At the 5th Annual COP3 Summit this summer I had an opportunity to see former YPICS employee Jonathan Tiongco present on blended learning. After leaving YPICS Jonathan headed up Alliance Charter Schools’ Blended Learning for Alliance School Transformation (BLAST) program. During his presentation Jonathan shared with the group the Alliance “Pick 6” Station Rotation Models for blended learning. Today I wanted to spend some time taking a deep look at one of the models and share some ways that you can use the model in your classroom.

The Two Station Rotation Model for Conferencing and Independent Practice

Explanation of the model:

In this two station rotation model the students work independently on an assignment while the teacher holds conferences with students in a small group or one on one setting.

Timeline for using this model:

• Start your class with a whole class do now.
• Review your objectives for the day and explain to the students what they will be working on in the independent station. You can also use this time to review your class data goal for the day.
• Have the students start the independent activity.
• For the first five to ten minutes walk around and check in with students to make sure that they understand the independent activity. If necessary stop the class and clarify any common misconceptions.
• After five to ten minutes start calling over individual students or small groups for conferencing. In between conferences do a quick lap around the classroom to check in on student progress. If you have a classroom tutor they can help monitor the students.
  
• Five to ten minutes prior to the end of class have the students come back together for an exit ticket and closing activity.

Pros of this model:

• Allows for teachers to have one on one meetings with students. This is a great time to give the students feedback on their work, review rubrics, or review individual student data.
• Allows for targeted intervention if the teacher works with small groups.
• Helps students learn how to focus and work independently.

Cons of this model:

• Classroom management at first can be difficult. Once the students learn how to work independently classroom management gets better. If you would like some tips for managing technology in your class check out this article.

How to use this model at YPICS:

• Math – A majority of your class working on ALEKS while you have one on one or small group conferences with students.
• ELA – A majority of your class working on Achieve 3000 while you have one on one or small group conferences with students.
• All other classes – A majority of your class working on an independent assignment while you have one on one or small group conferences with students. You could assign a webquest, Illuminate Quiz, presentation creation, etc to the students. The goal is for the students to be able to complete the independent practice without much support from the teacher.

Implementation tips:

• To help keep the students focused during the independent station, set a goal with the students for number of topics completed in Aleks, number of articles completed at 75% or better in Achieve3000, etc. This is a great time to use positive incentives with the students. If the students meet their goals you could hand out scholar dollars, class points, or use any other incentive that you have in your classroom.
• Use Google Classroom/Website to share materials with students prior to starting the independent activity. The students should be able to access and start the assignments without much support. This will take a little time at first because the students need to learn the routines.
• If you have a classroom tutor you can have the tutor support the students working on the independent activity.

If you have any questions about how to use this two station rotation model in your class please let me know.