Engagement:
Optimize Choice
Embedding authentic choices that align with learning goals can be a meaningful way to enhance learner engagement. Offering learners choices can develop agency, pride in accomplishment, and increase connection to their learning.
Here are four ways to embed choice:
Which content to explore
Offer tiered or personalized learning pathways, use problem-based learning, or integrate cultural and identity-based connections.
The tools used for exploration or production
Allow students to choose between reading, listening, or watching instructional materials and offer multiple ways to produce and present work, including written reports, multimedia projects, or collaborative discussions.
The opportunities for practicing and assessing learning
Offer multiple practice opportunities, such as interactive quizzes, peer discussions, guided reflections, or hands-on projects and allow students to select their assessment format—a research paper, a creative project, a presentation, or a portfolio.
The sequence, timing, and weight of tasks
Depending on your curriculum, students can choose what order they learn the content in or how quickly they move through each learning goal. You might also allow students to drop their lowest quiz score or offer weighted options, where students choose to allocate different percentages to assignments based on their strengths and interests.
Case Study: Smartphones
By 2018, more than half of all Americans regularly got directions with a global positioning system (GPS) on a smartphone. (Kunst, 2022)
On a GPS, you can get directions tailored to your context — optimized for your current location and your destination.
You also have many options for receiving the information: you can have the turn by turn directions read aloud, view the information as a list, zoom in or zoom out on a map, or request specific details as you need them - like the location of the nearest public bathroom. You can indicate if you want directions for walking, driving, or public transit. These are just some of the choices available. If you change your mind and decide you want a different option, it’s an easy switch.
Why can't classrooms work this way?
When designing a lesson, ask yourself the following questions:
Can students choose to explore different types of content?
Are multiple tools provided for exploration?
Are students able to practice learning in flexible ways?
How much choice and autonomy do students have?
