Write Your Own Skill Station



Skill stations are available to address many of your needs.  It’s also likely that you need a station that doesn’t exist.  Thankfully, the method is simple enough that you can write your own.

 

Skill Station

Writing a skill station is straightforward.  The audience is the students.  Each has the following elements:

  1. Rationale.  It’s important to explain to students why they need the skill.  Pose a problem, develop a situation - describe a setting where the skill is necessary.  The more realistic the setting, the more the students will demand the skill.
  2. Explain, define, or model.  Describe how to perform the skill.  Students should be able to read this section quickly, so it can’t be long.  The skill can also be described or modeled verbally, but you will need to add this information to the teaching notes (see below).
  3. Practice.  Give students a task, or explain how they are to practice the skill.  IT’s best if this task is related to course work and goals.  Classroom discussions or demonstrations give students practice, but out-of class activities can be used, too.
  4. Evaluate and Reflect.  Encourage students to judge the quality of their performance and reflect on how to improve.  We use charts or tables to rate student performance, but there is plenty of room for creative thought on evaluation.  Come up with your own skills evaluation ideas to share!

 

Points to consider:

· Skill stations should not take more than 15 minutes to introduce and evaluate.

· Skill stations should not be more than one page.  The teaching notes will be longer!

 

Teaching Notes

Instructors will need some background information before they can use your skill station successfully in their classrooms.  Information about your course, the learning objectives, prerequisite knowledge, and comments about classroom management are helpful when others use your skill station the first time.  It’s also necessary to cite any references, figures, or intellectual property.

 

A similar approach is used in the teaching notes as the skill station itself.  This time the audience is other educators.  Using the format above (Rationale, Explain, Practice, Evaluate and Reflect), describe how each element is accomplished in the classroom.

 

Submissions

We accept skill stations that cover a wide range of student skills.  We currently have the following categories on the home page: study skills, group skills, critical thinking skills, motivation/time management skills, information management skills.  If there is demand for other categories (i.e. laboratory skills, problem solving skills) we will consider adding those as well.

 

Once submitted, skill stations undergo an internal review.  If all elements are present, the skill station will be sent for a double-blind outside review.  Reviewer comments will be returned to the author, the skill station revised, and published on the skills web site.  As you use and improve the skill station, we welcome any updates.

 

Contact Stephen Nold (nolds@uwstout.edu, 715-232-2560) with any questions.