Activity 2 – Empirical Workshops: Station Rotation

Station rotation with experiential simulation, group reflection, and structured whole-group sharing on how STEAM activities can motivate students, develop skills, and teach curriculum content.

Learning outcomes

Participants will understand that STEAM as an educational approach can motivate students to want to learn and actively participate in lessons; that STEAM activities can be used to develop skills; and STEAM activities can be used to teach content.

Detailed description of the activity

This activity is organised as a 2-hour empirical workshop using 3 stations and 3 groups. Each station has 2 corners: an experimental corner and a thinking corner. Participants move through the stations as learners, experiencing the activities from the perspective of their students.

The aim is to help participants understand, through direct experience, that STEAM can motivate learners, develop skills, and teach content. Instead of discussing STEAM only in theory, participants first experience a short part of a STEAM activity and then analyse what that experience could mean educationally.

The station activities must therefore be suitable for self-led group work. They should be clear, manageable, and safe enough to be carried out with minimal trainer intervention.

At each station, participants follow the same sequence:

experience one selected stage or a limited part of a STEAM activity in the experimental corner;
move to the thinking corner;
complete the exercise sheet by answering the same four questions;
tidy the station for the next group.

Each station should be supported by a simplified station scenario and a short activity description prepared by the trainer/facilitator. These should match only the exact part of the activity used in the station.

The four recurring questions are:

How can this STEAM activity/approach motivate students to want to learn and actively participate in lessons?
How can it develop skills?
What syllabus/curriculum-based topic or content could you connect this activity to?
How could this activity be used in your classroom?

Participants should receive these four questions before the station rotation begins so they can keep them in mind while doing the activities.

Each group spends 40 minutes at each station. The first 25–30 minutes maximum are for the activity and tidying up. The remaining 10–15 minutes maximum are for discussion and completion of the exercise sheet.

When the bell rings, groups rotate as follows:

Group 1 moves from Station 1 to Station 2 to Station 3
Group 2 moves from Station 2 to Station 3 to Station 1
Group 3 moves from Station 3 to Station 1 to Station 2

After all three groups have completed all three stations, the class returns for a station-by-station whole-group review. For each station, all three groups briefly present how they answered the exercise sheet. Only after these presentations do participants review the full filled-in STEAM template for that activity, so they can compare their own thinking with the original educational design and context.

This review process is repeated for all three stations.

The repetition is intentional. By working through three substantially different STEAM activities, participants gradually strengthen their ability to identify motivation, skill development, curriculum links, and classroom application. The intended progression is:

introduction and openness
strengthen and reinforce
solidify and grow

Introduction

The trainer introduces the three learning objectives and explains that participants will work in 3 groups and rotate through 3 stations.

The trainer explains that each station includes:

an experimental corner, where participants carry out a short practical STEAM simulation;
a thinking corner, where they reflect together and complete the exercise sheet.

The trainer should make clear that participants are expected to lead themselves through the station work as a group. The trainer manages the overall process, timing, and support when needed, but does not lead each activity step by step.

The trainer then gives participants the four recurring questions and explains that the same questions will be used at all three stations. The trainer also explains the station flow:

experience the activity;
discuss and complete the exercise sheet;
tidy the station;
rotate when the bell rings.

The rotation procedure should be stated

The trainer should also explain that participants will not use the full original STEAM templates during the station rotation. Instead, each station will provide a simplified scenario and short activity description. The full templates will be introduced later, after all three groups have gone through all three stations and the whole-group review begins.

Steps of the activity

Step 1: Begin at assigned stations

Participants begin in 3 groups at their assigned stations. Each station should already be prepared with:

the materials for the activity,
the simplified station scenario,
the short activity description,
the exercise sheet,
and enough space for both the experimental and thinking corners.

Trainer instruction:

Before starting the timer, check that each group knows where to begin.

Step 2: Station work

Experience the activity

Participants complete the practical part of the station in the experimental corner. They work only with one selected stage or a limited part of the original STEAM activity. The aim is not to complete the full lesson, but to experience a meaningful slice of it.

The first 25–30 minutes maximum are used for:

carrying out the activity,
discussing initial impressions within the group,
and tidying the materials.

Trainer instruction:

Let participants work things out together as much as possible.

Complete the exercise sheet

Participants then move to the thinking corner. There, they discuss the activity more intentionally and complete the exercise sheet using the four recurring questions. The remaining 10-15 minutes of the 40 minutes allocated to the first round should be used for the following tasks:

group discussion,
agreeing on key points,
and completing the exercise sheet.

Trainer instruction:

Ask groups to focus on their clearest and most relevant ideas.

Step 3 – 4: Station Rotations

When the bell rings, groups stop, tidy the station, and move immediately to the next one.

Groups rotate as follows:

Group 1 moves from Station 1 to Station 2 to Station 3
Group 2 moves from Station 2 to Station 3 to Station 1
Group 3 moves from Station 3 to Station 1 to Station 2

This continues until all groups have completed all three stations.

Step 5: Whole-group review, one station at a time

After all three rotations are complete, the trainer brings the whole group back together. The trainer reviews the stations one at a time. For the first station under review, each of the 3 groups presents how they answered the exercise sheet for that station. Each group has a maximum of 5 minutes, including any brief questions or comments from the other groups.

Trainer instruction:

Keep the sharing focused on the four questions.

Step 6: Review the full original template

Only after all three groups have presented for that station are participants given 5 minutes to skim read or review the full detailed STEAM program for that activity.

This allows them to compare:

the short station experience,
their own analysis,
and the original, fully developed educational design.

The same review sequence is then repeated for the second station and then for the third station.

Close the activity

To close, the trainer briefly highlights that participants have now worked through three different STEAM experiences and, through repetition, have strengthened their ability to identify:

how activities can motivate learners,
how they can develop skills,
how they can connect to content,
and how they can be adapted for classroom use.

The trainer may also point participants back to the Padlet and the wider SPIRIT Community of Practice so that ideas can continue to be shared beyond the session.

Time allocation

Introduction to the station system, learning objectives, and recurring questions: brief trainer introduction before rotation: 5 minutes
Station rotation 1: 40 minutes
Station rotation 2: 40 minutes
Station rotation 3: 40 minutes
Whole-group review, one station at a time: 15 minutes
Review the full original template: 15 minutes
Close the activity: 10 minutes

Total: maximum 150 minutes

Required materials

Three station setups, each with:

one experimental corner
one thinking corner

Exercise sheets with the four recurring questions, clear station instructions, timer or bell for rotation, stationery, printed or digital access to the full filled-in STEAM templates for each activity, and all materials needed to carry out the three selected STEAM simulations or experiments.

Pay attention – Important note

The success of this activity depends heavily on the trainer’s choice of the three station activities. The three activities must be substantially different from one another. They should differ in:

motivational effect,
research approach,
STEAM integration approach,
and topic.

One useful way to select the three activities is to consider the different levels of integration in STEAM education. The trainer may choose activities that reflect increasing levels of integration, such as:

disciplinary
multidisciplinary
interdisciplinary
transdisciplinary

This helps participants see that STEAM can be structured in different ways and that not all STEAM activities integrate subjects to the same degree.

It is strongly recommended that the station activities be practical and experiential rather than based only on reading lesson plans. Participants should first experience a brief stand-alone part of an activity, reflect on it through the four questions, and only afterwards compare their ideas with the full original template.

Due to time limitations, participants should work only with one selected stage or a limited part of each full STEAM activity.

The following are suggested options for the three stations:

Station 1 – Symbolic / exploratory or artistic / creative STEAM activity
Choose one of the following routes:

Option A: Symbolic / exploratory route
Choose one of the following:

How does precipitation sound? – Stage 1
States of matter – Stage 3
Emotion builders – Stage 5

Option B: Artistic / creative route
Choose one of the following:

Painting and creative work in school
Paper making

If the facilitator chooses the artistic/creative route, participants should still work only with a short stage or a limited part of the activity.

Station 2 – Assisted assembly/construction challenge
Choose one of the following:

Da Vinci Bridge
Marshmallow Pyramid
Painting and creative work in school

Station 3 – Investigation and testing activity

Operation Bubbles
Participants use an already prepared bubble solution, assemble the wands, and test the bubbles to explore how to make the biggest bubbles and what affects them, such as wind, speed, direction, wand size, and similar variables.

These three suggested station types provide useful variation:

Station 1 may begin with either symbolic / exploratory thinking or a more artistic / creative approach,
Station 2 focuses on building and assisted assembly,
Station 3 focuses on testing, observation, and variable exploration.

For each station, the trainer/facilitator should prepare a simplified station scenario and a short activity description limited to the exact scope of the station task.

The full original STEAM templates should not be used as instruction documents during the station rotation. They are introduced later, when each station is analysed one at a time with the whole group.

One of the stations may be the same activity that was used in the earlier demonstration, as this can save time and build on participants’ familiarity with it.

Finally, the trainer should acknowledge that there are different valid ways of designing a STEAM lesson, including different levels of disciplinary integration. The purpose of the three rotations is not to show one single correct model, but to help participants recognise patterns, differences, and possibilities they can later adapt for their own students and context.