3 Station Rotation

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.....

1.  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.
2.  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.
3.  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?