Student Choice

     I debated with myself on this topic for a long time. Is student choice really worth my time? Will they benefit from picking the way their curriculum is presented? Will they just choose what they deem easiest? How much extra planning time will this eat up to grade? 

    Let me lay it all out for you. YES. 

    First of all you have to plan ahead. Your kids have to be adjusted into having choice.  They have to be driven by routine before you can allow them to independently work on their "choice." In the middle school setting this can look a lot like a station system formally known as a station rotation. Your students need to know the limits and have to be able to work independently when given a student choice set of options. In my opinion, student choice really allows you to reach the struggling students more easily because your high flyers can move on with content and they can dive deep into areas of interest. 

    Will they choose the easiest task?

    Unfortunately, sometimes they will, but guess what? They are still learning, but at a comfortable pace and their peers will not see them struggle as much. It should still be challenging and rigorous. Not every student choice activity will be successful. You have to find what engages your kids. Not all students learn at the same pace. Having student choice also allows your students who have accommodations the chance to have choice too. It's easier to provide more one-on-one student support. 

    

    Will parents question student choice?

    Well, yes again. Come prepared with a rubric and the options that you allowed each student to pick from. In my experience, they are more accepting of your explanation. Bring in the students work so they can see what their child has completed. I give students multiple days to work on their choice board. If you are using a rubric bring that along with you. Allow students to redo the assignments when possible. 

    Planning?

    What planning time? There is never enough time to get everything done in your work day. Don't grade every task and chalk it up to practice work. There are premade materials on the web you can use. I always have a notes choice where student fill in the blanks while listening to an audio file. My modification version of this has a word bank attached. I always have both paper based and computer based work. I also offer a project type assessment as an option to end each unit. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LGFCU to Civic Bank

      This transition or merger has driven me absolutely crazy. I hate it and cannot even fathom how everything will work out. As a customer, I'm so annoyed and the lack of answers by actual people is ridiculous. So, I guess it will be only online banking? With school, a toddler, and a small farm I have not had the chance to move everything over to a different bank. It wouldn't matter anyway, because I have a loan through them that will transfer to the Civic bank.      Ahhhh!  Today, our cards stopped working and I was so upset. I had forgot and didn't get money out of the ATM beforehand. They forget that some of us are over 30 minutes away from the nearest town! I guess cash is really KING! I just home all my automatic withdrawals don't mess up along with everything else. I have no idea how older people will get through this phase. Both my mom and grandmother don't even use computers and can barely operate their phones. Both of them have never even us...
Read more

The Teacher's Lie by Brid Cummings

     A book review at its finest. I think every book is worthy of a review, so here goes nothing. I think the overall story is worth your time, however, I feel like the person who read it aloud on audible did the book dirty. Her accent and weird pausing in the middle of sentences really threw me off as a reader. I actually went back and purchased a paper copy. The author kept me guessing throughout each chapter, but the book was slow moving. I would put it down often to just take a break.      I would give this book a 3 out of a 5 due to the pacing and sequencing of events in the plot. Do not listen to it on  Audible, because it's terrible and dry.  
Read more

Counting

      Counting on something is just another way to set yourself up. Each year I do this and you would think that I learned from the previous year's mistake, but NO I didn't. So here we are again sitting down here at the pout house thinking about how we are going to rebound from my expectations. Money can be made again and future planning will be taking place.           I will have to count my losses fully take responsibility for the fact that our egg production just cannot keep up with the demand. I will have to pay back a few people because I cannot fill their orders. Egg production drops during the winter months.  I know the ladies I work with will just want to barter for something else. Maybe once we get ducks that can be a trade off. I do not know a lot about ducks and will have to do some extensive research. We do have a small pond on the premises and that will fill some of the needs.          Any pointers o...
Read more