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I have recently started using the graphic below as a hook activity in my Introduction to Blended Learning workshops. Participants are quick to note that, after 20+ years of online learning, we still have yet to achieve consensus on how to do it well. Sociologists refer this phenomenon as cultural lag--when technological advancements occur faster than the rules and norms of society that go along with those advancements.

Unfortunately, two decades of haphazard technology integration efforts make it difficult to forge new paradigms in the face of long-standing practices. There are, however, a number of models and principles that can guide our shift. I have summarized these principles in four points below, with an overarching emphasis on placing learning first.

1. Emphasize Effectiveness over Efficiency
The primary motivation for technology integration is not doing school more efficiently, but doing education more effectively. To be sure, there are a myriad of technology tools that allow schools and teachers to use their time more efficiently, and produce more actionable data. We should employ these tools to their fullest extent.

There are, however, other ways in which emphasizing efficiency can be counterproductive. Online classes with teacher caseloads of 200+ and credit recovery labs with 30+ students working on different courses/subjects monitored by one teacher may be more efficient ways to do school. But neither practice is supported by the plethora of research on the importance of foundational direct/explicit instruction and meaningful teacher to student discussion and feedback.

By contrast, technology integration through the lens of educational effectiveness places technology as a means to an end. Using the TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, And Content Knowledge) Framework, we can establish pedagogical content goals, and leverage technology to achieve the ends. We begin by aligning our content goals with standards, then determine best practices to meet them. Layering in the technology, we ask: how can technology help meet these goals?
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2. Prioritize Pedagogy over Paperless
The ISTE Standards for Students help envision technology's role in cultivating 21st century learners. These standards call for students to be empowered learners, digital citizens, knowledge constructors, innovative designers, computational thinkers, creative communicators, and global collaborators. Again, technology, effectively leveraged, serves as a means to developing these dispositions.

Moving lessons from paper to paperless provides little impact without transforming our pedagogy. Paperless is great, but so is paper. When to use either is a contextual decision--neither medium is inherently better.
3. Build Better Lessons through Blended Learning
Technology presents us with ample opportunities to transform pedagogy from teacher-centered to student-centered classrooms. The SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) Model provides a framework for transformative student-centered pedagogy. In Substitution, technology acts a direction substitution, with no functional change. Augmentation offers tool substitution with some functional improvement. Both of these uses provide lesson enhancement. Modification and Redefinition, by contrast, transform learning. Modification allows for significant task redesign, while Redefinition allows for the creation of previously inconceivable tasks. There are good reasons to assign tasks at any level of SAMR. But our highest aims should be the transformation of learning.
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Technology is most effective when it is part of a seamlessly integrated syllabus of face-to-face and online activities, with both types of activities building toward common pedagogical content goals.

Blended Learning provides for increased student agency, with greater student control over time, place, path/and or pace of learning. Blended Learning restructures the classroom, with time for in-classroom collaboration and small group activities. A Blended Learning approach also helps cultivate a community of learners by using online tools to foster cognitive presence (critical thinking), teacher presence (instruction and feedback), and social presence (student-to-student interaction).
4. Require Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships
Station rotation is a popular model of Blended Learning that works well in non-1:1 classrooms. In an elementary classroom, rotations may occur within the literacy block, or may include multiple subject areas in a day. In a secondary classroom, stations typically last several class periods with 1-2 stations completed in a day.

We should have the same expectations of our software that we have of our face-to-face instruction: deep alignment to standards, cultivation of critical thinking, high level engagement, and opportunities for building communities of learners. We should avoid Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) programs that offer little more than textbooks pasted into a browser, accompanied by low-level comprehension questions. Too often, these programs use only keywords to determine standards-alignment, with little regard for the cognitive demands or requisite process standards. Reasons other than high-quality pedagogy are often the decisive factors in CAI adoption decisions. Ease of use, system compatibility, breadth of coverage (it can be used for all courses) and past practices must take a back seat to rigor and relevance.

A better approach is to look for the best digital products (commercial, open-source, and locally-developed) within each content area, and customize them with a robust Learning Management System. An LMS also serves as a hub for building an online community, strengthening the relationships that are created through face-to-face discussions in the classroom.

Technology will continue to rapidly advance and change our schools. Our understanding of best practices in technology must continue to grow as well, along with our abilities to effectively employ these practices. But when we keep a learning first mindset, we recognize that the principles that guide us are more important the gadgets among us.

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I have recently started using the graphic below as a hook activity in my Introduction to Blended Learning workshops. Participants are quick to note that, after 20+ years of online learning, we still have yet to achieve consensus on how to do it well.

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Best Practices in Blended Learning – Educational Technology

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As with every classroom, well-defined classroom routines and procedures are essential to effective classroom management and learning. When implementing the station rotation model, it is imperative that expectations are visible, practiced, and referred to throughout a lesson (if needed).

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Learn more about the Blended Station Rotation Model by visiting the Blended Learning Universe at Blended Station Rotation Model

Students rotate through three stations: teacher, technology, and collaboration station on a fixed schedule or at teacher's discretion between learning modalities.

Learning at each station is aligned and there is a common thread amongst the three.

www.blendedlearning.org.

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Learn more about the Blended Station Rotation Model by visiting the Blended Learning Universe at Blended Station Rotation Model Students rotate through three stations: teacher, technology, and collaboration station on a fixed schedule or at teacher's discretion between learning modalities. Learning at each station is aligned and there is a common thread amongst the three.

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Station Transition | Blended Video | BetterLesson

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Rotation Expectations | Blended Video | BetterLesson

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Station Rotation: Differentiating Instruction to Reach All Students

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Ask teachers what things would make their teaching experience better and reduced class sizes are sure to be on the list.

Not all teachers are lucky enough to have a co-teacher or teacher aide in the classroom, so it can be challenging to give personalized instruction and differentiate content for students.

What if we told you there was a way to structure your classroom so that you could work with small groups, without needing to have a co-teacher? You've guessed it, that's what the station rotation model can do!

We'll take you through the key components of the model, tips for implementing it, and examples from teachers using station rotation in their classrooms. By the end of this article, you'll have everything you need to implement your own Edpuzzle station!

What is the Station Rotation Model?

If you've ever used learning centers or stations in your class, you already understand how practical it is to divide students into small groups and have them work on varied tasks. That way, students can learn through a variety of ways (with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic tasks for example).

The station rotation model takes this idea but has students rotate through different stations on a fixed schedule.

It's recommended that students spend anywhere between 10-15 minutes at each station. But because kindergarteners and highschoolers have different attention spans (although it doesn't always seem that way!), this amount of time can vary depending on age.

In recent years, station rotation has adapted to modern times and nowadays you probably won't see a version in action that doesn't include an "online" station. Station rotation and blended learning (the balance of offline and online learning) are a match made in heaven.

In a blended station rotation model, students pass through at least one of the following stations:

A teacher-led station: Lets teachers work with small groups of students and address any student misunderstandings.

A offline station: Lets students work on collaborative problem-solving with hands-on activities.

An online station: Gives teachers a more dynamic ways to deliver content. At the same time, technology can give students more control over the time, place, pace, and path of their learning.

A good online station is key to this model. But with so many edtech options out there, what's the best choice for your class? That's where Edpuzzle comes in.

Station Rotation and Edpuzzle

Using video is not only practical, but it's also educational and therefore a great choice for your online station. It activates both visual and auditory learning at the same, something that today's YouTube and TikTok generation will appreciate.

With Edpuzzle, you don't have to worry about students zoning out during the video. You can turn any video into a video lesson and ensure that students are actively watching.

To get a good idea of what a station rotation looks like with an Edpuzzle station, take a look at this explanatory graphic (or watch this video for a visual):

In the example above, students watch a video that reviews key concepts they've been covering in class. The video could be one that you find on YouTube or one that you make yourself. Either way, Edpuzzle lets you embed questions to keep students engaged and hold them accountable.

At the offline station, students apply what they learn using math manipulatives and play a game with a partner.

Then, at the teacher-led station, the teacher can give students immediate feedback on the most recent homework assignment.

At the end of the day, the learning that is happening at each station is equally important. Students get the chance to learn at their own pace and teachers get the chance to help them every step of the way.

Station Rotation in Elementary School

Elementary teachers are often worried about making their already tech-savvy little ones even more technology-dependent. That's why the station rotation model is a perfect way to incorporate video in the elementary classroom without having students stare at a screen all day.

Susie, a math instructional coach for 4th and 5th graders, makes Edpuzzle videos for other teachers. In a typical station rotation model at her school, the Edpuzzle video station is used to deliver a mini-lesson.

At the teacher-led station, students work directly on the learning target and build off what was shown in the video. The teacher adjusts how they teach a group depending on the skills students have demonstrated so far.

After meeting with the teacher, students usually move on to a station for independent practice with a math worksheet.

The fourth and final station is usually reserved for collaboration, where students pair up to complete a math game together.

In Susie's case, she sometimes creates Edpuzzle tutorial videos with directions on how to play a math game for her offline station. This is a great way to give students a chance to see the game in action before attempting it themselves!

Station Rotation in Middle and High School

Although high school teachers might more commonly assign a video as homework ( such as in the flipped classroom model), the way they use Edpuzzle in a station rotation model can be quite similar.

Mr. Vlahakis, a high school social studies teacher, shares his experience using the model:

"While I mostly use Edpuzzle outside the classroom, sometimes when we do stations I set up an Edpuzzle station. One station may be direct instruction from a teacher, another station might have Chromebooks set up so that students can complete a 5-minute Edpuzzle video, and a couple other stations with independent book work."

Today in our taught pre-ap social studies class, @ktomiak413 and we did 3 map stations, 1 lecture/notes station, and 1 @edpuzzle station (8 min/station). #richinStations #movement pic.twitter.com/xptpDUnd9G
- Mr. Vlahakis (@MrV_history) September 10, 2019

With older students, you could even take out the teacher-led station and instead, walk around the room monitoring you students. As students work and move from one station to another, you can check in with groups or individual students, to see how they're progressing.

Worried that the station rotation model would make classroom management more difficult? An Edpuzzle station can actually help to keep the classroom focused. As Mr. Vlahakis puts it:
"The Edpuzzle station not only accomplishes some direct instruction via video, it serves as a silencer in the room. When one station is plugged in, they are naturally not talking or interacting with other students, making all of the other interactions in the room easier to manage."
By using Edpuzzle to embed questions, notes, and audio in your video, you can ensure that students will be fully engaged with the lesson instead of just passively watching.

That makes the learning your students do with technology at an online station just as valuable as the learning that happens offline with a teacher or peers.

How to Create Your First Station Rotation Lesson

Don't feel pressured to have multiple stations and try and tackle every aspect of your lesson. Start small (3-4 stations) and focus on making the learning objectives and tasks as clear as possible.

Think about how much time students will need at each station. For example, if you want to give your students time to self-pace while watching a 5-minute Edpuzzle video, make sure you give them at least 10 minutes to answer questions and rewatch portions if they need to.

Speaking of technology, make sure you plan for all the materials you'll need at a station. How many devices will you need for your online learning stations?

Even if you work in a school where every student has access to a device, don't try to include technology in every station. Remember the principles of blended learning and give your kids a break from screens. Offline stations can give your students the opportunity to engage in small group discussions and collaborate on shared projects.

Finally, think about how you'll give students directions. If you teach older students, you might decide to provide instructions in written form at each station. Younger students, on the other hand, might benefit from receiving their instructions through a mini-video tutorial (Edpuzzle for the win!).

At the end of the day, just remember to make the model your own and don't worry about it being perfect. You know what structures work best for your students and what combination of stations will help them learn about a topic.

Hybrid and Remote Learning Adaptations

If you're excited to try the station rotation model but are currently doing hybrid or remote learning, not to worry! It's easy to adapt the model so that it works for your classroom.

Students won't all complete the video lesson at same time when they're learning from home. So give yourself some flexibility and don't worry about keeping static groups or maintaining the same fixed schedule.

Remember how blended learning is at the core of the modern-day station rotation model? The same principles should still apply with remote or hybrid learning, with variations on what tools students use to interact with the content.

Although your students wouldn't physically move between stations like in the normal model, they could still progress through a series of activities that are teacher-led, independent, or collaborative.

Edpuzzle can continue to be the tool you use for students' independent practice and provide you with the data you need to inform your next lesson. Meanwhile, video-conferencing platforms like Zoom can help you and your remote and in-person students connect and work together from your respective locations.

If you haven't realized it already, the station rotation model is awesome because of how flexible it is. No matter how many students you teach, what access to technology you have, or what your classroom circumstances are, this model can work for you.

So why not give it a go? Edpuzzle will be there to help you wherever and whenever you need it!

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A Complete Guide to the Station Rotation Model

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Interested in incorporating a station rotation model but don't know where to start? Check out our guide and learn how to create your first video station!

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Station rotation may be the most versatile blended-learning model outlined in this collection of articles. It can be implemented quite easily into elementary classrooms where teachers already use a center-based rotation model. When implemented at the secondary level, station rotation can transform how these classrooms function, leading to a more student-empowered learning environment.

What Is Station Rotation?

In station rotation, students rotate in small groups through a series of learning stations. For instance, you might design one station to be an independent online-learning station, where students work with content in a self-paced software program or a learning management system. Another station might be a collaborative-learning station, where students complete learning activities with at least one other student. These activities may include technology, or they may be completely offline. Perhaps the most common station in a blended-learning rotation is a teacher station. While not required, this station is very impactful and allows the teacher to meet face-to-face with a small group of students. This setting allows for a more personalized and differentiated mini-lesson as well as an opportunity to provide targeted remediation and enrichment. While this station is usually offline, it doesn't have to be, and you may choose to bring in technology that enriches a learning activity. While this description included three stations, the number of stations is flexible and can be adjusted to meet your lesson needs and time constraints.

In this illustration, students rotate through three stations in a single class period. Each station provides a different learning environment.

To be blended learning, at least one of the stations needs to include online learning, and at least one station needs to be primarily offline and face-to-face. The number of online and offline stations is flexible and is based on the lesson and learning targets. Groups are typically set up by the teacher and may be based on performance level, student interests, or other factors important to the learning outcomes. When classrooms have support staff in the room, this second adult can be used to monitor and answer questions in the non-teacher groups. Finally, the content within each station is flexible depending upon class needs. In some cases, all of the stations might focus on a single learning outcome, while other times, each station may focus on a different learning target.

The Benefits of Station Rotation

In addition to allowing for differentiation and personalization of content and learning styles, there are additional benefits to using the model of station rotation. First of all, station rotation lets you maximize your technology. In classrooms with limited access to technology, you can distribute your devices to the online station first, so every student in that station can access the learning activities. This way, you can provide a 1:1 technology experience with as few as five or six devices. If you have a few additional devices, you can place these at the other stations to provide students with prerecorded directions for how to complete those tasks. With this, you can record a short screencast explaining what to do, and the students can access the needed information without a teacher being physically present in the group. In a sense, it allows you to clone yourself. It also fosters a spirit of student ownership in the station work, where they must work through the directions individually or with a partner. It's a win-win.

The Importance of Providing Clear Directions

You will need to provide two types of directions for station rotation.

These directions tell your students which station to visit and when they should go there. For these rotation directions, you could simply write the group assignments on a whiteboard or poster paper. However, there are several benefits to creating a digital space for this on a Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow.

You can reuse it day after day.

You can post it for both in-class and remote learners.

You can decorate this and make it visually pleasing.

You can create one slide for each rotation.

You can embed station directions into the slideshow.

You can create a consistent design every day.

Click here to make a copy of this transition slideshow.
In this slideshow example, students would be assigned a group color. Even nonreaders can easily identify which group they should attend during the rotation. In this rotation, group one works independently offline, group two works online, group three works with a partner, and group four works with the teacher.
Click here for a copy of this Google Slides template. You can make a copy and customize it to fit your style and needs.
In this sample, students can once again quickly see which group to join for the day. Then, they find the arrow that corresponds to their group color to identify which station to attend first. By creating a series of five slides with the arrows pointing to a new station, you can quickly click to the next slide to initiate the next rotation.

Rotating through stations may take some practice, especially with younger students. In the primary grades, you might simply practice rotating to and from stations at first, without doing any station work. By calling them back to the carpet between practice runs, you can debrief what went well and what to focus on improving the next time. As students get more comfortable rotating, you can gradually increase the time spent in each station. While older students will not need this degree of practice, they will still need clear guidelines and instructions for where and when to rotate.

These directions let students know what they need to do at the station. Station directions can be printed on paper or posted digitally, so long as all students can access them. If you have remote-learning students, you'll probably want the directions to be in a digital format so your remote students can access them, without you needing to create two different versions. When creating digital directions, consider the following tips.

Post directions in a learning management system on clearly labeled pages or folders.

Create a short video or screencast where you explain the directions for the station.

Post or print written directions for the station.

For in-class stations, put at least one computer at each station, so students can access digital directions and videos.

For stations with iPads, post QR codes that students can scan to access a video of you explaining the station directions.

Video directions are especially powerful for nonreaders or struggling readers.

You might also consider using a digital timer as you display your rotations, so groups know how long they have to work. One simple strategy is to embed a YouTube timer into the slideshow. You can also display free online timers, such as the one included on Classroomscreen.

With Classroomscreen ( Tips), you can project QR codes, timers, and more. A glance at the enlarged toolbar below shows the variety of tools available in this one teacher-friendly website.

Flexible Strategy for Your Face-to-Face, Remote, or Hybrid Classroom

As with whole-group rotation, station rotation is very versatile and can be effective in face-to-face classrooms, remote-learning settings, and hybrid-learning environments.

To make this work, you will need computers in your classroom. At a minimum, you will want one for every student at the online station. Ideally, you'll also have one device for each of your other non-teacher stations, so students can listen to recorded directions.

Limited Classroom Devices

Consider these common work-arounds if you have limited access to devices.

Create more stations, so students are spread out into smaller groups. In this way, you won't need as many computers at the online station.

Put print directions at the offline stations if you don't have enough devices for these stations. For younger learners, you may need to rely more heavily on images to describe what to do.

Explain all the station directions to the whole class before heading off in groups. That way, the students won't need to rely on directions at the stations. Of course, with this method, you risk students forgetting the specifics of your directions.

One-to-One Classroom Model

If every student has their own device, you can make each station rotation more tech-rich, and you won't need to worry about access to digital directions. However, even in this scenario, some of the learning must be offline and face-to-face for the station rotation sequence to be blended.

Number of Stations

The number of stations you create is up to you, but it's best to consider your learning outcomes and preferred group sizes. If you practice Daily 5 in your elementary classroom, you will likely have five stations: Read to Self, Work on Writing, Read to Someone, Word Work, and Listen to Reading. In a math class, perhaps you only have three different activities tied to a lesson, and these sometimes become three different forms of practice that follow a direct instruction mini-lesson. If you only have five devices in your classroom, you'll probably need to limit your group size to five students, so each one has a device in the online station. With a class of 30, this would mean that you'll need six groups.

One common variation is to have your station-rotation experience spread over multiple days instead of completing them all in one class period. This is especially popular with older students who need a longer period of time in each station. In this scenario, you might have six stations, with students completing three of those stations each day. Again, this is a way to spread out groups when you have limited access to computers.

In this common rotation, all students complete every rotation each day. Stations are a mix of online/offline and group/individual work.

In this rotation example, six stations are spread out over two days, with students divided into A and B rotations. Each rotation completes three different stations each day. In this model, teachers can allow students to spend longer periods of time in each group.

If your students are fully remote, the basic concepts of the station-rotation model can still apply. However, you'll need to make some adjustments.

A Slight Redefinition

Because you won't be meeting face-to-face in a physical sense, you'll need to define this portion of station rotation as a synchronous video meeting. Although you are technically not face-to-face, you can still leverage most of the same benefits of a face-to-face meeting through a videoconference.

More Individual Stations

When all students are working remotely, collaboration may be more challenging. While you should still strive to have students work together, you may find that more of your stations need to be completed independently. Students may not have schedules that accommodate working at the same time, and you won't want to put students at a disadvantage for circumstances that are beyond their control.

Connecting Students

You may need to help get students connected to their study partners for collaborative work. Consider posting a collaborative document where student partners are listed and a place to suggest meeting times is included. You might want to set up partners during a live, synchronous video meeting to get the process started. Be sure, however, to have backup plans for students who cannot attend the live meeting as well as students whose partners disengage from the collaborative work. You won't want one student punished for a partner who chooses not to connect.

Teacher Station

Since both you and your students are remote in this model, you will probably need to use videoconferencing software, such as Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, to meet with students. This can work quite well remotely, but you will want to clearly communicate your schedule so that students show up at the correct times. This meeting often becomes the main face-to-face time during the rotation.

Directions

Aside from the teacher station, you will need to post clear directions in a shared location. The most effective location is a learning management system or class website. Email can work, as well, but it will require more time on your part. Post directions in the same format for each station-rotation experience so that students always know where to find them and how to navigate through the stations.

Flexibility

Because students have more flexibility when they complete their remote work, you can be more flexible with the station assignments. In some cases, you might want to have all students completing the same stations each day. For instance, maybe you have an online discussion as part of the rotation. This will not work well unless students all complete it on the same day or days. In other cases, you might simply require that all of the stations be completed by the end of the week. Of course, the teacher station and collaborative study groups will need to be scheduled so that you can meet synchronously. However, especially with older students, the collaborative group members can schedule their own times to meet.

In this example, students complete one station per day, with a quarter of the students meeting with the teacher on any given day. This example could be revised to require multiple stations to be completed each day, but in that case, the teacher would need to make sure that the teacher stations could still fit into the schedule. This might be accomplished by scheduling multiple "teacher meeting" time slots each day.

In the hybrid model, you will plan for students to complete the face-to-face stations during their face-to-face class days and their online work during their remote days. In this way, you can maximize the benefits of your in-person class time, and you will not need to connect as frequently via videoconferencing software.

In this example, the face-to-face students complete the teacher station as well as the collaborative offline and collaborative online groups. This makes the in-person experiences easier to facilitate. The remote students complete two independent online and one independent offline activity. The next day, the groups flip-flop their experiences.

The Power of Station Rotation

Station rotation is a simple but powerful strategy that presents some significant advantages for teaching and learning. It allows you to differentiate for academic needs and learning styles by grouping students strategically and designing stations that engage students in various ways. It also allows you to meet with smaller groups of students for more personal, individualized instruction. If you wish to embed more project-based learning into your classroom, you can even design a station for this purpose, with each student visiting the project station on a consistent basis. Finally, station rotation can help you build student independence. Yes, you will need to teach students how to work independently in a station, but they can do it. By empowering students to control their learning in these learning stations, you will be providing them with skills that will serve them well their entire lives.

Planning Template

To help you get started, make a copy of the station rotation planning template and begin creating your rotations.

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Blended Learning: Station Rotation- AVID Open Access

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Station rotation may be the most versatile blended-learning model outlined in this collection of articles. It can be implemented quite easily into elementary classrooms where teachers already use a center-based rotation model. When implemented at the secondary level, station rotation can transform how these classrooms function, leading to a more student-empowered learning environment.

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The Station Rotation Model: Prioritize Differentiation, Student Agency & 4Cs of 21st-Century Learning - Dr. Catlin Tucker

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I have a soft spot for the station rotation model. It was one of the first models, along with the flipped classroom, that I could employ in my low-tech classroom. In the early days of my transition to blended learning, I had one Chromebook, which I received after writing a Donor's Choose project.