Part I: Station Rotation Design Tip – Go Horizontal with Your Linear Agenda

Today, I had the pleasure of delving into the station rotation model with a group of secondary teachers. We walked through the design process for all three types of stations – teacher-led, online, and offline.

After reviewing five design strategies teachers can use to structure their teacher-led station to ensure it is differentiated and engaging, a participant asked a question I hear quite a bit. She wondered, “What are students doing at the other stations if they start there and have not been to the teacher-led station yet?”

This question addresses a key obstacle that secondary teachers often encounter when transitioning from traditional, whole-group, teacher-led instruction to the station rotation model. This challenge, which I also faced in my initial efforts to design station rotation lessons, involves creating stations that do not build on each other sequentially. Since small groups of students will begin at each of the different stations, it’s crucial to ensure that each station operates independently. So, how can teachers effectively navigate this complex design challenge?

“Go Horizontal” with Your Linear Agenda

I was initially so frustrated by this design challenge that I returned to what I was comfortable with – the whole group, linear agenda. In credential school, I had been trained to write an agenda on the board and spend the class period guiding my class through a sequence of learning activities. So, I wrote a linear agenda for the lesson I was designing.

As I worked on my agenda, I asked the following questions.

• What specific learning objectives did I want my students to work toward in this lesson?
• What essential information did I need to convey for them to reach these outcomes?
• How could I actively engage my students in this learning process?
• What activities would work best as individual versus collaborative tasks?
• What support or scaffolds might students need to navigate these learning activities successfully?

The agenda below is an overview of what I hoped to cover during our time together. It addressed grade-level writing, reading, research, and speaking and listening skills.

English 9: Class Agenda – 90-minute block

Mini-lesson: How to write a thesis statement
Read and annotate an informational text
Research: The Dust Bowl
Discuss Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men

Note: Teachers working on a shorter class period of 45-60 minutes may assume they cannot use the station rotation model because students cannot complete all of the stations in one class period. However, a station rotation can run for more than one day. For example, a teacher with a 45-minute class period can run a two-day, four-station rotation where students spend ~20 minutes at each station over the course of two days.

The Teacher-led Station: Which Learning Activity Would Most Benefit from Differentiation?

Next, I had to “go horizontal,” meaning I tilted the agenda on its side and pulled apart the discrete learning activities to answer two essential questions. First, could these individual learning activities work as learning stations with some modification? Second, would this be a better lesson as a station rotation?

I began by identifying the learning activity that would most benefit from my expertise and guidance. That was easy! The mini-lesson on writing a thesis statement would work best as my teacher-led station. If I grouped students based on their writing skills for the day, I could customize my instruction for students at different writing levels, providing different levels of support and scaffolding for each group.

Group 1: High-level Writers

I could challenge my stronger writers to analyze example thesis statements and engage in a collaborative challenge identifying and listing the elements they think make a strong thesis statement. That way, they must think critically, engage in conversation, and collaborate with their peers to reach their own conclusions before I give the instruction. Then, they can transition to writing a draft of their thesis statements, and I could provide feedback as they work.

Group 2: Mid-level Writers

For my mid-level writers, I would provide instruction on how to write a thesis statement, identify the necessary components, and model the process of writing a thesis statement, conducting a think-aloud as I write. Then, they can transition to writing a draft of their thesis statements, and I could spend the time we have left providing feedback on their thesis statements.

Group 3: Low-level Writers

Students who need more support and scaffolding would benefit from hearing instruction on how to write a thesis statement and what to include, as well as seeing me model the process of writing one. They might also benefit from a thesis statement sentence frame to support them in structuring their first couple of thesis statements. As they use the thesis statement sentence frame, I can provide individual support and feedback.

By integrating instruction, guided practice, and feedback into the teacher-led station, I can more effectively tailor the experience to meet the diverse writing needs of the students in my class. This approach makes it possible to provide the appropriate scaffolds and supports. The goal is to ensure that all students understand how to write a thesis statement and receive the necessary support as they write. That is doable at a small group, teacher-led station.

The Benefits of Shifting from Whole Group to Small Groups

When attempting to answer the question, does this work as a station rotation lesson? I had to consider what benefit shifting from a whole group to a small group would have on the other learning activities in my lesson. Let’s take a look!

Read and Annotate an Informational Text

Normally, in a whole group lesson, I would find an article related to some aspect of the historical context of the novel we were reading for this activity. Traditionally, I would photocopy the same article for everyone, pass it out, and read it out loud as a class. I would pause the group at strategic moments in the reading to highlight key information, make connections, or ask questions.

This approach is problematic on a couple of levels. First, the article was not at a reading level accessible to all students in my class. Today, I could use Newsela to find articles on a topic written at different Lexile levels or provide students with a print and an audio version. I was also doing the heavy cognitive lift because I was the person thinking critically about the text and guiding students through it.

If students had a text at a reading level they could access on their own or had the option to read or listen to an audio track, this reading activity could be done independently or with a partner at a station. Teachers could invite students to select a strategy to actively engage with the reading – annotations, sketchnotes, guided note templates. This is an opportunity to shift control over the pace of reading to the students while also building in student agency and meaningful choice.

Research the Dust Bowl

This activity would be ideal for an online collaborative station where a small group of students work together to research the Dust Bowl. As they explore this moment in history, they can capture and organize what they are learning by creating an artistic timeline on poster paper or online using a tool like Canva or Google Drawing, depending on their group’s preference.

This research activity would encourage the group to communicate and collaborate as they explore this moment in history. It could also be an opportunity to provide students with a meaningful choice about how they document their learning with a simple would you rather option.

Small Group Discussion

The benefit of shifting from a whole group, teacher-led to a small group, student-led discussion is that it can remove barriers to participation. In a teacher-led whole-group discussion, there isn’t time for every student to participate. It is also common for the teacher to do the heavy cognitive lift in a whole group discussion because they feel compelled to respond to each student’s contribution by highlighting strong points made, making connections between the ideas shared, and gently correcting misconceptions.

In a small group, student-led discussion, everyone has the opportunity to engage in the conversation, making it more equitable. Students who are shy or struggle with anxiety are more likely to participate in this small group dynamic. Students may also take more risks asking questions and sharing their ideas because they know the teacher is not there to jump in with the “correct” answers.

These conversations can help students develop their speaking and listening skills as well as develop their relationships with their peers. Teachers can also ask students to conclude their discussion with a short self-assessment of and reflection on their participation. That way, students are thinking about how they are contributing to these conversations and what goals they want to set for themselves in future discussions.

When I redesigned this lesson as a station rotation, I answered the two questions I started with. First, does this linear lesson work as a station rotation? Yes! I was able to modify the individual learning activities to work as separate stations that blended online and offline, individual and collaborative tasks to keep students engaged. I used student agency and meaningful choice to remove barriers and ensure that all students could be successful in completing each task.

Second, is this a better lesson as a station rotation? Yes! I was able to differentiate my instruction and support at the teacher-led station while also differentiating the reading task and allowing students to have more control over the pace at which they read and engaged with the article. The research station targeted all 4Cs of 21st-century learning – critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. And, the discussion station provided every student with the opportunity to share their thinking with the group.

Some teachers may read this and feel a bit daunted by the time required to redesign their lessons. That is a fair concern, but AI-powered education tools dramatically reduce the time needed to design accessible, inclusive, equitable, and student-centered learning experiences!

In my next blog, we’ll explore how we can transform a whole-group, teacher-led math lesson into a station rotation with the help of AI!

Wrap Up

The purpose and value of shifting from whole group, teacher-led lessons to small group, student-centered lessons with the station rotation model include:

• Increased opportunities to differentiate instruction, models, support, and scaffolds.
• More teacher-student interactions and personalized support (e.g., guided practice, feedback).
• Student-centered learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
• Students have more control over the pace of their learning.
• Students have more control over the path of their learning when teachers integrate meaningful choices into the work at the various stations.
• More self-directed learning and opportunities for students to develop their self-management and responsible decision-making skills.

Check Out This Virtual Coaching Session Demoing This Shift for a Science Class

Want To Learn More About the Station Rotation?

📚 Explore my collection of blogs on the station rotation model.

💻 Check out my asynchronous Station Rotation Mini-course, complete with video instruction, application activities, and tons of resources.

🚀 Join the spring cohort of my Supercharge Your Classroom with UDL and Blended Learning Course!