Yes! The pandemic is over. Woo hoo. But, the flu, common cold, Covid, Strep, etc. are not going away. There are measures we can take to ensure the safety of our children and reduce the spread of germs while they investigate. I remember thinking during the pandemic, “I can’t teach science (or math, language, history, etc.) during a pandemic.” But, I did teach science! I made some small modifications to be successful. Stations, centers, or rotations are perfect tools for engaging students in middle and high school classrooms. So when the flu, cold, stomach virus, strep, etc. starting going around this year, consider these 5 tips for social distancing and using stations in the secondary classroom now!
Tip 1: Location, Location, Location!
The arrangement of your stations is important. Begin by spreading out the workspaces as far as you can around the classroom. For that reason, you may have to set up stations on the floor, in the hallway, or around a flexible seating area. Your table arrangement and organization should give the students room to move with little contact from each other and space while at the work station.
If you have to move the tables or desk to make it happen, that’s easy. Get your last class to help at the end of the day before you need to use the stations. You may also want to consider pushing the tables and desks against the walls. It helps with space, frees up the center of the room, and encourages students to face the walls instead of each other. We decided to arrange our tables in an L-shape. In this arrangement, one student can sit at each point with the station supplies and caddy in the middle.
Tip 2: Speaking of Supplies.
One of our biggest concerns about stations in the secondary classroom now has been germs. We ordered disposable food service gloves specifically for use at the stations. Before participating, we will encourage students to clean their hands through washing or sanitizing before putting on the gloves to be worn throughout the station activity. At the end of the learning experience, we will work together to prepare the materials for the next class, dispose of the gloves, and clean our hands again.
Tip 3: That Brings us to Materials.
Use materials that you already have for your stations. Yes, you can even turn a matching or multiple-choice worksheet into a station activity. However, you will need to modify it and incorporate easy to clean materials. For example, you could display the worksheet or printable on a whiteboard. Next, draw an answer sheet on the whiteboard beside the display. Provide magnetic letters to the students for sharing their answers. For printables, you could make copies for each group member. Another option is to laminate the printable or place it in a plastic pocket and use dry-erase markers. And of course, laminate your manipulatives.
Tip 4: You Will End Up with More than you Need.
And more than you need is a good thing for independent work and meeting the needs of various student learning styles! Follow along with me for a moment. First, think of a topic you teach (pause to think). Now, think about the different activities and assessments you have for that topic (puzzles, mazes, worksheets, tickets out the door, Seesaw and Flipgrid prompts, Quizlet sets, YouTube videos, etc.). You can use this variety of resources to create more stations than you need, giving students a menu of participation activities. You will avoid the standing around and waiting for a station to open up because there will always be an open station. Student-choice equals differentiation!
Tip 5: It Won’t Take as Much Time as You’re Thinking.
You might be thinking, “I don’t have for that.” You do! Chances are, you have answer keys for the activities and assessments you thought about already. Place the answer keys in a folder at the station and allow the students to check their work or peer review. It will free up time for you to coach and help students get in the habit of student reflection and feedback.
So, how will you use stations in the secondary classroom, now? Download the Chemistry of Life review stations, give them a try, and let us know how stations in the secondary classroom during a pandemic worked for you!