Managing Workshop/Station-Based Learning Model in the Classroom

Pre-Planning Activities Form flexible groups based on assessment  Decide how many stations you want.  Try to keep group sizes small (8 students maximum)  Reduce the group size to 3-5 for students in need of intensive support (if possible).  Base small groups on instructional need with specific instructional strategies in mind.  Consider behaviors, attitudes and work ethics of each student.  Monitor the progress of high risk students more frequently to make instructional changes or small group changes.

Pre-Planning Activities Continued… Design a management system for stations  Assign group names and/or color for the highest to lowest groups. For example: Red Group (lowest), Yellow Group (2 nd lowest), Green Group (2 nd highest), Blue Group (highest)  Assign a general name for each station that stays consistent. The activities change, not the name of the station. The colors are purposefully assigned to each station to reflect the station where each group will begin.  Teacher Led (Red), Independent (Blue), Technology (Yellow), Skilll/Review, Cooperative, etc. (Green)

Pre-Planning Activities Design a management system for stations  Display student names in each group along with the station rotation chart somewhere in the class for students to see. This will let them know the their group name/color as well as the order of their rotations.  Reminder: The lowest ability students should be the group that meets with the teacher first. The 2 nd lowest will start on the Technology or Game Station. The 2 nd highest begins with the Cooperative/Skill Review Station. The highest group will start at the Independent Station.  SEE SAMPLE CHART/POSTER ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

Identify appropriate activities also based on assessment Students participate in activities they may either do independently or with help from a peer. Plan with the learning objective, not the product in mind. Though activities should engage students, there need not be a lot of fluff. Time must be a consideration.

Length of Rotations Determine how long you want your rotations to be. You may find that you allot a few extra minutes for the first two rotations to give the lower groups a little extra time to work with the teacher. If you have allotted 15 minutes for the station and the activity only requires 10 minutes, the students will need something else to do. This can be something such as an ongoing project, reading, Versatiles, vocabulary practice, student-created anchor charts, open-ended problems, etc.

Before implementation of stations, students need to know what to do when:  Something does not work  They do not understand the activity at a station  Coaching (“Ask 3 before me”)  They complete the activity  It is time to clean up

Students also need to know….  How to decide who goes first in a pair or group activity Acceptable noise levels Timer signals that students should finish the problem they are working on and clean up station Teacher signals rotation, not the timer Rotation is based on the chart Station locations should be consistent Restroom use (a good time is usually during Technology/Game Station)

Implementation Time Model, practice and review appropriate procedures. Have the students do a “walk through” of their rotations. Be very specific with your expectations: Don’t fret. It may take a few days or even a few weeks to fully implement before beginning teacher led station. During this time the teacher should be roaming the room monitoring students and providing assistance as needed.

Implementation Time Continued… Send students to one or two rotations for the first couple of days before trying two or three rotations daily because: Students need to be on task Teacher needs to focus on students at teacher led station and this isn’t possible if students are off task.

When behavioral problems arise ask: Did I do an effective job of modeling expectations? Is the activity interesting to students? Have students mastered the skill and need to move on? Is the station too difficult to do independently? Were my directions for the activity clear and explicit?

Keep in Mind: The process of learning is more important than creating a product at each station. Students need to be accountable for work completed, but there does not always have to be a product. Practice being aware of station activity, even if you are actively involved with small group activity.

Finally: Stations should provide opportunities for students to practice, demonstrate, and extend previously taught skills. Using assessment data to form groups, planning appropriate teacher led and independent activities, and consistently monitoring progress will help support and manage stations in the classroom