“The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.”
~Brian Herbert
We hear this so often in education, but sometimes it is so hard to do. With all that we have to get through as teachers in regard to our curriculum it sometimes is hard for us to let go of the reigns and give our students a choice about their learning and how they learn as well as what activities they get to do. And for me….Phew! Being a Type A personality this was always VERY hard to do! But when you see the difference it makes in your students’ learning and motivation just by giving them the smallest decisions about their learning…it is TOTALLY worth it!
One way that I have found helpful for me to give my students a choice when it comes to their learning and activities in class is with a Choice Board Activity. This activity allows me to guide my students with activities that I would like them to complete about their vocabulary, grammar, etc., but it allows them the choice of which activities they would like to do.
I start by creating a board with 9-12 activities that will help students understand and comprehend the content better. From there, depending on the level, I have students complete so many of the activities.
For example in a 7th grade French class, I would have them choose roughly 3-4 activities for them to complete. For an 11th grade French class, I would have them choose roughly 7-8 for them to complete.
Want to get your students to complete more of the activities??? Ummm…YES please!!!
I always tell the students they can do more than assigned for extra credit. Genius, right?!? That way in a roundabout way I get them to do more. Which is not only beneficial for the teacher (who secretly gets them to do if not more or all of the activities) but it is good for the students too because they are practicing with the content more.
You can find the Choice Board Activity and more on my TPT Store.
As always, I hope that you have found this information useful and helpful to you!
Merci,
Amanda