Are you ready for a very practical, how-to episode today? I hope so, because that’s exactly what I’ve got for you when it comes to implementing stations. I try not to overwhelm you on this podcast with “implement this now and solve all your problems” strategies, because that’s just not how things work, and, at least for me, learning all kinds of new things just clouds my thinking and vision, and I end up accomplishing less.
However, a nice how-to every now and then can be refreshing, and I hope that today’s episode is that for you, and it’s all about stations and how they can be used in any classroom.
Now, who could use stations, what classrooms or students would it benefit? And I want to answer that question before we get started. Really, any teacher at any grade level can use stations, but I recommend the use of stations, and wrote today’s episode especially with the teacher in mind who’s been doing things the same way for a while and might just need a little bit of change. I would also recommend stations for the teacher who has a ton to get through, feels rushed all the time to get through it, but in rushing ends up compromising student understanding and mastery. Finally, I recommend the use of stations to any teacher who would like to have his/her classroom flow without completely depending on his/her presence and constant attention to make sure it flows…. Meaning, you need your students to take a bit more ownership of their learning inside the walls of your classroom.
The idea of stations in the classroom is a familiar one in the elementary classroom, but much past that and they aren’t very common. But the advantages of having stations in an elementary classroom don’t just go away once students get older. No, the benefits of keeping their attention in short bursts rather than the whole class period, teaching students to manage their time within shorter amounts of time, breaking larger concepts or standards into smaller, more manageable chunks… all those benefits still exist beyond the elementary classroom.
After listening to this episode you’ll have a clear vision of what stations are, how you can use them, and the benefits you and your students will get from implementing them. And I have a special gift for you, just for being a listener of the Sustainable Teacher Podcast today. Scroll down where you’re listening, you’ll find the description of today’s episodes, then three helpful links. The first link you’ll see is to our full length show notes, a blog post on today’s episode. When you click there, you’ll find on that page how to sign up to receive a video tutorial on how I use stations (as well as two other how-to videos from yours truly), what stations look like in my classroom, and even how to use a “key” in your stations without promoting laziness and learned helplessness in your students.
Here’s the ultimate benefit of stations. You’re putting more of the onus of learning onto your students rather than having them rely on you for their understanding or how to go about each and every task. If that sounds like something you and your students could benefit from, then today’s episode is for you, so grab your pen or open your notes app and let’s get to it.
SUSTAINABLE TEACHER SHOW NOTES: https://www.teachonamission.com/blog/how-to-use-stations-in-your-classroom
SUSTAINABLE TEACHER FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sustainableteacher
FLIPPED CLASSROOM WEBINAR: https://www.teachonamission.com/flippingwebinar