Introduction

Classroom Environment During Parallel/Station Teaching

Grade 1 Parallel/Station Teaching Student Feedback

Introduction

It is important that teachers provide students with instant and ongoing feedback that supports their language acquisition efforts. The use of parallel and station teaching modes gives students access to more individualized instruction when two credentialed, trained teachers facilitate the learning environment.

Classroom Environment During Parallel/Station Teaching

It is important that teachers continually evaluate how effectively seating arrangements facilitate or hinder instructional goals. Particular attention must be paid to the arrangement of students during station and parallel teaching to minimize noise/distraction from cross-talk and to maintain access to all students.

Initially, student desks were pushed into large sections containing 14-16 students on opposite sides of the classroom (see Figure 128). However, the levels of noise were extremely distracting and students were encouraged to continually talk instead of directing their attention to the teacher facilitating the section. We decided to keep the stations on opposite sides of the classroom; however, we divided the students within the sections into pods (see Figure 129). This arrangement provided teachers with numerous alternatives for positioning and the ability to access all students to provide written feedback to work.

Figure 128. An example of the initial parallel/station teaching seating arrangement.

Figure 129. An example of the revised parallel/station teaching seating arrangement.

Grade 1 Parallel/Station Teaching Student Feedback

One thing my Grade 1 and other lower grade students really loved was the use of music and singing in the classroom. Unfortunately, the audio clarity on my hand-held recorder does not provide us with the opportunity to revisit the lovely times I spent singing with my lower grade students. Music is a medium that allows instant feedback and synergy between the teacher and students in a profound way. Lower grade students love instant feedback and working closely with their teachers in small groups.

The nature and structure of the English World program makes it particularly suitable for parallel/station teaching with grade 1 students because teachers are able to provide more individualized instruction. The following section demonstrates some of the types of feedback I provided to grade 1 students during station and parallel teaching activities and some of the related homework assignments.

Grade 1 students enjoy immediate teacher feedback. While marking a star on a student’s workbook may seem like a small gesture, students in the lower grades find this immediate feedback delightful. In most of my station and parallel teaching, I used a star to indicate to students that I was watching what they were doing and proud of their performance (see Figure 130).

Figure 130. Grade 1 example of immediate teacher feedback.

Sometimes the bulk of a teacher’s attention goes towards providing feedback to students that are struggling. While this is important, it is also important to recognize students who meet or exceed the standards of performance. Figure 131 provides an example of feedback to a student who exceeded standards during a grade 1 parallel teaching session; Figure 132 provides an example of feedback to a student who needed improvement during the same grade 1 parallel teaching session.

Figure 131. Grade 1 example of teacher feedback to excelling student.

Figure 132. Grade 1 example of teacher feedback to struggling student.

_Go to Reflections about Student Assessment