S'More From The AP
Week Ending Jan. 9, 2015
Math Learning Stations - With Ms. Elting!
We all know teachers have all the time in the world and we are always wondering what we could do with all of our extra free time, right!? And then we say to ourselves “I would love to plan multiple math stations that my students can rotate through every single day.” In the end, you will find that stations really do make a big difference in your teaching and your planning time.
If you are anything like me, then you like to keep things simple, but enjoy change every once in awhile. I find that by incorporating math stations I am able to achieve both of these things.
Now, I know I say that math stations make it simple on the teacher, but most importantly they make the learning fun, and simple for the students.
Why do you think it is a good instructional approach?
As educators, we all know that one of the most difficult things to do is meet the needs of all of our students. Having a classroom that has a high population of SPED students, along with a high population of GT students, I have found that math stations make it easier to differentiate and meet the needs of my students. Here are a few reasons why stations can be a good instructional approach:
· Flexible grouping based on ability/needs/interests
· Scaffolding of more difficult concepts
· Re-teaching and exploration of math concepts in a smaller risk free environment
This is just one instructional approach I use; I like to use a variety of methods. You can still have your direct teach and whole group lesson, in fact, I find those to be very valuable for my students as well and do them both everyday. It’s all about meeting the needs of our students, and we all know it takes a variety of methods to do this.
Station Structure:
Now remember, my theme here is to keep things simple.
The structure does not change, but the content in the stations does.
This makes it easy on both the students and me. Each station is 20 minutes long, which allows me to double up on a day if I need to. I have 5 stations per week that are always the same:
· Game (usually one that we have practiced playing during whole group)
· Technology
· Teacher
· Review (Mountain Math/ GT Extension)
· Project/Indep. Practice
This makes it very easy for me to change out what they do at each station based on what topic we are learning about. There are tons of ideas on how to organize stations on Pinterest. I found that a very simple way that works for me is to have a visual for my students rotation and station groups (I put this on the board for them to look back at). Students are grouped by color and each day their color moves to a different station. Here are a couple of pictures:
Tips for making station time run smoothly:
I feel like my stations are able to run smoothly because I keep a consistent and simple structure. With having so many students in and out of the classroom for different reasons, keeping things consistent is key.
Here are some things that we talk about daily for each station before we begin:
· Voice-o-meter
· Designated areas
· Behavioral expectations
· Material Needed
I am definitely not an expert but this is what I have found to be successful in my room. Finding a system that works for you and your students is essential. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error to figure out what works best for you!
The Principal Ponders
Self-directed, self-motivated students…..it’s what teachers strive for each and every day. One way to get your students to take a more active part in their learning is by incorporating learning stations in your classroom. When designed well, learning stations can provide individualized review, practice or enrichment for students. Here are just a few ways Learning Stations can transform your classroom:
· Increased student motivation. Everyone likes to be heard, to have a voice. To feel like what they have to say matters. Your students are no different. Like the article from the Monday Message stated: “Students want to have a voice in the learning process and want to share ‘their” way of doing things…Students want learning to be done ‘with’ them…not ‘to’ them.” Students who have a say in choosing learning activities feel inspired and tend to show much more interest and perseverance in completing work.
· Meaningful learning opportunities. Students are working on skills on which they need additional practice or that they are personally interested in learning more about. This will require planning on your part, as well as an understanding of each student’s strengths and weaknesses, to ensure that the activities in the stations target students' real learning needs.
· Learning centers foster independence. Since students work at their own pace on a variety of the station activities, students have little choice but to work somewhat independently. There tends to less teacher involvement with station work, even though the teacher is available if help is needed. Also, because students do choose their own activities, it pushes them to make decisions about which activities provide the right skills and appropriate level of challenge for their particular learning needs.
· Learning centers improve classroom management. Once your stations are established, your students will have no reason to be off task. Early finishers will have the freedom to move on to another activity that interests them, instead of sitting around talking. Also, motivated students tend to behave better in general.
· Your principal will like it. J Because the students' interest in their station work will be apparent (and because your classroom management will be even better than ever), your principal will be impressed during your next observation. Administrators like to see students being independent, working in small groups, and being in charge of their own learning.
We have many teachers on campus that would be great resources to assist you in getting started (see Ms. Elting’s section above!). Try it out! Your students will thank you…..and your principal will like it.