The Role of Choice

I also wanted to add a little bit about the role of choice in the differentiated classroom. With each of the structures that I use, students have some degree of choice as to the work they attempt. This allows each child to take on an appropriately challenging task and requires that they take responsibility for their own learning.

•Open-ended tasks: Students make choices about materials and methods to solve a problem
•Tiered tasks: Students have the choice of work that is more or less challenging
•Spiraling-scaffolded tasks: Students have the choice to work independently or with teacher support

I usually let the children make these choices because it allows them to retain ownership for their own learning, setting up a more focused and motivated classroom environment. On occasions where I have told students what tasks to do, I have been met with more off-task behaviors.
Travis, whose behavior deteriorated when I originally sent him off to work without support, was able to work well independently when he was able to choose to do so himself. Most of the time I find that my students make good choices about their level of work. Most students are motivated to challenge themselves intellectually and yet to stay on solid footing. Occasionally, though, children do make choices that I feel are inappropriate. A child might choose work that is too difficult in order to impress a friend or a parent. A child might choose work that is too easy in order to stay with a buddy or indulge in a bit of laziness. As the teacher, I am not afraid to set up some baseline expectations for students when the task is introduced. I might require a certain number of problems be solved or that students tackle a certain level of work. Going above and beyond is always presented as an option.