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.