Increase Student Engagement and Motivation with Choice Boards

By -

Are you struggling with getting students to complete classwork or homework? Maybe you are struggling with grading the same assignment 25+ times. Have you considered providing your students a choice in how they engage with the content and demonstrate their understanding? A simple way to provide students with an opportunity to make a choice in their own learning is with a choice board.


What are Choice Boards?

In a nutshell, it is a board comprised of squares that allow students some choice in their learning. Each square lists an activity students can complete, whether it is a concept or skill. This differentiated approach allows students to learn content or demonstrate their understanding in a way that interests them. Choice boards can be used in any subject and offer a variety of learning contexts for all learners.


What are the benefits of using Choice Boards?

Choice boards allow students to make their own choices, increasing intrinsic motivation. I am sure you are more motivated to learn something if you have some choice in what you learn or how you learn it. This is the same for our students. We also know our students learn in different ways. When students can choose how they learn, they can make more sense of the material. Don't forget this benefits you too. Grading the same paper 25+ times could be a thing of the past.


How do you create and use choice boards?

Begin with your standards and determine the purpose. Is it to review or practice skills you are currently covering? Will you provide choice in an upcoming unit or theme, empowering students to choose an area to research in more depth? Maybe you are done reading 50+ essays and want to provide a different way to assess students’ learning, so you create a choice board of projects/assessments. Consider asking your students how they like to learn and demonstrate their understanding. Make a list to reference each time you create a choice board so you include a variety of methods that your students enjoy. If this is new for you, start out small. Offer 3 choices for the first time you implement the choice board. You can add more choices in future boards.


I added a few links to help you get started. The first one is a simple Google Doc with a template. Feel free to take it and modify it as you see fit. You can also find templates on Slidesmania and Slidesgo. If you Google choice boards, you will find many examples and ideas to help you develop your first one or later in the year. Discovery Education also has ready-made choice boards that you can assign your students. I encourage you to see if Discovery Education has some options for an upcoming unit.


Google Doc Template

Free Choice Board Templates on Slidesmania

Free Choice Board Templates on Slidesgo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chat GPT- Your New Personal Assistant

By Anonymous -
Image
What if I told you that within seconds, you could have a well-written speech, have directions on how to fix your leaky sink, or even generate a personalized workout plan? All of these things are just a small part of what can be done with Chat GPT, and it is revolutionizing how we approach everyday tasks and even the type of work we assign to our students as educators. Chat GPT is a new artificial intelligence (AI) phenomenon that emerged on the scene in November 2022. Users can type in a question and the chatbot will generate a personalized, human-like response to your question. It stands in its own category by itself, for now. Though most people utilize AI through technology like Alexa, Siri, website chat box assistants, and even that autocorrect feature that you so frequently enjoy when typing text. However, Chat GPT is a little different from these tools. It is chartering new territory and causing everyone, especially teachers, to pay attention to just what it can do. Since its arr...
Read more

Supporting Language Development With Our Preschoolers: The Influential Parent Podcast Episode 26

By -
In this episode, we switch gears a bit and talk about our real little ones, specifically supporting language development with preschool-age kids. We have a special guest, Michelle Jordan, who works with this age group in our school district. She shares an overview of the current data regarding preschoolers Post-COVID and why oral language is so critical for our kids. Listen in and learn some strategies and routines you can build at home to support pre-literacy skills. Check out the website for some activities and resources you can use to support good speech, language, and communication skills at home. ⁠ Speech & Language Activities
Read more

Animating Imagination: Unleashing the Magic of Stop-Motion - The Influential Parent Podcast Episode 25

By -
We continue our summer series with some stop-motion action. Get ready for a wild ride into the world of stop-motion videos, where ordinary objects come to life and imagination knows no limits. It's like playing director with your favorite toys, creating a mini-movie masterpiece right at your fingertips.  Check out Education App Store for the apps discussed in this podcast. ⁠ Lego Movie Maker ⁠ Stop Motion Studio ⁠ I Can Animate Check out Common Sense Media Parent Guides to: Lego Super Hero Movie Maker ⁠ Stop Motion Studio ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠
Read more