Stations are Here to Stay

There are few things I can say I remember fondly from doing EdTPA, but one of them is creating stations to meet the assessment guidelines. I was overwhelmed by the amount of formative assessments required in a five lesson period, and knew that I had to multitask to get it done. So, I used stations. I hadn't thought about using stations since then, but decided to try it out in my General Music class. And I am so glad I did.

I split my class of 26 into three stations. In station one, students worked on their Hyperdoc titled "The Music of Africa". Station two focused on writing four beat patterns of the notes we knew with my mini whiteboards and whiteboard markers. The last station had kids working on earning their white belt in Bucket Drum Karate. I gave students eight minutes in each station with one minute of cleanup/transition time to get to their next station. I put a timer up on the projector so students were aware of their time.

So why should you try stations? It is true that they are a lot of upfront work. You need a lot of materials and have to take the time to plan each station. But in the two days we did them this week, I saw a lot of benefits.

First and foremost, it allowed me to have more one-on-one opportunities with students. Because the work was done in small pieces, I was able to check in on students who needed it and was more readily available to answer questions. All but two of my students were able to complete their white belt in this time frame. I now know better which students are struggling with certain concepts and who may need extra support.

I was also able to address multiple standards in the hopes of better retention. One of the toughest parts of sixth grade music is that they come from only having it once or twice in a week to five days a week. Some students come in with a vast knowledge of music, whereas others did not retain as much. Stations allow each student to work to their ability level while still improving. They also are working with the same content each day. This repetition of working with material helps so much with retention.

Stations also told me which of my students are going to be leaders in my class. Some of my students naturally took a leadership position and stepped up to help their peers with tasks. This was great for me, as I could move around the room much more easily for supervision because I wasn't answering constant questions. This is highlighted in one of the photos I posted below.

Yes, stations are a ton of upfront work. They can feel quite daunting to set up. But it creates a few days worth of lessons and gives you and your students freedom and flexibility. Students are at the center of implementing stations. I would highly recommend you try stations if you're looking for a way to change up instruction without losing time working with content. I know that I will most definitely be utilizing them in the future.