Level Up Your Classroom: The Power of Stations for Secondary Students

When I first began using stations in my secondary classroom, I heard over and over, “Aren’t stations an elementary thing?”  My response: not at all. Stations can be just as powerful – if not more so – with older students:

• Stations allow students to break learning into smaller chunks, which helps them stay focused longer and reduces feelings of overwhelm. 
• By chunking materials, you can more meaningfully scaffold learning, which leads to higher student confidence and a deeper understanding.
• Stations also give students the chance to get up and move, improving engagement, attitudes toward learning, and focus.

So how do you make stations work in the secondary classroom?

Setting Up for Success

1. Plan Stations

Before jumping into stations, it’s crucial to utilize backwards design to ensure the set up and learning objectives are clear for you and your students. Start by asking yourself:

        “What do I want my students to learn?”

       “What skills are they developing?”

       “At the end of class, what does student success look like?”

Once your end goals are clear, dive into your student data to create targeted activities. Align station outcomes with your students’ needs. By looking at data, you can identify skill gaps and tailor your activities accordingly.

After deciding the desired outcome of your stations, you need to decide how to break up the learning. In my experience, I’ve found success with four main types of stations:

       Station 1: Schema/Vocabulary Building Activity

       Station 2: Skill-Based Activity

       Station 3: Technology Application

       Station 4: Student Discussion

By keeping stations consistent, you allow students to focus on content rather than the set up . Once you’ve identified the overall goal for your lesson, plan small, purposeful activities within each station that guide students toward meeting your identified  targets. With repetition, students will know what to expect, allowing them to dive into the learning more effectively.

2. Set up Stations

After planning, make sure your classroom is ready for success:

• Location: Visualize where each station will go in your room. Consider the flow of student movement and ensure there are clear paths between stations.
• Labels: Label each station (i.e., Station A, Station B, Station C, Station D) with visible signs.
• Materials: Prepare each station with printed directions and any materials needed to complete the activities. Prepping stations ahead of time with all the necessary materials ensures students have everything they need to stay focused and engaged, reducing the likelihood of them wandering or losing track of their tasks. 

3. Organize Groups

This is the trickiest part — grouping students! We all know that some groups work well together, while others may create chaos. When forming groups, think about your purpose for the stations.

While students are learning the routines and expectations of stations, I used data to group students by similar levels and needs. It is also important to take behavior into account when making groups.

As my students became more familiar with stationwork, I allowed them to choose their stations based on their needs. This was an amazing way for students to take accountability for their learning and build student autonomy.

Ultimately, you know your students best! If a group dynamic isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it.

4. Clear Expectations

Setting clear expectations for stations is key. Without them, students may struggle with too little structure and too much independence, leading to chaos and unsuccessful activities. 

What should your expectations cover?

• Noise level
• Time Management
• Transitions (clean-up materials, move together as a group, etc.)
• Focus and engagement
• Working together

I found success when I asked my students to help set the expectations for stations. I kept a station guide posted in the classroom for quick reference.  It’s essential to practice and reinforce expectations. If they aren’t being met, stop students, redirect, and let them try again. When you see students working in the flow, celebrate the success!

Remember, the first time you run stations, it’s going to feel a little chaotic. It might not look, sound, or feel the way you expected — and that’s okay! Stick with it. Take time to reflect with students on what’s working and what isn’t. Ask students if they enjoy stations and take note of their responses. You might learn that this instructional move is having a positive impact in ways you might not have expected. The more students  work in stations, the better they’ll get!

Your Role

The first time I tried stations, it was chaotic. Students were everywhere, and I felt like I was bouncing back and forth between groups nonstop. I remember hoping my neighboring classrooms wouldn’t come running to see what was going on. By the time the bell rang, I questioned why I had even tried stations in the first place. My whole-group lessons always ran smoothly, so why was I trying to fix something that wasn’t broken? But I’m not someone who accepts failure easily.

The next day, I sat down with my students to talk through the day before. Together, we broke down what had worked and what hadn’t. To my surprise, they wanted to try stations again. So we did. Over the next month, stations became a regular part of our classroom routine. Each time, the process ran a little smoother, and I started to see the potential of student-driven learning.

After a few months of running stations, I honestly felt like my students didn’t need me anymore. They were working together to complete tasks and were in full control of their learning. But isn’t that the goal? Yes! I had to re-evaluate my role as a teacher.

When students are in stations, your role is to facilitate, not lead. You’ll be circulating the room, redirecting behavior, and supporting learning. It’s a great opportunity to ask and answer questions, work with small groups, and provide individualized scaffolds and supports.

Once I shifted my mindset from teacher-driven instruction to student-driven learning, stations became my favorite way to connect and conference with students. I could assess their progress in real-time and intervene much sooner than I could with traditional teaching methods. In-the-moment formative assessment started to drive instructional shifts, and I realized just how powerful stations could be for both students and teachers.

How do I use stations with Flashlight360?

Here is an example of how I would set-up a station day in my classroom, using Flashlight360.