kernels, can produce behavioral shifts. This simply means that making small changes, such as using verbal cues during transitions, can positively change behavior (Embry & Biglan, 2008). So how can we put these kernels into practice?

Teachers focus on modeling and practicing a lot at the beginning of the school year, but we forget that it's important to do this year round, especially as you introduce new stations and tools. Furthermore, some students will need extra scaffolding and support, and that's okay! Use a strategy like Morning Meeting or other Responsive Classroom strategies to build community in your classroom. During this time, students can set goals, reflect as a group, and publicly compliment their peers. You can also use that time to have students role-play situations that come up during your stations. Then have students brainstorm solutions. During station time, be sure to use specific language to praise students who are using the solutions your class came up with or demonstrating productive behaviors. Name the student and the practice in your praise - "Janiyah, I appreciate how you remembered to gather all of your materials before you went to your next station." After all, this simple strategy can improve behavior by 80%! ( Shores, Gunter, & Jack, 1993).

For more information on classroom management and learning through stations, check out Todd Finey's article 11 Research-Based Classroom Management Strategies or TeachThought's article How to Scaffold Learning through Station Teaching. By identifying expectations and creating a plan for how you will help students meet these expectations, you can ensure that all students are engaged and productive during stations in your classroom.

Yours truly,
Coach

Sarah Yoo is an Instructional Technology Coach with Kennesaw State University iTeach. She supports K-12 educators and students through classroom coaching and professional development. She is passionate about bringing authentic and relevant learning into all classrooms through pedagogies like project-based learning, community-based learning, and maker education. Sarah officially started her education career in 2003 teaching 3rd grade in Philadelphia, but she believes it really began when she was a fifth grader helping her grandmother prepare for the U.S. citizenship test. Connect with Sarah on Twitter at @sarah_yoo.

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Tips for Managing Successful Station Rotations - The iTeach Resource Hub

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I love using stations, voice, and choice in my classroom, but I am having trouble managing behavior. Do you have any suggestions? Sincerely,Struggling with Stations Dear Struggling with Stations, Kudos to you for giving your students voice and choice in how they learn!

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Using Stations to Differentiate Instruction

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Using Stations to Differentiate Instruction

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https://practices.learningaccelerator.org/strategies/differentiating-instruction-within-class-based-on-student-need

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Resources & Guidance from The Learning Accelerator

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Context

Lovett differentiates at a macro-level through skill-level classes, but also goes a step beyond differentiated instruction at the class level by differentiating instruction within each class as well. Station rotation is a common approach to differentiation for Lovett teachers, especially those in the 2-3 learning pod. Teachers identify students with similar needs and provide them with targeted small group instruction while other small groups are working independently, collaboratively, online, or with another educator. This depends on how the teacher structures the rotation.

In the 4-5 pods, more differentiation happens at the individual level. Students work on a range of skills and concepts throughout the class, progressing at different paces. 4-5 educators are able to identify trends and create targeted instruction opportunities for small groups, while other students are working based on their individual preferences.
(This Approach is Illustrative of LEAP's Learner Focused Strategies)
Teacher Does

Identifies student needs through weekly, and sometimes daily, data analysis and continual class observation within each grade band team.

Groups 2-3 pod students based on need and provides targeted instruction via the station rotation model.

Provides 4-5 pod students with targeted instruction in small groups while the rest of the class works based on their individual preferences.

Differentiates types of instruction for 2-3 and 4-5 pod students to offer multiple learning modalities, including: visual, tactile, auditory, and interactive.

Offers increased differentiation to 2-3 and 4-5 pod students which incorporates student interests and needs. (Student interests are usually identified in conferences and Learner Profiles, so teachers might see that a group of students is interested in sports and look for resources that are sports themed).

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Differentiating Instruction Based on Student Need

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Lovett differentiates at a macro-level through skill-level classes, but also goes a step beyond differentiated instruction at the class level by differentiating instruction within each class as well. Station rotation is a common approach to differentiation for Lovett teachers, especially those in the 2-3 learning pod.

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4 Tips for Designing Learning Centers in Middle School

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4 Tips for Designing Learning Centers in Middle School

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https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-tips-learning-centers-middle-school/

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Differentiated Instruction

From making art to coding a robot, learning centers offer students a chance to pursue their own interests in ELA classrooms.

monkeybusinessimages/iStock

After the last few school years, between quarantines, virtual school, and lockdowns, many teachers have noticed there are gaps in many students' understanding and abilities. This school year, I wanted to find a way to provide Tier 2 interventions for all students in my eighth-grade ELA class and meet them at their current ability level. I needed a way to differentiate for students with a variety of needs in a small group setting, while also providing enrichment and choice for the students when they were working independently.

One of our district's instructional coaches recommended Hacking Learning Centers in Grades 6-12, by Starr Sackstein and Karen Terwilliger. Often, learning centers are a strategy that is relegated to elementary teachers. They are rarely included in secondary teaching certification programs, to the detriment of both the students and the teachers.

1. Choosing Stations

One of the most crucial elements of this model is choosing what will be at your stations. Each station was related to our class text and an overarching concept. For example, we focused on the concept of multiple perspectives, one of Gould and Kaplan's depth and complexity icons.

I then selected categories of stations (gaming, technology, art) and what activity students did at each station in each new rotation. The stations also needed to be something that would either take the same amount of time or be completed multiple times without becoming boring. We spent 30 minutes per station, with one rotation per class period.

These are sample stations for the concept of multiple perspectives in the Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, the novel my class was reading at the time:

Art: I invited students to create a scrapbook of 10 photos that show the perspective of a character from the Hunger Games.

Coding: Using either Ozobots or Scratch, I asked students to code the bot or character to reflect the journey or perspective of a character in the book.

Games: I used BreakoutEDU to create online escape rooms based on content area and focus within the content. I also used Kahoot and Gimkit to create games and interactive quizzes for students to play.

Listening: I asked students to create a playlist of songs to represent a character's perspective and share on a Padlet.

Reading: I selected a collection of books with unique perspectives and gave the students library passes and time to read.

Teacher table: Depending on the needs of the student, we focused on enrichment, remediation, or redo work.

2. Logistics

Since I am a classroom teacher, I wanted to make this as budget friendly as possible and use tools and items already found in my classroom. Intentional setup for the centers was a key part of the success of this practice for my students, as was placement of the centers. I learned quickly not to put a table where students were playing Boggle or coding Ozobots directly next to a table that required quiet focus, like the independent reading table.

Providing detailed instructions for each station was also critical for preventing confusion or disruptions. Finally, it can be a challenge to keep students on task when they are working on different things. Proximity is a very useful, low-tech tool: just knowing that I am walking around, listening, and troubleshooting curtails the majority of discipline issues. You may prefer noise-monitoring sites like Bouncy Balls as a visual aid.

3. Accountability

Other teachers often ask: How do you hold students accountable for what they are completing at these stations? This answer is twofold: I set high expectations in the classroom, and I provide time for students to share and reflect. At the end of each station, I had students complete a Google Form, where they submitted a photo of what they had worked on, as well as a brief explanation of how they connected this to our overall concept. This helped them get used to making those connections.

I made sure to verbally praise students not just for following directions, but also for sometimes doing something a little different that also demonstrated divergent thinking. For example, if a student asked me if they could do something slightly different at a station to help represent their learning, I made a concerted effort to say yes to as many suggestions as possible. Because their grade came from their reflection and thinking, students felt safer to try new things.

I also had to be comfortable accepting feedback from students. After the first station rotation, I asked them what they liked, what went well, and what they wished they could change, and used some of that feedback for the next set of stations. I let students know that this was a new format for me, too, and that I wanted to know what they thought was beneficial versus what they did not think was helpful.

Students suggested a few things that they would like to see. For example, students requested that they have the option to put themselves at the teacher table occasionally when they needed help with class work. They also asked for more art, coding, and creative writing options. Students were excited that they had a chance to influence our class structure and to help choose how they wanted to learn.

While this classroom model requires some commitment and setup, in the end, the payoff is worth the effort. So far in this classroom experiment, I have seen students interact more with one another and stare less at a computer screen, go deeper with concepts, direct their own learning, and stretch their thinking in new and creative ways. I have also opened up at least one day a week when I am able to work with students on a more individualized basis, targeting specific gaps and needs. The centers and tasks may change, but choice and differentiation will always be effective and valuable for learning.

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4 Tips for Making Learning Centers Work in Middle School

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From making art to creating a playlist for characters in a novel, learning centers offer students a chance to pursue their own interests in ELA classrooms.

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https://modelteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/The-6-Co-Teaching-Models-Reference-Guide.pdf

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Spring 2023 Co-Teaching PD at Vista.pptx

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Co-Teaching Strategies to Ensure Success

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Co-Teaching Strategies to Ensure Success

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Appendix A - Co-Teaching at Secondary Level