In the spirit of inclusive practices, let’s consider an instructional strategy that not only works well for students with intellectual disabilities, but for all learners.
The school day is full of opportunities for students to make meaningful choices. We can give our students options for how to get new information or ways to demonstrate what has been learned. Students may be given freedom to select a seating location or choose a group of peers with whom to collaborate. Such choices can boost engagement and motivation (Parker et al., 2017). Students who regularly make choices related to their education can also leverage personal strengths and interests, leading to more robust learning experiences.
Student choice also helps develop lifelong learners. Having regular, meaningful opportunities to make choices in school empowers students and provides increased autonomy (Lambert et al, 2021). Students who are regularly given options during the school day experience increased intrinsic motivation (Scheider et al., 2018). We may also notice positive trends regarding sustained effort and self-confidence.
Here are four easy ways to incorporate student choice into classroom activities:
Use choice boards to allow students to select how they will learn and/or how they will demonstrate what they learned. When we give our learners choices, we acknowledge that they have diverse strengths and interests. Consider alternatives to multiple choice quizzes and tests. When students select how they will be assessed, you will get a more robust understanding of what they learned and how they can apply information to other content or the real world.
Many teachers love to set up neat rows of desks in their classrooms, but there are a number of benefits associated with flexible seating. Offering a variety of seating options helps ensure that each student will be comfortable while learning. Your learners will also be able to try out different seat types and locations to figure out which helps them do their best work.
Self-selected reading allows students to explore different text types and discover the joy of reading. All classrooms should have self-selected reading libraries that include fiction, non-fiction, storybooks, comic book, magazines, and any other texts that appeal to learners. Students who choose what they will read tend to read longer and are more likely to view themselves as strong readers.
Students should have daily opportunities for free writing. This does not include handwriting practice or completing worksheets. We are talking about a period of time when each student has a choice of what to write about and how to get their thoughts on paper or screen. Richard Allington (2012) stresses that when students can choose to write about something that is personally meaningful, they will write longer and their compositions will be better.
References:
Allington, R. & Gabriel, R. (2012). Every child, every day. Educational Leadership, 69.
Lambert, R., Imm, K., Schuck, R., Choi, S., & McNiff, A. (2021). ” UDL Is the What, Design Thinking Is the How:” Designing for Differentiation in Mathematics. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 23(3), 54-77.
Parker, F., Novak, J., & Bartell, T. (2017). To engage students, give them meaningful choices in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(2), 37-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721717734188
Schneider, S., Nebel, S., Beege, M., & Rey, G. D. (2018). The autonomy-enhancing effects of choice on cognitive load, motivation and learning with digital media. Learning and Instruction, 58, 161-172.
