Joyful Learning: Station Rotation Activities in a High School English Class

Authors

Annie Yon, Fair Lawn High SchoolFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Alfie Kohn, an American author and lecturer in the areas of education and human behavior, asserts in his essay “Feel-Bad Education” that “joy has been in short supply in some classrooms because students tend to be regarded not as subjects but as objects, not as learners but as workers.” He explains that students are forced to sit through prefabricated lessons in a sterile classroom, whose purpose is not to promote thinking, much less the joy of discovery, but to raise test scores. In other words, richer thinking cannot come from monotonous multiple choice exams or never-ending worksheets but from “an atmosphere of exuberant discovery” (Kohn). One way to create this classroom environment of "exuberant discovery" in an English class is by implementing rotation stations, which provides opportunities for students to cooperatively learn and fosters student engagement, leading to cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement. While rotation stations take meticulous planning and preparation, they are beneficial, even in a high school setting, in creating joyful student-based discussions and preventing redundant and mundane instruction and assessments. Ultimately, teachers could instill joyful teaching by creating stimulating and engaging lessons, such as rotation stations, that focus on student-led learning, collaboration, diverse task-based activities, and movement.

Recommended Citation

Yon, Annie (2024) "Joyful Learning: Station Rotation Activities in a High School English Class," New Jersey English Journal: Vol. 13, Article 16.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/nj-english-journal/vol13/iss2024/16