For as long as I have been in education, there have been advocates for giving students more choices when it comes to their assignments and assessments. A quick internet search brings numerous results extolling the virtues of choice in learning. According to multiple sources, including Edutopia, student choice helps “build autonomy” and “learning becomes more authentic when students are given choice.” Learners Edge notes that “students can fully invest themselves in work that matters to them. Research confirms that students have fewer behavior problems, feel more connected, and exhibit less time off-task when they are able to make choices about where and what they learn.” I could provide even more compelling evidence for why this pedagogical strategy makes sense, but probably I don’t need to do much convincing. We all feel better when we have options and choices in just about anything we do in life.  Why wouldn’t students feel the same way in school?

For the most part, I agree that giving students more choice and more control over their own learning can yield positive results. Still, this notion raises numerous questions. Do we as teachers have enough time in our schedules and enough bandwidth overall to allow students to engage in simultaneous independent projects, pursuing topics of their choice? Aren’t there some learning objectives that actually work much better when done collectively? Finally, how much choice is too much, especially for our younger high schoolers?

 

In the Upper School, we tend to split the difference. Because they are developmentally ready and have a solid educational foundation, Juniors and Seniors are given more options and have multiple pathways through our program. In fact, it’s a source of pride that only rarely do two Seniors’ schedules look alike. We have an extensive course catalog, and we want students to have lots of choices. Once they get into those classes, teachers are much more likely to offer Juniors and Seniors open-ended assignments that encourage student choice, and they create independent assignments that allow for a range of possibilities. Meanwhile, our REDI Lab program allows Juniors and Seniors plenty of latitude in what they choose to study in depth and how they could go about their learning.

 

For our Freshmen and Sophomores, the choices are narrower, and the options are more proscribed. Whether we are talking about certain core courses we expect all students to take or giving assessments that everyone in these classes should do, our expectation is that we need to build a little more foundation for these students before giving them a high amount of academic freedom. We are particularly careful in classes like math, computer science, and language that build skills and competency over time. So the choices students have are understandably more limited.

 

There are some excellent counter-examples, however. For instance, the 9^th Grade English teachers often give their students a literature circle option in the spring. For that assignment, students choose from a pre-set list of choices and then read more independently. I took it a step further in my class and allowed them a choice of YA books and graphic novels without too many limitations. With the teacher providing some guidance and feedback along the way, the Freshmen can handle this level of freedom quite well.

 

Similarly, this year’s Sophomores are being given choice on a major research paper in U.S. History. Teachers Elissa Wolf-Tinsman and Liz Sarles have created a capstone project where the students choose their own topic. The only parameters are that the topic must be between the years 1789-2001 and be connected to American history. The students are spending ten weeks immersed in the research process, learning the skills of critical reading, note-taking, outlining, and drafting—all through the lens of their choice. The teachers have been very pleased with their students’ enthusiasm and work ethic as they have delved into topics of their choosing. They believe this assignment has provided the benefits mentioned above and has also made history “come alive” for students in a meaningful way. Ms. Sarles says, "When we introduced the Sophomore research essay last year, we did so with the intention of emphasizing the importance of original research and how to turn this research into a powerful argumentative essay. What we did not expect was how much the power of student choice would drive this assignment forward to excite the students. They dive into the research and writing process, partially because of the grade, but also because they are inspired by a subject about which they are passionate."

 

Clearly, these 10^th Graders were able to handle the opportunity they were extended; dealing with more choice takes student maturity and teacher guidance. There are great lessons to be learned here about allowing choices within a suitable and supported framework. We want to extend the offer in a way that makes sense for the age of the student and for the learning objectives of a particular class.