What is it?
Student voice and choice creates space for students to make decisions about their learning experiences and authentically participate in their education.
Why does it matter?
Voice and choice strengthens students’ feelings of empowerment, engagement, and ownership of their
Learning. It also increases students’ connection to the content, as well as their self-confidence.
What does it look like?
- Moving from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach to instruction and learning.
- When appropriate, allowing students to make decisions about how they are learning and how they are demonstrating what they have learned.
- Creating space for and placing value on students’ backgrounds, interests, and needs.
A Common Misunderstanding
Student voice and choice is too often perceived as a free-for-all approach to instruction, with students choosing to do whatever they want, with learning hopefully happening in the process.
However, voice and choice should be offered within clear boundaries and scale up over time as students become more comfortable with personal freedom and input.
Striking a Balance
- Too much freedom: Students may be overwhelmed or lost in decision-making.
- Too much control: May diminish student interest and engagement in their learning.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
UDL offers a three-pronged framework for developing voice and choice throughout a project:
- Multiple means of engagement.
- Multiple means of representation.
- Multiple means of demonstration.
-
PBL: Student Voice & Choice Overview
Giving students a say in choosing a project or even shaping it in smaller ways creates a sense of ownership.
Resource -
PBL: Student Voice & Choice Tips & Tricks
A slide deck detailing strategies for using Student Voice & Choice in the classroom.
Resource -
PBL: Universal Design for Learning
A framework for optimizing teaching and learning based on the science of how people learn.
Resource
