First of all, Blended Learning combines online and offline resources and activities to facilitate learning in the classroom. The teacher is there to guide students, but students have some control over their learning, specifically over elements of time, place, path or pace. When we talk about the Station Rotation Model- this involves setting up offline and online stations in which students can rotate and gather information about particular learning objectives.
Has this happened to you? You are standing in front of your students talking and teaching. You look at your students and some are paying attention, others are not. You aren't quite sure if the ones who are seemingly paying attention are really focused, or if they are just looking at you, but really thinking of something else. The students look bored and uninterested. If this HAS happened to you, take a look at the Blended Learning Station Rotation environment Mrs. Parker set up in her classroom! In this case, Mrs. Parker set up a mix of online and offline stations for her students to rotate through to learn about continents and oceans.
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| Students label a world map after watching a Brainpop video. |
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| Students work collaboratively to create a world map and write sentences about continents and oceans using directional words. |
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| Students play a game in which they locate and identify continents. |
Students worked collaboratively in some stations and had the choice to work on their own in others, depending on their learning styles. They also had control over the pace of the activities, specifically when watching videos and using PebbleGo for research. This model gives students the opportunity to communicate and collaborate. At the same time it calls for the teacher to differentiate for her students. Communication, collaboration, engagement, differentiation... this is definitely an example of high quality tier one instruction we are striving for!
When you plan your stations, you can choose to be a part of a station, or you can walk around and use the opportunity to observe, assess, ask guiding questions, and have 1-1 moments with your students!
This model is perfect for you if you....
1) Do not have access to a class set of devices.
2) Want to encourage more communication and collaboration among your students.
3) Want to work with small groups of students to better meet their needs.
4) Want to create activities that will increase engagement in your classroom.
5) Differentiate for your students based on skill levels, learning styles and interests.
6) Want students to be more in control of their learning and want to shift the focus from you to them.
After watching Mrs. Parker's class learn through the Station Rotation model, I am SOLD! I was amazed at the learning that was taking place. I was also amazed at the engagement and focus.
Are YOU sold yet? If you have any desire to try this model in your classroom, PLEASE contact me as soon as possible! We can start small... perhaps with one content area. And you don't have to use this model for every single learning objective. I can help you decide when and where this will best fit into your curriculum! You could even use this model as a part of your guided reading or guided math stations. Hope to hear from you soon!
Sources:
The On Your Feet Guide to Blended Learning: Station Rotation by Catlin Tucker
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