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lisacetroni

Student Choice in the Classroom -- Join Michele & Lisa in this discussion... - 41 views

Student choice TLT

started by lisacetroni on 01 Apr 13
  • lisacetroni
    #1 lisacetroni on 01 Apr 13
     
    How did the articles shed light on your understanding of student choice in your classroom? Share how you have incorporated or will incorporate choice in your classroom. Does your use of student choice fit with the descriptions in the articles? How can choice be most effective for YOUR students?
  • Laura Doherty
    #4 Laura Doherty on 03 Apr 13
     
    As always, I find myself struggling with how to organize and execute these bigger projects that involve more choice and variety...with such limited contact time with the kids. It takes me such a long time to create and execute projects. I know that the recent project was done with the 4th grade in TAC primarily, it is just that they were covering that information thematically in their homeroom class, too...I just find myself regularly feeling the battle to get enough time to explain the project, the options, teach and reteach the vocab and grammar and pronunciation and still let them get their creative license in...without getting TOO creative (read: hog wild with too much choice) and then put it all together,and then share it and evaluate it...with only twice a week to tackle this, at best, it is a months or two project. Which is not bad...just wondering how to keep the kids engaged and not sick of it when if gets spread out like that. Whew. Just talking in circles, I think. Sorry! I like the idea of expanding the variety of choices...just wondering how to limit and give choice at the same time, so you still shape the project enough that they get a lot out of it...what the "takeaway" is, in terms of language development.
  • john russell
    #6 john russell on 03 Apr 13
     
    I feel the constant pressure for more choice. But I think that Janet said it well and it applies to me in the visual arena. She said:
    "During musical improvisations the students are given a structure to adhere to, but they improvise within it."
    This seems critical.
    It is in the balance of freedom within the structure that the choice seems valuable. They may like free reign or free choice without structure but it is not educationally sound.

    I like the level of choice given. I present the lesson. Students interpret it as they see and sometimes feel. I never touch their work. It is theirs. I might ask questions to clarify thinking or give feedback, but their way of working is their own--as it should be.
  • Kelly Kosefeski
    #7 Kelly Kosefeski on 03 Apr 13
     
    I often feel like we only see the tip of the iceberg in terms of what our students REALLY know about what we teach. Sometimes when I assess, I feel discouraged because I know they know more...why aren't they able to show me? With less sructure and need for total control on my part (very hard), academic choice has been one way that I can see more than just the tip. Kids take control, they WANT to show us how much they know. The do more than just answer 6 out of 10 questions. It's remarkable what some kids will come up with when given freedom. It's remarkable just how much they know, but never showed, because we weren't offering them a way to do that. As my kiddos have created their nonfiction books about space, I noticed they were dedicated, eager, energetic, and engaged. Unlike many other things I have taught this year, it is not likely they will ever forget what they learned about their chosen topic. And it's not just because they had control over the what and how.....it is because they were so dang proud of their completed project. They are so eager to share theirs and listen to others, they taight themselves the material. I think this is one of the true beauties of choice, even students who are not normally self propelled learners can't help but climb aboard.
  • Karen LeMaire
    #8 Karen LeMaire on 04 Apr 13
     
    I am beginning to think about next year and choice related to math. I noted examples given, in the Responsive Classroom article, for adding choice to a math lesson. They suggested students have a choice of manipulatives and a choice of which problems to complete. Basic, I know, but reminders certainly help.
  • Don Hancock
    #9 Don Hancock on 09 Apr 13
     
    I enjoyed two articles. What hit home to me strongly was the issue of giving kids too many choices. Limiting choices seems the way to go. I used to think the more choices for students, the better in the long run. Not so! Limiting choices, say three vs. eight choices, makes the individuals hone in on a smaller and more manageable list. A smaller list of choices also speeds things up regarding the decision making process.
  • Anna Helsby
    #10 Anna Helsby on 11 Apr 13
     
    I have found that there is a range in the overall response of my students when they are offered academic choice. Sometimes they rise to the challenge and produce work that that they have clearly taken pride in and ownership of. However, I often feel that they are overwhelmed by choice and will come to me on an individual basis to ask me to make their decisions for them. While this may be a useful tool in gaining insight into the level of confidence of my class, it can feel counterproductive when they appear to desire the security of being told explicitly what to do.

    Perhaps academic choice on a small scale at the beginning of a school year would provide the building blocks for children being able to choose responsibly and effectively later on. For example introducing that choice in math manipulatives for solving a problem, then building up to choosing how to present information visually or how to research for a project.
  • Mary Schnur
    #11 Mary Schnur on 12 Apr 13
     
    I feel strongly that students deserve to be decision makers in the classroom. I also feel strongly that the choices given need to be academically valid. I have seen the motivation of students as they become personally invested in their learning. My reading group has been thrilled with the opportunity of choice during our literacy circles..they chose a job and really take it seriously. They are also relishing the opportunity of being in the teacher role. Very often, in my homeroom, I offer academic choice. I most value when a child has the chance to learn from a successful choice and rethink an unsuccessful choice.
  • Lisa Keeler
    #12 Lisa Keeler on 15 Apr 13
     
    I'm thinking a lot about student choice and where it is and isn't present in our writing curriculum. I know we have room for growth with regard to student choice in writing workshop, but I also know that we are already incorporating choice. I've seen many examples of this. We teach a mini lesson focused on a particular writer's technique and Fourth graders choose whether or not to experiment with that technique. First graders choose the kind of paper they will use to publish their "how to' books. They choose which pages to illustrate and where to have only text. While there may be some non negotiables, they choose whether to include other elements of an "all about book,' like glossaries and dedications. Second graders choose how to lay out an iBook, knowing that their page breaks will be meaningful. Students in a particular class may all be focusing on the same genre but they choose their topic. We don't use writing prompts and we don't tell our writers how long their piece needs to be. They choose their ideas and they determine what and how much they need to write about a given idea.
  • lisacetroni
    #14 lisacetroni on 14 May 13
     
    Have you been more conscious about choice since we discussed it at our last TLT? Have you tried to implement choice in either bold or subtle ways? Anything to share at our next TLT meeting? Mark created a cool choice grid that many of us can adapt to our own needs. I've asked him to share it with us.

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