In my district, the administration is putting a high emphasis on student choice. In my recent post-observation evaluation, my principal said my lesson "went well," but sent me an email in which he had inserted a student choice menu board. He says that using the choice menu this is a good way to get students involved and take more ownership of their work, since they have chosen it.
Have you had a similar experience? Is there emphasis being placed on student choice in assignments in your particular school/district? How does it work in your district? With regard to assignments, should there be a limit on choices students are given? Where should we draw the line between student choice activities and teacher-led activities?
Since we work in the same district, I have experienced a similar emphasis on giving students choice when it comes to assignments and projects. It is not something that I have focused on in the past and it is something new that I am going to have to incorporate into my lesson for this year. I think that it is a good idea to give students some choice, so that they have an expectation of where they are going and how they will be graded. I believe that the students' choices should be of equal challenge to the particular individual.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely necessary to also include teacher-led activities. If I did not start off new math topics by teaching with direct instruction, then my students would not know how to further proceed on a project that they are working on independently. After students have learned the topic from the teacher, then they could move on to a student choice activity.
Christine Joannidis