Learning+Stations




 * Directions:** //As a team, you will be responsible for compiling the information below about your inquiry strategy. Next week, your group will provide a 5-7 minute overview of your strategy for the class.//

Name an Description- //Nada// Inquiry Process- //Crystal// Description of Product- //Wendy// Example- //Morgan// Final Project- //Suzanne// Resources and Video- //Amanda// Additional Strategy- //Jennifer//
 * Presentation / Presenters: **


 * Name and Description of your strategy (mention any variations of your strategy as well): **

=

 * Learning Stations** are like "centers" used in elementary school. As Young and Lucas (2002, see article below) demonstrate, the stations strategy can be implemented at any grade level and is particularly effective for blocked classes or longer periods of time. The premise is that different learning styles are taken into consideration and a variety of materials are used. Each station focuses on different elements so that maximum achievement can be reached as students cycle through a variety of inquiry-based activities. The stations usually build upon prior knowledge or help establish prior knowledge, as well as provide opportunities to supplement a larger content area focus through mini-inquiries. Students move from one station to another to gain information with which to build skill and/or knowledge.=====


 * Inquiry Process associated with your strategy: **

Students, while working together in small groups, will build on each other's prior knowledge. As they delve into unknown material (hopefully areas that interest them) students learn and understand the new information in a different way because their individual group members have different viewpoints. Ideally, each center comprises a new piece of the puzzle in figuring out information. Students move from one center to another learning in small doses rather than searching for and having to process all of the information at one time. Stations will provide a variety of student-centered and self-directed educational and inquiry-based opportunities, making learning social and collaborative as well as personal and reflective.


 * Description of the Product or Products resulting from the inquiry process associated with your strategy: **

Higher learning and higher thinking should be a product of learning stations. More information should be retained because it is delivered in smaller pieces that are interconnected. Each center should help address a particular skill. The learning station method facilitates the connection between gathering information and applying it. A final project which incorporates the new found information serves as an "artifact" of the knowledge gained by the student.


 * Descriptions of Examples and Links to examples when possible (when you include a link to an example, provide a brief annotation / description of the example -- not just a link): **

//**EXAMPLE 1: KEY EXAMPLE FROM DR. Y**//


 * [[file:CY_Stations_article_1.pdf]]: Reinventing Practice in the ELA Classroom and Beyond (Young & Lucas, 2002)

//**EXAMPLE 2:**//


 * The Process for the Mining for Resources Learning Stations Activity:**
 * Station 1 ) you would have the tools laid out for mining. Students can infer how these tools are used, handle them, and mock use them. Possible writing can be done here, as in students write their inferences down.
 * Station 2) This station would have the different rocks (graphite, slate, limestone, etc. ) to see the different materials that are often found in mining. A further application of this would be to have students make connections between Station 1 (if they have been there) to station 2. Which tools would work best for limestone, do you think?
 * Station 3) Rock hardness test. Students will play with the different rocks to determine the differences in hardness, acidity,etc. They can use their previous information from stations 1 and 2 to determine which rock they would prefer to mine from.
 * Station 4) Use a microscope to look at thin strips of gems and their reflective qualities. Students can try to figure out which gem is which from a book on gemstones that will accompany the microscope.
 * Station 5 )Students will watch a YouTube video or documentary of the mining process. Here they will see that things other than gemstones are mined.
 * Station 6) Map activity: Students will look at a map to Identify geographic regions that are heavily mined. The US and world. They can use the internet to determine what resources are mined from there.
 * Station 7) Reading diaries from miners. This will give students a primary source. They can look at past miners who discuss the dangers of mining.
 * Station 8) What's in the news about mining (accidents in the paper/mine collapses). There can be a comparative study about what was in the diaries to what was found in the news.
 * Station 9) What are the effects of mining on the environment? Students will also look at the effects of coal mining vs. petroleum mining. Which has better benefits for humans? The environment?

//Final Project:// Using the information they have gathered, students will be asked what their opinion is on mining natural resources. Are they for it or against it? They will then write a persuasive paper "for" or "against" mining. Students who are neutral will write a compare/contrast paper on mining. A **debate** will be scheduled, with student teams decided by their stance. Neutral students will serve as judges for the debate.

@http://www.suite101.com/content/webbased-science-inquiry-a46840?sms_ss=email

//**EXAMPLE 3:**//

This website shares a brief video of learning stations used in the middle grades social studies classroom. The students were able to visit multiple stations in order to learn more about Europe during the middle ages. The students were viewing films, and working with artifacts to help understand Europe during the middle ages. The teacher provided "capture sheets" for students to reflect on what they learned at each station. On the capture sheets, the teacher provided fill in the blank, true or false questions, and paragraph responses. I assume that the teacher used the learning stations for an entire unit.

[]


 * Resources consulted related to your strategy: **
 * https://webportal.nmsa.org/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=865e4349-8856-44c6-9377-573dc5c0711e
 * Rapid Learning Stations:Learning a lot in a Little Time (Bowman)
 * Station to Station: Reinventing Practice in the ELA Classroom and Beyond (Young & Lucas)
 * http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Learning_Centers_in_the_Middle_School_Classroom


 * 1-2 additional inquiry-based learning strategies we like (name and describe briefly): **

- One possible strategy could be Tiered Lesson plans. This allows students to be grouped in different abilities to work together and interact. The students could either work on parts of the same project or work on different projects. For example, if the students were working on creating a short story one group could create an outline of the story, another group could create a script for a play, and the last group could create the movie with the other student. Each group contributes to the final movie. **(Jennifer)**