Pods of Six
Six students can run a station with materials in the middle, but the group is large enough that you should give roles or two of them will spectate. Use it when the task genuinely needs more people, not as a way to fit the class into fewer tables.
Use it when
- Stations with shared equipment
- Literature circles and project teams
- Tasks with several distinct roles
Pick something else when
- The room is small and the gaps between pods will disappear
- You want every student speaking often
- The work is really a pair task