5 Ways to Improve Math Stations

Do you need to improve your math stations for student success? Math stations should be engaging and independent for students. Your students should be completing every station with confidence. Let’s look at how we can improve math stations for kids.

Math stations help students practice and apply math skills. Knowing how to use math stations for success is important. Let’s look at five ways you can improve your math stations to engage all learners and help students build understanding in math.

1. Label Your Stations with New Signs

Making new signs or labels for your math station trays can breathe new life into your stations activities. Be sure that each station is clearly labeled so that kids can see each station group. Also having an organized station with clear directions for kids will save you time from answering the same questions about what they should be doing at each station.

Grab a new set of Math Station Labels click here or Math Station Table Tents click here.

2. Add a New Station to your Math Station Rotation

Sometimes it can get mundane for students to have the same math stations every time. Try adding a new station that you haven’t used before. Here’s some to choose from: practice, fluency, vocabulary, technology, teacher, applications, stem, or word problems. Find what works best for your classroom.

3. Take Away a Math Station Activity

On the flip side of adding one math station, is having one less. Having one less math station is not a bad thing, this can actually create more focused time on the other stations in your classroom. A common question from math teachers is, “how do you get kids to complete the station work?” If your students are not completing the station work, make sure you place more importance on completing the activities. This can be done by taking away a station activity to make sure they have more time at the other stations.

4. Use a Timer

Math station timers are the perfect tool for classroom management of math stations. They’re easy to use and help students manage their own time independently. Here is the set of math station timers from the Teaching Math and More shop. Included are 20 different timers for the classroom, click here to view.

5. Answer Sheets for Math Stations

Improving your math stations can be easy with a standard math station answer sheet. Pick how many stations you’re going to have every time. Then print the answer sheet for the desired number of math stations. Finally, save your time by making multiple copies ahead of time. By having these premade copies on demand, you will save your time in the future with math station system in place. The Math Stations Answer Sheets are available in the Teaching Math and More shop with 16 different templates, click here.

Improving math stations doesn’t have to be difficult

Make sure that your math stations are supporting learning in the classroom. This will ensure that they’re effective and focused on grade level skills. Secondly, that they have a positive impact on student engagement. Getting your students involved in the learning process is key to having them be more successful in math. Lastly, that the math stations use best practices. Simply meaning that you are doing what’s best to teach them the math grade level skills.