This blog started as a journal of implementing a 20% time project in my Anatomy and Physiology classes, then it evolved into a blog on all sorts of things I tried in my class. Now as a TOSA, this blog is evolving yet again. I will use it to showcase a variety of instructional strategies and edtech tools that educators can use. This blog will partner with my 1CoolThing YouTube Channel. Additionally, it will also serve as a place to reflect on my role as a TOSA.
The only difference in this model is that the class period would start with whole-class direct instruction, and then segue into the rotations stations.
If you currently spend a large chunk of class time lecturing and going over practice examples, this might be an ideal first step into the station rotation model.
How it works:
In a 90 minute block, this would translate to 15 minutes for direct instruction, 15 minute stations each, and then 30 minutes total at the front and back end for warm ups, recap, and clean up.
Start by streamlining your instruction to be 15 minutes or less, and just content. Minimize the Q&A time because this will come out in the stations. Then, push the practice and examples to the stations. As I described in the previous post, you as the teacher can be in one of those stations doing the practice with student and giving them more personalized formative feedback. Here you can reteach as needed.
The other stations allow students to engage with the content in other ways (individually and collaboratively, online vs. offline, speaking/listening and writing, etc.). See my examples in the previous posts for ideas of what you could do, and subject specific examples.
This is blog post 3 of 4 on station rotations. Previously I wrote about splitting the class in two, cycling for example between online and offline activities. That was followed up by my second post that involves the teacher pulling students out one at a time to conference and give specific formative feedback. Again, shoutout to Catlin Tucker who was the inspiration behind these posts.
This post builds on the two station rotation models and fully forms a third station around the teacher. In this model the class is broken into thirds and the teacher plays an essential role in that station. In this setting the teacher could be giving small group instruction, small group practice, and/or specific feedback.
The Stations:
I would again refer you back to the first post in this series about the two station rotation model. The two stations without the teacher could be an online vs offline pairing, or an individual processing vs collaborative group dichotomy.
It's important to make sure the three stations can function independently of one another since kids will be starting at each of the three.
The Role of the Teacher
While the teacher can certainly use this opportunity to give direct instruction, I would strongly encourage the teacher to do less talking AT the students, and more talking WITH them in this group. Let's take some things you might do normally in class, that you could do in this small group.
Instead of.... try.....
Instead of a whole class discussion, try having the discussion in the station. Let's be honest. Most class discussion are really just a handful of kids talking with the teacher. More students are silent than speaking. In a small group you will hear from more students, and different things might come up in different groups. What's more, you could always share out at the end with the larger class.
Instead of doing practice problems with the class, try doing those in your teacher station. Even if it's the EXACT same thing you would do with the whole class, going over practice problems in a smaller group is more accessible and engaging for students. It will feel like a tutoring session rather than a lecture, and you'll be able to give them better formative feedback.
Instead of lecturing at all, try using the your valuable time with students to help them understand the material rather than just give them the material. Use the other stations, or homework, to expose them to the new content. Whether that's a video lesson, a reading assignment, or prior research, have students become exposed to the the content prior to class, and then use your time with them to help UNDERSTAND that material. You probably know what the common misconceptions are, so use this time to address them.
My personal experience I try to keep my writings on these topics as subject agnostic as possible, but that might come across as vague sometimes. So here's an example of how I would do this in my Biology class.
Homework: Students watch vodcast (10 min video lesson on photosynthesis) all centered around the driving question: How can a tree grow so tall? Students take notes at home, and complete a short non-graded Check for Understanding (CFU) Quiz. In class, students start with a 10 minute warm up- questions reflecting on what was learned last night. Then we break into stations.
Stations:
Individual Processing: I would have students create a model (in NGSS speak, this is a diagram or drawing) answering the driving question. Essentially this is outlining the process of photosynthesis. This would be paired with a Flipgrid discussion post asking them to describe in 1-2 minutes the relationship between structure and function in photosynthesis and how that helps us answer our driving question. They will use the diagram they created to support their explanation. If needed, students can step outside to record their video real quick. In the next class I would use the new AR feature to embed that video on their notebook page (look for a blog post on this later).
Small Group Work: In this step I would have them do a small mini-lab or demonstration. This could be a virtual lab on photosynthesis like this one, or something like the leaf disc activity. They would do a quick CER statement based on the results of their mini-lab.
Teacher Station: In this station I would have them sit near my whiteboard where I would have diagrams of photosynthesis. I would use this time to ask them questions, give them feedback, and even put them in the role of teacher to explain to me and the group what was happening. They could sketchnote as we go.
End of the period recap: The last ten minutes I would have students put the room back together, turn in their work, and complete an exit ticket called a 3:2:1
3:2:1 Exit Ticket:
On a piece of scratch paper write:
3- Three essential understandings about photosynthesis.
2- Topics or ideas you are still struggling with.
1- Question you (still) have.
Some final thoughts:
In my opinion, a station rotation lesson like this would be highly student-centered. They would be pushed to think, work collaboratively, and engage with a challenging topic in a variety of ways.
The lesson is not completely dependent on technology (it's merely used to enhance, add accountability, and promote student voice).
Students get verbal formative feedback from the teacher.
Students are doing lab work, and relating concepts learned to empirical data collected. Plus, since the lab part is just a station I don't have to set that lab up for 8 student groups, which makes it easier to set up and tear down.
And lastly, they're not in their seat the whole time. They're getting up and moving at least three different times, and in the case of the lab work, might be up on their feet the whole time.
I think an approach like this opens so many possibilities. How could you use it in your own context?
Stations are not just for elementary school! Stations are a great way to break up a class period by providing the opportunity for students to interact within our courses in multiple modes. In my previous post I discussed a variety of options one could do in a two station rotation (read the specifics here), but basically you can have students flip between online and offline activities, reading vs writing, independent work vs. collaborative work, and much more. Shoutout to Catlin Tucker who has been my inspiration for posts on these topics.
In my previous post I said that the role of the teacher was to either bounce between the two stations, or spend all of their time at one of the stations. This variation actually makes a separate station where the teacher calls students up for a short conference.
Role of the Teacher What is the role of the teacher in the classroom?
Our role is becoming less the keeper and deliver of content, and more the facilitator of learning. We help student understand the challenging material. We bridge gaps. This station model creates an opportunity for us to give formative feedback, target instruction, and give the individual attention students need.
How it works:
Split the class in two halves (again, see previous post). The teacher then sets up at a neutral location, ideally somewhere they can still see the two groups and kind of make sure they are staying on task. If students are on laptops, it's probably a good idea have them turned in a way such that a quick glance will show whether they are on task or not.
In a hypothetical 90 min block period with 36 kids, this would give the teacher about 2 minutes per student. If the teacher called two students up together, that would be 4 minutes. Smaller classes mean you more time. Two minutes may seem really quick, but if properly targeted, that may be all you need! If you're not doing this now, ANY one-one time is better than none.
What does the teacher do in the conference?
It's all about individual attention. It's about formative feedback. Here are just some ideas, organized by subject, but really these are interdisciplinary ideas.
ENGLISH: Specific feedback on their writing. You and the student pull up an essay they are currently working on (perhaps student are writing the essay in one of the stations), and you give specific feedback then and there on a specific element of the essay. Do it now, and you don't have to do it later when they turn the essay in!
MATH: Working a problem together. Have students work a problem or two in front of you allows you to see their process and give them specific advice and feedback. Perhaps here you go over some recent quiz results, or give them some insightful hints that will help them remember the challenging material.
SCIENCE: Lab Report. Grade a lab report with the student right there! The day following a lab do a station rotation and have the student come up read the lab report with them right there. Score on the rubric as you verbally give them their feedback. Help fill in the gaps, reinforce the essential learning of the lab, and SAVE YOURSELF TIME GRADING later!
WORLD LANGUAGES:One on one conversation. This one seems the most obvious. The best way to learn a language is to speak and listen in the language, especially with a fluent speak who can give immediate feedback. You as a teacher can easily do this in a couple minutes with 1-3 students.
SOCIAL STUDIES: DBQ: Review a DBQ they recently wrote. Give them specific feedback on what they wrote and how they could have done it better. Similar to the science example above, grading it with them will save you time later, and give them much more meaningful feedback. English and PBL examples also apply to SS.
For the Project Based Learning Class: Have a check in on their progress. Ask them: What have you been working on?What problems have you encountered and what have will you do to resolve them?What are your next steps? This check in is a great way to build accountability and help students continue to make progress while also getting the feedback they need from you, the teacher.
This is just the beginning. It's a protocol. Once you and your students get comfortable with the protocol, you could literally drop in any two activities for the the two halves, and there are many different strategies you could take during that conference time with students.
At the heart of this approach is giving students personalized individual instruction or support. Feedback is only valuable to students if it can have an IMMEDIATE impact on their next steps. This station rotation model allows you the teacher to give students feedback they can immediately use to be successful in your class.
What's more, if you're using this approach to grade or give feedback in class, you can actually save yourself time grading in the future because you either did the grading with them or because you're not having to give them the feedback on the back end (which also is too late anyway).
Check out my next post on the 3 station rotation...
Stations are not just for elementary schools to use. Stations work in secondary too, especially in the context of long block periods. This is the first in a 4 part blog post series on ways of implementing and tailoring station rotation to various types of classes. I was inspired to write these posts after listening to Catlin Tucker's Fall Cue Keynote where she pushed teachers to use station rotations more often as a way to blend online with in person work, and streamline workflow to engage students while also creating balance for the teachers. Her talk really resonated with me my evolution as a teacher, and really inspired me to elaborate on it more and share with the teachers I serve in LGSUHSD. So, check out the next 4 posts and try one or all of them!
The Two Station Rotation
The graphic above shows what it looks like generally, but read below to see the many ways it could be personalized and adapted to your subject, and day to day.
Role of the Teacher
Depending on the two stations, the teacher could be alternating between the two stations or be spending most of their time at one. The point is for the teacher to take advantage of the learning opportunities that have been created to check in with students and give them the feedback they need.
How to split:
Splitting is simple. Split the class in half by either drawing a line down the middle of the room and splitting them, or count the kids off by two. You can even predetermine who you want in the groups. Have students move the desks so there's clearly two halves.
What can you do in the two halves?
Online vs Offline
Students should not be on computers an entire period. Nor should students never work on the computers. It's about a blend of the two, and harnessing online and offline content together you will get the most out of your students and class time. If you have computers, one group can be doing work online, while the other group can be doing something offline/analog.
Types of online work:
Content delivery: students watch a video and take notes (this could be your own screencast, someone else's, or some other video. Make sure students have headphones if they will be watching a video
Online discussion: Have students complete an online discussion such as Canvas.
Flipgrid: Students answer discussion questions on Flipgrid. In this case, these students might go outside to record their responses.
Writing: Students are working on an essay, DBQ, project, lab report, etc.
Working with manipulatives or other kinesthetic activities.
Practice Problems
Anything really.
Reading vs Speaking/Listening
Have students read an article, book, or textbook. Silent sustained reading is crucial and something they probably don't do much of at home. Perhaps have students go outside (within eye sight of the room), find a quiet place, and read for a bit. Those students inside are up out of their seats talking about prompts you have created. Perhaps you're using some of the discussion strategies I've blogged about before.
Writing vs. Listening
Say students are working on a project or essay, but you still have content to deliver. Split the class in half. One half continues to work on their project or essay, while the other half joins you for your direct instruction. Students listen to you, take notes, and potentially have more opportunity to ask questions. You also have the opportunity to call on students more frequently, and check for understanding easier.
If this sounds like you will be doubling your lecturing, you will. Perhaps it's something you could screencast and students could watch and listen to prior to class, or as a separate station, thereby freeing you up for helping them with that understanding rather than just delivering content. Something to think about....
Collaboration vs Individual Work
Students need to be BOTH collaborative members of a team and able to work independently. So why not split the class into those two groups? Types of Collaborative Work:
Projects
Labs
Collaborative Essays
Poster Paper Presentations
Types of Independent Work:
Essay writing
Lab report writing
Journalling/blogging/reflecting
Reading
Practice Problems
Any of the online/offline items listed above
The two station rotation has endless opportunities for variety. Pick any two activities that would provide value in your class, and plug them in. Ultimately this shifts the focus to be more student-centered, while simultaneously freeing the teacher to do what they do best: help students understand and grow. Next see my post on how you can tweak this just slightly to give more personalized attention to students.
It's not about the technology; it's how you use it to enhance or transform your pedagogy. Google Forms can quickly give you this enhancement. Here are 7 quick but powerful ways to leverage Google Forms in the classroom to improve accountability, increase student metacognition, as well as help you grow as an educator.
Student tracking during independent projects:
Have a standing form that students complete in class to track what they’ve worked on, what challenges they’ve encountered, and what their next steps are. Variations can include having students complete at the start of class, and have a question that identifies if they need help from you. Use a color coding system: red- I’m stuck, I need your help, yellow- I’m having a hard time, but managing, green- I’m all good. Use this template to begin your own.
Unit concept checks
What are the essentials understandings of a unit? Do students know them? Are they asked to evaluate their understanding throughout the unit? Use this form as a template to 1) identify the essentials for a unit, and 2) have students rate their understanding. Have them complete this in the beginning, middle, and near the end of the unit for you and the students to identify gaps in their learning or understanding.
Tracking your own work
Ever wish you could capture some feedback at the end of a lesson for you to use in lesson planning next year? Have a quick form you complete at the end of a class as an organized way of reminding you next year. Use this form as a template. Bookmark it on your computer and complete at the end of a bad lesson, or set a reminder to do it once a week at a convenient time. Pull up the spreadsheet next year at the start of each unit.
Rubrics
While Canvas Rubrics are great for grading (We use Canvas in our district), they’re not the best for data analysis. Make your rubric a Google Form. You can complete the rubric as you grade. Each student gets a new submission. OR, you can have a TA, or even your students, input rubric data so you can analyze later. Give them the link to the form and have them complete it after you’ve passed back the assignment. Here’s an example of a DBQ rubric. Use it as a template to make your own. If you give a common assessment with colleagues, all of you can use the same rubric and then be able to compare your data with theirs to help calibrate your common assignments/assessments.
Exit Tickets (Including end of week)
Have students track what they’ve learned by completing an end of the week exit ticket. This helps them track what they’ve learned over the week, and collectively over the semester. It also helps you get some formative feedback. Use this template to make your own.
Assessment Debriefs
Did you recently give an assessment and want students to reflect? Use this template to have students reflect on how they prepared for the assessment and its relation to their performance. Help students learn from their mistakes in order to improve in the future. You could even use this as a way for students to earn some points back.
End of Semester Student Survey
Having students give us feedback can be a powerful way to improve as teachers. While it may feel scary because feedback can be critical and sometimes taken personally, if we can look at the data objectively and ask ourselves how can I improve as a teacher?, then we can and will be better for our students. LGSUHSD has been requiring all non-tenured teachers to administer a student survey as part of the reflective process since 2013. This practice helps inform them of how they can improve. Click on this link to make your own copy of the survey to give to your students. You can add any questions you’d like. NO ONE will see the data but you. (note this link will only work for teachers of lgsuhsd)
There are many many many more uses for Google Forms. Matt Miller of Ditch that Textbook has this post, 20 Practical Ways to Use Google Forms, and I definitely recommend you check it out if you want more.
If you follow me on social media, you might have seen my snarky tweet last week:
That was because PG&E had shut off power to my house because of the "Public Safety Power Shutoff" and they were being coy about when it would come back on.
Just a couple of days earlier our schools were told we may lose power, and principals at both schools sent emails notifying staff that we could lose power at schools, but school would likely be in session. In an email to all staff, Saratoga Principal Greg Louie wrote:
Tomorrow might be an opportunity to collect different kinds of evidence: teaching and learning without electricity!
We don't expect an outage to occur, but if we start the day without power or the power goes out during the school day, the plan is to keep teaching in classrooms and spaces with natural light. Please develop a backup plan if your instructional activities involve your projector, computer(s), internet, etc.
And so, teachers prepped for the next day preparing for a day without power (including no Internet). And that last line got me thinking.
Good teaching is good teaching. Do we really need power to be engaging and effective teachers? Technology is supposed to enhance, or even transform what we do, but I don't think it's always critical. If we're just substituting technology for something analog, ie something we could do without power, is it really worth doing?
And that got me really thinking:
What if you had no power or Internet, but could get it for just 20 minutes in your class? How would you use it? Would it enhance, or transform what you were doing without power?
Technology shouldn't necessarily be used every period, all period. An effective use of technology is one in which it is chunked, and blended with good instruction: lessons with high student interaction and engagement. Relevant learning experiences. Rigorous, but attainable, content.
Effective use of technology is one in which the tech is "invisible." This means that the teacher has created a learning environment so effective that it's not about the tech tool they're using. It's merely a means to end.
So let's use this (potential) inconvenience brought upon us by PG&E, and say no thanks to power being shut off, but thank you for sparking a thought experiment that helps us evaluate how, and why we're using technology in the classroom.
As you plan a lesson with technology, ask yourself some of these questions:
Why am I using this technology? What is the goal of my lesson that this tech helps facilitate?
Would my lesson be the same, or worse, if I had no power?
If I only had 20 minutes of power and Internet, how would I maximize those minutes to enhance my instruction and better support students?
I'm curious to hear what people did. If you planned a lesson sans power, did you teach that lesson anyway? Did you have any a-ha's as you planned the lesson? Would a lack of power even affect you? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Especially how you would use those 20 minutes! Please comment below.
Oh, and I got my power back Friday night. Thanks No Thanks, PG&E.
What happens if you don't have a positive or safe classroom climate?
How do you create an environment where you get the most out of your learners? What does that look like?
Yesterday I wrote a post outlining the Dysfunctions of a Team and how taking meaningful steps to build a positive classroom climate creates an environment where students feel safe in taking risks and are willing to go outside of their comfort zone and into the learning zone. I discussed how a practice of creating shared agreements can lay the foundation for the hard work of learning for the year.
1CoolThing is the idea of sharing and celebrating the great work that teachers do, in hopes that others may be inspired by those ideas, apply them in their own context, and (maybe) even transform what they do. Here's my TED talk on 1CoolThing.
1CoolThing Story
Today I want to share a 1CoolThing Story, an interview I recorded with Brian Elliott and Jennifer Lee. Jennifer is a biology teacher at Saratoga High, and Brian is a Special Education teacher also at Saratoga. Together they collaboratively teach two sections of biology. Before my role as a TOSA, I co-taught with Brian and we did a process at the beginning of every year called "Shared Agreements." When I transitioned to TOSA and Brian began working with Jennifer, they took the idea of a shared agreement and made it their own.
Last week I ran into Brian and he shared how they were implementing it in their class this year, and how incredible the process has been. When he described it to me, it sounded even better than what we did before. It's a perfect example of 1CoolThing. Anyway, I swung by their room the next day and took some pictures and videos of it in action. I asked if they would be willing to meet with me to share in a "podcast" format what they did, how they did it, and why. They agreed and what follows is their interview.
The video to the right is the podcast on YouTube--> You can also download the podcast and listen to it on anchor or spotify.
— Ms. Lee's Science Classes @SHS (@lee_science_shs) August 25, 2019
This was an experiment. See my next post on my reflection on this as a medium for sharing ideas. I'm curious to hear what you thought and if this is an effective method of sharing ideas.
If, after listening, and you want to try it yourself, here's a rough overview of how I did in my class. This is from my perspective, but what Brian and I did together was the exact same.
Creating a Shared Agreement
Acclimation
I liked to give students a couple weeks of class to acclimate to the rules, procedures, and expectations of the class. I also wanted them to have a lab under their belt, and several homework assignments, so they knew what the class was going to be like.
Reflection
Students came to class and I asked them to get a piece of scratch paper out. I asked them to write a list of things that bother them about classes, or don't work. This is their chance to complain. I open this to include group work. I say "Think about every group project you've ever been a part of. What didn't work? What caused those bad experiences? Write these down."
I then ask them to draw a line down the middle and on the right side, list things that have worked. Write a list of things that have worked. Things teachers have done that have worked for you: class formats, and actions that you personally have taken that have positively benefited you and your group.
Group Share
Next comes the share. Wrapping around the table (I always have students in groups of 4), one by one students share first their complaints, and then once they're done, they take turns sharing the positive. They share even if it's been said already.
Once they've shared, I ask them to discuss any overlap. I also say: "Now that you've been in my class for a couple weeks and you have a pretty good idea of what it's going to be like, what do you feel are the 5 most critical topics or behaviors your group needs in order be successful in THIS class. Choose one person and write that down on one person's sheet.
Group Share Out
Wrapping around the room I have students share from their table groups and I write up on the board. I now facilitate this in a way that combines comments if two or more groups are basically saying the same thing. We typically come up with a list of maybe 10 to 20 topics. I also add in things that are important to me as a teacher. This is a collaborative process that includes teachers, students, and even any support staff working in the room.
Here's a video of Brian and Jennifer doing this very step:
Making the Shared Agreement:
Here's the magic now: I tell them that the goal is to come up with 3-5 statements we feel are the most important items we can agree on. We will write them in the active voice: "We will....", We want to stay away from passive or ambiguous language. These are behaviors or practices we will do, not just something we "hope" we can do. We're committing to this.
Students share out, and with facilitation, we usually arrive at a good list that encompasses the most critical pieces they listed. I also point out that we're not perfect, and we might not always demonstrate these, but this we collectively commit to.
The last step is to have some students write them on a poster paper, and everyone signs it. We then post it on the wall.
Every time I do this, I am so proud of my students and what they come up with. It always makes me like a class more, and makes me more excited for the year.
It takes some trust building to build up to this. Students need some time to feel comfortable sharing these things with their group, and the class at large. Leading up to this we've done active listening activities, fun games like improv games, and other ice breakers.
This isn't a one and done activity. This hangs on the wall, and when students model these well, I like to point it out. Conversely, if they're falling out of alignment, I just remind them "hey we have this shared agreement. What can we do here to get back to what we initially sought to achieve." I find referencing back to the group shared agreement to be FAR more effective than reminding them of a bunch of rules I created.
Listen to the podcast! This is just how I did it in my classes. Brian and Jennifer have adapted it in a very creative way. Listen how they made it their own, and you can get ideas for your own.
Thanks for reading. As you'll hear in the podcast, Jennifer and Brian did this second semester. This year they're doing on day 3. I usually do it in week 3. You can do this at any point in the year. Especially when feel you class just isn't what you want it to be. Maybe you need to build a shared agreement? If you try, share with me on Twitter or in the comments. I'd love to hear how it goes!
