Choice menus double the workload for teachers, while making it less likely that students will learn what they need to learn. Students need us to decide on the best learning activities. ##education##teachersoftiktok##learning##achievementscience

Choice sounds empowering, but it assumes students will pick what’s best for their learning, not just what looks easiest or most appealing. Anyone who’s been to a buffet knows that access to nutritious options doesn’t guarantee good choices.

I just had to write several papers for my Admin classes on the importance of using UDL and choice learning. It’s demoralizing when most of the concepts taught as a future school leader go against my own experience as a teacher.

Choice menus work AFTER teachers have taught the material.After extensive modeling/guided learning, choice menus allow students to show what they've learned by choosing a method that appeals most. I use choices for class novel projects after the reading/teaching. Amazing results!

And often those who advocate choice options also want to reduce course choices

Hard pass. Students needs to be forced to try different methods. They don’t know what they like or are good at until they try it. For those who say the choice is good, consider how they will function at a job. You think their boss is going to give them a choice of work? Oh, feeling sad today that’s okay go in the calming room. Hurt feelings because coworker is wearing the wrong color shirt today and did t tell you—that’s okay take an extra long break. FFS, adults/teachers/parents must quit catering to these spoiled kids.

Choice menus are a lot of work to create. Why not take one of those squares and build it into a quality learning experience for everyone?

Good points. The idea of chooce boards sounds good. But this can be a little tricky to implement effectively. Even with AI (Chatgpt, Microsoft Co-Pilot, etc.), you have to define the criteria carefully in order to ensure rigor and attention to learning outcomes.

It’s just totally the wrong basis for choice. The various option can’t be equivalent in terms of the learning outcome they produce, even when the teacher does everything right. There will always be a best activity. No reason to make 2nd best an option.

I used to have to offer 3 choices for students to "display mastery" on multiple assignments per week so that students could maximize the use of their learning styles. Most students considered themselves "visual learners" because watching a movie is the same as reading a book

Having to make choices can also be overwhelming, add more stress and use up mental energy. And I totally agree with everything you said.

Disagree. Choice of appropriate learning activities based on learning objectives (including remediation) are extremely effective. In addition, they give students more ownership leading to a greater likelihood that they learn.

Often choice is seen as differentiation. Providing same choices allows for Ss to choose 'easy' instead of the route to learning. Choosing/limiting/designating choices might help ensure appropriate levels of learning. But open choice does create problems, yes.

If this works, why not have everyone complete the easy choice to mastery? This results in the teacher being more frustrated because the additional time and effort they had to put into prepping choice menus for targeted students who still don't complete tasks and achieve mastery.

Hmm, this is an interesting take on learning styles. Thank you for posting this.

The key is variety with teaching coming from the teacher. If you just lecture and students work independently from a textbook or whatever, the learning is limited.