Learning+Stations

**Learning Stations**

**Content** Learning stations can be used to improve students' knowledge in social studies content. This strategy allows students to make decisions as to what they would like to learn and complete while at the stations based on interests. Learning stations also provide activities that address all learning style preferences.

**Grade Level** With proper grade level-appropriate modifications, this strategy can be used for students in grades 3-12. In order to modify for different grade levels, the teacher can provide students with harder activities to complete at each station.

**Curriculum Standards** For eighth grade students, this strategy can be used for any of the social studies CSO's. If an instructor was teaching about the state of West Virginia, one would use the following CSO's:
 * **SS.O.8.5.8** - interpret facts about West Virginia and other areas from various types of charts, graphs, maps, pictures, models, timelines and primary sources (e.g. letters, journals and publications) and summarize what you have learned.
 * **SS.O.8.5.7** - research and construct the sequence of events and cite the reasons for and resulting consequences of conflicts and wars that led to the formation of West Virginia as a state (e.g., French and Indian War, American Revolution, Civil War)
 * **SS.O.8.5.11** - research and critique the role of ethnic and racial minorities, men, women, and children in West Virginia who have made significant contributions to our history in the public and/or private sectors, choose the person you believe contributed made the most significant contribution and explain your choice (e.g., statehood, abolition, education, industry, literature, government)
 * **SS.O.8.5.12** - critique the significance of historical experience and of geographical, social, and economic factors that have helped to shape both West Virginian and American society.

**Description of Practices** This teaching strategy allows instructors to provide students with various engaging activities in order to increase their knowledge of social studies content.

The steps for implementing this strategy with Secondary students are: 6. The teacher will provide a designated time for students to complete at each station. Once the time is complete, the students will rotate to the different stations until they have completed an activity from each.
 * 1) The instructor will choose a specific topic in the social studies curriculm to teach to the students.
 * 2) To reinforce the knowledge taught, the teacher will set up various learning stations for the students to participate in based around the learned content.
 * 3) At each learning station, the teacher will provide numerous (4-5) activities for the students to pick from. When preparing each learning station, the teacher must ensure that the activities are relevant to the content taught and that the students interests are all considered. The teacher must also ensure to make the activities motivating so that the students want to participate in them and complete them.
 * 4) The instructor will give each student a number based on the amount of learning stations provided in the classroom. For example, if there are five learning stations set up in the classroom, the teacher would count the students off by giving them each a number up to five. The first person would be number one, the second person would be number two, etc. Once the teacher gets through numbers one through five, the teacher would again start with one and count up to five from there.
 * 5) Once all students are assigned a number, they will be instructed to report to their designated number station. At each station, the student will chose an activity to complete based on learning style preferences and interests.

**Implementation Considerations** This strategy can be used in a general education, inclusion, or a self-contained special education classroom setting. When implemented, a teacher can instruct her students to work individually at each station or can allow them to work in small groups to complete the desired activities. When working with students with special needs, the teacher can allow the student to work with a partner or the teacher can work through the activities with the student. Depending on the complexity of the activities, the teacher can allow the students to work at each station for varying amounts of time. For example, if the teacher wants the students to visit two stations in one day, the teacher can provide 20 minutes or a half hour for each station. If the stations call for more complex activities, the teacher can allow the students to experience one learning station per day until all learning stations were visited.

**Example** The following example was created by a high school Social Studies teacher named Miss Teacha who created seven learning stations based on the Civil Rights Movement unit. At every station, the students are introduced to new ways on learning the presented material and then are expected to create different ways in order to express the information they learned. > **Citation** Ediger, M. (2011). Learning Stations in the Social Studies. //Education, 131//(3), 467-470
 * http://www.scribd.com/full/12883202?access_key=key-273px8p17ja7k0d3tfcb