In this post you will find:

• Identify why providing choice in the classroom is important
• A criteria for designing meaningful and effective choices

When creating an inclusive classroom, the research is clear that providing choice increases engagement for all learners. That is why choice is embedded in the UDL(Universal Design for Learning) Framework. Providing options and choice is a great instructional strategy that ensures that all learners are catered for in an inclusive classroom.

What is interesting in the research is that, as teachers, we know that choice promotes motivation and engagement, and is a great inclusive strategy, however we are reluctant to provide it to our learners, particularly if our learners are low-income, low-achieving, a racial minority or have a disability (Evens & Boucher, 2015). Yet well-designed, meaningful choice has a positive impact on learning for an array of student populations (Assor, Kaplan & Roth, 2002).

If providing choice increases engagement of learning and is a great instructional strategy for all learners then why are we reluctant to use it in our classrooms?

Could it be that when we design and provide choices for our learners, the choices fall short of our expectations of how effective they could have been? So then, what is meant by well-designed, meaningful choices that the research suggests?

There are three criteria to making well-designed and meaningful choices according to the research (Katz & Astor, 2006). Choices need to be personally relevant to the learners, at an intermediate level of difficulty and there needs to be the right amount of choice.

But before we look at the criteria for designing choices, we need to consider two overarching principles that make the choices we design effective. We need to consider the learning goal and we need to know our learners.

The Learning Goal

The learning goal is the road map for the choices we design. The learning goal should be derived from the curriculum standard. It should be flexible in means and identify the skill and concept learners need to demonstrate the learning. Check out our post about creating inclusive learning goals. Without the learning goal, the choices we design may not allow learners to demonstrate their learning that aligns to the curriculum.

Know Your Learners

We need to know what makes our learners tick. What their interests are, where they have come from, what is important to them and who they are as human beings. We also need to have an understanding of how they are going with the skills and concepts for the topic we are designing choices for.

These two underlying principles are basics when creating inclusive instruction in classrooms but very beneficial when it comes to designing effective choices in learning.

Once we understand the learning goal and know our learners we can start to design learning choices.

The Criteria for Designing Choices in Learning

Personally Relevant

Choices need to be authentic and meaningful for the learner (CAST, 2024). Learners who perceive choices to be connected to their values, interests and goals perceive stronger feelings of autonomy (Katz & Assor, 2006) and motivation (Evans & Boucher, 2015). This is why knowing our learners is vital.

The relevance of choices will differ between learners depending on their age, culture, gender and background. That is why choices need to be contextualised to the context in which they are being designed for. If learners do not perceive the choices to be connected to their values, personal goals and interests they are more likely to disengage and not select a choice at all.

Learner autonomy increases even more when choices are personalized specifically around the way learning can be demonstrated, how it can be organised and produced, as well as the way in which to learn it (Katz & Assor, 2006). When the choices we design are personalized, they become more appealing for learners to select and therefore increase engagement in the learning.

Once we have designed our choices, we need to demonstrate and explain the relevance of each choice to the student’s goals, values and interests.

Intermediate Level of Difficulty

We all know that teaching and learning needs to be in the learner’s zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978). That is no different when we design choices. Research suggests that people will choose tasks of intermediate difficulty (Katz & Astor, 2006). Learners need to feel like they are capable of achieving the task they have selected. It is also important to be aware that when choices are too hard or too easy, learners are less likely to engage in the task. That is why it is vital that we use formative assessment to understand what our learners can and cannot do so that we can design choices that are competence enhancing for all learners.

We also need to consider the scaffolds and resources we provide in each choice. The scaffolds and resources within each choice need to also be accessible and matched to the learner’s ability level. Otherwise learners will not see the task as achievable for them.

The Right Amount

The amount of choices should depend on the age of the learner, their experience with choice making and where they are in their learning journey in relation to the topic. We need to be aware not to have “choice overload” (Iyengar, Huberman & Jiang, 2000). Too much choice will overwhelm learners and disengage them from the task. 

Younger learners should consider fewer choices than an older learner due to the developmental cognitive load that is required.

We need to consider how much experience our learners have when making decisions about their learning. A learner who is experienced will benefit from more choices than a learner who has no experience.

Where learners are on the journey from surface to deep learning (Fisher, Frey & Hattie, 2016) will also impact the amount of choice you will provide. Again this is also attributed to the cognitive load required at each phase. 

Give It a Try!

When we consider all three criteria when designing choices, research suggests that there will be an increase in learner autonomy, engagement and motivation (Katz & Assor, 2006), (CAST, 2024), (Evans & Boucher, 2015). Don’t we all want that for all our learners in our classrooms?

Providing choice is a great inclusive instructional strategy however have you ever considered this criteria when designing effective and meaningful choices for learning? These three criteria can make an impactful change in how providing choice can be more effective and inclusive in your classroom. When we align well-designed, meaningful choices with the learning goal and our learners, how can we lose?

Until next time,

Happy educating,

Sam

References

CAST. (2024). Optimize Choice and Autonomy | UDL Guidelines. The UDL Guidelines. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/interests-identities/choice-autonomy/

Evans, M., & Boucher, A. R. (2015). Optimizing the Power of Choice: Supporting Student Autonomy to Foster Motivation and Engagement in Learning. Mind, Brain and Education, 9(2), 87-91. doi:10.1111/mbe.12073

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Hattie, J. (2016). Visible Learning for Literacy, Grades K-12: Implementing the Practices That Work Best to Accelerate Student Learning. SAGE Publications.

Iyengar, S., & Lepper, R. (2000). When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 995-1006. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.79.6.995

Katz, I., & Assor, A. (2006). When Choice Motivates and When It Does Not. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 429-442. doi:10.1007/s10648-006-9027-y

Vygotsky, L.S., & Vygotskiĭ, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes (M. Cole, Ed.). Harvard University Press.

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