Station learning

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The station learning , as learning at stations , station operation , station work rsp. Lernzirkel or learning counter (or teaching counter hereinafter), is a teaching technique , in which the pupils themselves usually controlled and intrinsically operates on the basis of prepared materials, which are arranged in stations learn.

history

The principle of station learning was first developed in 1952 by Ronald Ernest Morgan and Graham Thomas Adamson and originally comes from sport ("circuit training"). It enabled the athletes to go through a number of exercise stations either in sequence or freely.

description

During station learning, the students receive work plans with compulsory and optional tasks, which are called stations . The pupils have options in terms of timing, order of tasks and social form (individual, pair, group work) to complete the task in a certain time. The work orders include:

  • Mandatory tasks: These must be done and serve to develop new material or to consolidate and practice as well
  • Optional tasks: They can be worked on and serve to expand, deepen or repeat.

Different forms of work such as handicrafts, writing, reading, hearing, seeing, smelling, computer work, playing, moving, etc. ensure variety. The teacher accompanies the students in their learning process and gives specific assistance in planning the next learning steps. In open learning, the students learn to carry out self-controls (accuracy, recognition of mistakes), time planning, self-assessment and reflection on their own learning progress, recognition of their own learning needs, planning and implementation of the respective next steps and taking responsibility, so that independent design and planning of your own learning process.

The aims of teaching with open learning are the development of content, social behavior, self-organization, joyful learning with all the senses, the introduction of new forms of teaching under the aspects of learning by doing , education for personal responsibility and independence. From a learning psychological perspective, the root of success lies in addressing all types of perception. Therefore, the materials have to appeal to several senses, deliver optical, acoustic and tactile stimuli, contain motor elements and lead to “comprehension” by grasping.

Essential aspects of open learning are goal-oriented, independent and directed learning, different forms of control (self, partner, teacher control), different social forms (individual, in pairs, groups of more than two) and different types of task.

In their entirety, work assignments and materials create differentiation options in terms of degree of difficulty, inclinations and interests. The key element in open learning is self-control, i. In other words, the materials used enable the students to check their work results themselves. Devices that support self-regulation include a. ®Profax , LÜK , Sabefix / Kontrollfix or clip cards . The teachers are free to supervise the students individually or in groups and to address individual questions and problems.

Different degrees of steering are quite possible and useful, for example

  • what level of difficulty has to be processed at least,
  • which stations are absolutely necessary, which can be freely selected,
  • which stations build on each other etc.

A special form is the learning circles, in which the inner connection is selected so that the learners through all the stations have , for example, because they build on each other and serve only as a whole reaching the training goal.

criticism

Frequently expressed criticism of station learning is based on a. on the fact that the teacher cannot keep an eye on the different groups of students at the same time, so that it often happens that the students only copy from each other without thinking for themselves and really understanding the material. It is therefore necessary to repeat the material that was dealt with in the station learning after completing the learning circle in frontal lessons in order to check whether the students have really understood everything (which often does not succeed in the subsequent frontal teaching). According to critics, a topic takes up double the time in this way, since you have to go through it once in station learning and once in frontal teaching. The teaching technique is therefore more suitable for practicing and repeating the already known material.

However, if this method is carried out regularly and there is a performance review at the end of each learning unit, the students will understand relatively quickly that copying is pointless. If students are only used to frontal teaching, they cannot suddenly deal with higher degrees of freedom. Therefore, the criticism, which can only be heard if only a short project is taught in this way, cannot be transferred to a school that is open all year round, e.g. B. taught according to the Dalton plan .

See also

literature

  • Ralph Hepp (Ed.): Learning at stations . Special issue of the journal: Natural sciences in physics lessons . 10 (1999) 51/52, ISSN  0946-2147 (86 pages. Among other things: basic articles, examples, experience reports and two surveys with teachers and students about their acceptance).
  • Heidi Krebs and Gabriele Faust-Siehl: learning circles in elementary school lessons . Freiburg 1997 (2nd edition), ISBN 3-925416-07-2
  • Dirk Lange: Learning at stations . In: Astrid Kaiser and Detlef Pech (eds.): Lesson planning and methods . Baltmannsweiler 2004, pp. 172-176
  • Willy Potthoff et al .: Learning and practicing with all the senses - learning circles in secondary school . Freiburg 1996 (3rd edition), ISBN 3-925416-15-3

Web links

swell

  1. Method pool at the University of Cologne
  2. After: W. H. Peterßen: Small method lexicon . Oldenbourg, Munich 2001