Why you NEED to be using stations in your elementary SPED classroom

Why do you need to be using stations in your elementary SPED classroom? I'll give you 5 good reasons!

1. Stations make for an organized, pretty classroom.

Ahh organization! I know my teacher brain loves a pretty, colorful, organized classroom. Our students love it too! Stations are a great way to designate areas of your classroom for specific tasks or work.

In my elementary classroom, pictured above, I had 4 stations that students rotated through during work time- The Writing Workshop, Fine Motor/Math, Computer Skills, and Sensory. With these stations, goal binders, data collection clipboards, and tasks pertaining to the subject of the station were all kept in one location where they could be easily found and the goals worked on. Both staff and students always knew where they could find the materials they needed to work on a given goal or concept!

2. Stations make work predictable and closed-ended for younger students who often have a hard time sitting.

One of our hardest tasks as special education teachers is getting our students to sit through work! At this level, most students are still getting used to work and are often thinking when will this ever end???? Especially for students with special needs, Autism in particular, knowing when I sit here, I work on math, or when I'm at this table, I'm completing independent work, is such a calming way for them to organize their setting and day!

In my classroom, a large online visual timer (like this one here) was put on the SmartBoard on the front of the room and when the timer went off, all students stood up, checked their schedule, and moved to the next station. For most special education students at the elementary level, 15 minutes for 4 stations will be sufficient, but times can easily be adjusted to meet the needs and abilities of your students! Once students get used to the work stations, students will know what particular task they need to work on at a given location and will be able to refer to a visual timer to know when their work will be complete!

3. Stations incorporate breaks and movement into goal and independent work.

Oh, the other hardest task as a Special Education Teacher- getting those kids to sit! Especially at the elementary level, expecting our students to sit in one spot for 30 plus minutes doing work is a losing battle! The structure of stations lends itself inevitably and easily to incorporated breaks and movement throughout the work session. Instead of spending up to an hour sitting at a desk or table to complete all of their IEP goals and other tabletop tasks, students can work in short, productive sessions to complete tasks in one subject area at a time. By using stations, we can give our students more manageable time frames to work in, while also allowing them to get up and move without having to request a formal "break" from work- the breaks are built in! Getting up and moving from one station to another is a requirement for the stations to work; however, it also gives students an opportunity to get up and move around before they move on to the next task.

To incorporate even more break time, I also always include some sort of leisure or sensory station into the work time so that students have something to look for and a break before having to be focused and productive again. The bins in the pictures above are always a hit with students and so easy to maintain and change as needed! I usually keep 6-9 boxes with different sensory items for students to choose from and explore!

4. Stations are a great way to allow for work time to be scaffolded for learners of all abilities.

Even if the whole class is rotating through 4 stations, spending 15 minutes at each, there is almost no limit to how you can adjust the duration, difficulty, or number of stations to ensure all of your students can participate! Some students can have separate timers and work only 5 minutes at each station, then get a break. Students can complete only 2 stations, or even start at the sensory/leisure station in order to warm up. Students can go through the stations as independently or with as much support as they need- some may able to complete them all on their own and some may need 1:1 staff attention and multiple prompts to get through one or two stations. If stations are centered around goal categories, each station is also inherently leveled by the difficulty of tasks each student is performing. For example, at the Writing Workshop station, one student may be tracing vertical and horizontal lines while another is writing or typing sentences! The possibilities are endless!

5. Stations build INDEPENDENCE!

Lastly, and most importantly, stations build independence for our learners! Students learn to respond to timers or other environmental cues and transition from one activity to another on their own. The repetitive nature and predictability of the routine is easily picked up on by students. Students may need multiple prompts and lots of encouragement at first, but I can assure you that after months or even years of using stations, even students with the most challenging behaviors will be getting up and moving from one station to another pretty much on their own! If there is one thing we can give to our students, it should be that- INDEPENDENCE!

Head over to my next article to learn HOW to incorporate stations both at the elementary and secondary levels!