The ultimate goal for our students is for them to become independent and be able to succeed on their own. In order for this to happen, the students need to begin taking ownership of their learning. One of the best ways for this to happen is by integrating choice in math class to get your students to buy into a lesson or topic.
Benefits of choice in math class
- Students are able to get to the same end result in a way that highlights their strengths.
- Students are more engaged because they are able to choose something that they are actually interested in
- Students feel like their voice is being heard and that their opinion/decisions matter
Must dos
- Outline exactly what their expectations are for a project or assignment, so that the student knows the work they are doing is purposeful.
- Give explicit directions
Ways to Integrate Choice
Choice Boards
There are two options for choice boards. The simpler option is giving students a regular worksheet, but allowing the students to choose which problems they want to complete within each section.
With choice boards (sometimes called math menus) the students will choose what type of assignment they want to complete. This works great for independent work or small group where they will be working without direct instruction from the teacher.
Click here to check out an example!
Project based assessments
With project based assessments, students can can make decisions that will determine the end result of their project. Check out some examples below!
Choice in presentation
You can give your students specific instructions for what you are looking for in a project, then give them the choice of how they want to present their final project.
One of my favorite projects to do this with is called Slopes in Real Life where the students have to find real life examples of slope and take pictures of them. Once they have all of the slopes, they need to represent them in different ways and put it all into a final project.
I have had students create slide presentations, mini-books, brochures, and posters. I love seeing all of the different representations that they come up with on their own!
Ready to start adding choice into your math classroom? Grab your copy of this free project based assessment guide!
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