Once I began researching more about student choice in the classroom, I realized I was not only diving into a rich educational topic, but a psychological topic as well. Providing students with more opportunities for choice in the classroom falls within the umbrella movement of student-centered learning. Student-centered learning is a way of conducting and thinking about teaching where the students are part of each step of the education process, including planning, implementing and assessing. The psychological theory that supports this way of teaching is called self-determination theory. Self-determination theory, recently expanded on by psychologists Edward L. Deci and Richard Ryan essentially states that people are willing to work harder when they feel that they are a meaningful part of what they are working for. This all falls rather neatly under Piaget's constructivism approach, which states that students must have a meaningful interaction and relationship with their own learning experience in order to be successful. So there is a huge amount of historical context leading to the student-centered teaching approach that is becoming very popular today. These days teachers and education systems all over the world are experimenting with providing students with more meaningful learning experiences. From project-based learning to flexible seating, students today are being provided with more choice than ever.
4 Comments
Alicia Martin
10/29/2017 07:36:45 pm
I really like your driving question. I think student choice is really important. Just like you mentioned, students are more willing to work harder when they are given a choice. I feel that is a hard project to take on. I also did not realize that Project Based Learning was part of student choice. I'm excited to see how implementing student choice within the classroom affects your students and their learning. Good luck with your implementation!
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helen blood
10/30/2017 05:09:45 pm
Wow, you have a challenging question, but awesome. I have enjoyed reading the Falk book because it tell us how to do a research project, and then outlines how it can be done for students. I have done some project based learning, the students are always so energized. But I am very intimidated to take on the project of getting students organized, and be responsible for their time. I am looking forward to reading your plan. I am also glad you are on my site, as I want to follow your lead.
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Joseph F Williams
11/1/2017 09:35:51 am
This question is wide, but such an important topic when discussing education. In my classroom experience I have seen students engage in various ways. Those students that have had an 'academic centered" upbringing are bought into school even before they enter. While other students need a hook, a relevant connection between their community lives and their school lives. Connecting student choice to this engagement piece is very interesting.
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Mayra Cindy De la Torre
11/1/2017 07:38:56 pm
I really like your question on student choice. Student choice is a great tool to use in the classroom to help students get their work done because it was their choice. I am really interested in finding out what your research tells you about student choice.
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AuthorI am a fourth grade teacher in Vacaville, California. Archives
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