Project Stations for the ISP Classroom

By Rose Kleiner

Do you have any students who have been stuck on the same course forever and don’t feel like they’re making any progress? Do your students ever complain about finding the curriculum boring? Do you wish you had more tools for reaching out to disengaged students?

One classroom strategy that can help is project stations. We’ve been using these at 1800 Oakdale and it’s been successful so far!

What are project stations?

Project stations are short mini-units (I usually aim for 0.25 units) set up everyday at the same location in the classroom, .
​
I include a sign so students immediately know what’s going on at the project station that day. When students enter the classroom, I encourage them to check out the project station table to see if it aligns with their interests and credit needs.

(continued below...)

What are some examples of work students do at a project station?

Project stations can cover any academic topic you can imagine. I try to incorporate some of the broad categories below:

• Timeliness - What’s going on in the news right now? Elections, court cases, protests, natural disasters, etc. can all be adapted to assignments.
• Relevance - What applies to our students’ lives? I often develop project station assignments out of conversations I’ve had with students about their interests. Local history, labor rights, immigration issues, income inequality, racism -- all of these issues and more impact our students’ lives, and offering projects about them can help make their education meaningful and engaging.
• Technology and listening activities - How can we incorporate 21st century learning? Including online activities not only helps with digital literacy, it also helps break up the monotony of paper-and-pencil work. I often include podcasts, Ted-Ed videos, online games, internet research, PowerPoint presentations and more.
• Hands-on activities - How can we better serve people who learn by doing? I try to regularly offer engineering projects, such as building a bridge out of Popsicle sticks or making a boat out of straws, for students who learn with their hands. It’s also a low-stakes way to add a little fun competition -- you can offer a prize for the tallest tower, strongest bridge, etc.
• Fun - How can we make school less dreary for students who feel burnt out? I try to incorporate art projects, posters, funny videos, etc. into a variety of assignments. I also try to include some element of choice in the assignments to give students more of a sense of autonomy over their own education (choosing from a selection of articles, picking their preferred type of summative assessment, etc)

How does it work logistically?
Pick a few subjects to develop project station assignments for. I vary them day by day with a posted calendar to let students know what to expect.

Project station assignments should be Common Core aligned (you can read the standards here). Students will need the relevant content area added to their schedule in OASIS with a signed addendum and appropriate TABE scores. Check with your principal for specifics on how they’d like to run project station assignments at your site.

Final thoughts

The feedback from students has been really positive -- once you convince them to try one, they’re usually eager to try another (or even suggest future topics!). 

It’s more interesting for the teacher, too. I know we’ve all had days where we can’t bear the thought of grading another Econ packet. Project stations let you be creative and invite more conversation and collaboration between you and your students. Plus, it’s a chance to share your passions, whatever they may be. 

If you’re interested in collaborating on project station ideas, join our Google group! Email rosek@fivekeys.org and I’ll sign you up.