Making the big shift towards student-centered learning practices can start with just a few choice opportunities.
When educators talk about instructional choice, they are often referring to instructional opportunities that allow students to select from two or more options with some level of independence (Jolivette, Stichter, & McCormick, 2002). Student choice can be a critical factor in student engagement (Royer, Lane, Cantwell, & Messenger, 2017). Additionally, when students know their preferences have been considered or they have autonomy in decision-making they may take greater ownership of their learning (Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991).
How can you start offering choice to your students?
In their piece, Instructional Choice: An Effective, Efficient, Low-Intensity Strategy to Support Student Success, Lane et al. (2018) suggest thinking about two types of choices, “within-task choices” and “across-task choices” (p. 162).
Within-Task Choices
Within-task choices involve students engaging in activities with some variation at the same time. For example, students may have the option to select their own writing topic within a particular writing unit, or have choices related to what topic of books are read within an informational reading unit. Other within-task examples include having choice related to where to complete an activity (reading at your table or in a book nook), or working alone or with a partner.
Across-Task Choices
Across-task choices involve students engaging in a variety of different tasks or activities at the same time. For example, students may have the option to select a specific modality to present learning (slides, essay, or Voicethread), or choosing between different station activities during a science class. Another across-task example relates to having choice as to when specific assignments are completed (edit your writing, practice spelling words, and read in any order) in a set block of time or during a class session.
Whether you are designing and offering within-task or across-task choices for students, a key piece of advice is to determine that the choices you offer are manageable for your students. Too many choices or choices that are ambiguous will likely not have the positive impact you are seeking. Be sure to teach your students how to make choices by modeling and thinking aloud so they understand the steps in a decision-making process. Planning within-task and across-task choices can be manageable approaches to starting to include more choice in your teaching.
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Check out an actual case study here.
References
Deci E. L., Vallerand R. J., Pelletier L. G., Ryan R. M. (1991). Motivation and education: The self-determination perspective. Educational Psychologist, 26, 325–346.
Jolivette K., Stichter J. P., McCormick K. M. (2002). Making choices–improving behavior–engaging in learning. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 34, 24–20.
Lane, K. L., Menzies, H. M., Ennis, R. P., Oakes, W. P., Royer, D. J., & Lane, K. S. (2018). Instructional Choice: An Effective, Efficient, Low-Intensity Strategy to Support Student Success. Beyond Behavior, 27(3), 160–167.
Royer D. J., Lane K. L., Cantwell E. D., Messenger M. (2017). A systematic review of the evidence base for instructional choice in K-12 settings. Behavioral Disorders, 42, 89–107.
