This post is a collaboration between Noelle Gutierrez & Catlin Tucker. In today’s educational landscape, the emphasis on inclusion and creating the least restrictive environments for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) has significantly reshaped classroom dynamics. This shift has led to the growing adoption of co-teaching models, where general and special education teachers collaborate […]
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A teacher recently asked me whether students always need to attend every station in a rotation. The short answer is “no.” Our classrooms are composed of diverse groups of students with different skills, abilities, preferences, language proficiencies, and academic needs. Given that variability, it makes sense that not all students would need to spend time […]
Math is a linear subject, with each concept building on the one before. Math teachers are also responsible for covering a large number of standards in a school year. Most math curricula are designed for a whole group teacher-led lesson where the teacher is expected to cover a new concept or process every day. This, […]
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In my last blog post titled Part I: Station Rotation Design Tip – Go Horizontal with Your Linear Agenda, I shared a strategy I refer to as “going horizontal” to help secondary teachers shift from traditional whole group, teacher-led lessons to designing with the station rotation model. As described in my previous post, the station rotation […]
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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, […]
I was recently facilitating a training session on the station rotation model when several educators expressed concern about the noise level of the classroom during a station rotation lesson. They asked how I keep the noise level down at the stations that are not teacher-led. Like most classroom expectations, I spend time directly teaching what […]
When first implementing the station rotation model, many teachers express concern about designing offline student-led collaborative stations. Although they understand the benefits of these collaborative conversations in station rotation, including increased self-efficacy, relationship building, and constructing knowledge together, teachers usually feel more comfortable designing teacher-led collaborative stations where they can control the discussion and ensure […]
Don’t let transitions steal class time! Some classes understand the expectations of the station rotation model almost immediately. The teacher explains the model, the students understand the expectations, and the class moves into stations smoothly. Other classes need a little more practice before fully implementing the station rotation model. When introducing station rotation, I encourage […]
As teachers, we know that the physical environment of a classroom can have a significant impact on how students engage with the material and each other. From the color of the walls to the lighting and temperature, every aspect of the room can contribute to a student’s ability to feel comfortable and stay focused. Have […]
Do you want to design lessons that allow you to work with small groups but worry about keeping the rest of the class on task? Even the most experienced teachers find themselves teaching “that one class” that needs extra support and structure when implementing the station rotation model. As a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and […]
In coaching sessions earlier this week, I worked with two different teams of teachers who were concerned about a couple of students who might not function well in a small group dynamic. Generally, I stress the importance of balancing individual and collaborative tasks because students need opportunities to work independently and collaborate with diverse partners. […]
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The station rotation model is a popular K-12 blended learning model that rotates students through a series of stations or learning activities. The station rotation model comprises three types of stations: a) teacher-led, b) online, and c) offline. When I facilitate workshops on this model or coach teachers using this model, I get a lot […]