I used to catch myself continuously telling my students what to do and how to do it. My students were all doing the same tasks at the same time. They weren’t engaged in the content or math class in general. Math class simply wasn’t fun… 

The worst part was that some of my students were getting left behind. I was not meeting the needs of all of the different learners in my classroom. This is when I knew that I needed to change how I present the content I teach. 

I decided to start giving students choice in how they do math. Let me tell you, it was a total game changer! On top of seeing greater success in my students’ abilities, I was also able to understand more about their learning styles. I’m here to share with you the benefits of giving student choice in your secondary math classroom. Yes, it can be done!

Keep reading to see the three main benefits of allowing student choice in your secondary math classroom. 

Benefit of Student Choice #3

One of the big benefits of giving student choice in your secondary math classroom is an increase in student engagement. When you present choices to students, they feel that they have more power and authority over their learning. When they feel this, they are more likely to participate in the lesson or activity. 

You’ve got them hook, line and sinker! 

When I was that “bad” teacher, I used to give my students simple (really boring) worksheets with a set of problems on it. There was nothing exciting about the content and honestly, I wouldn’t be eager to complete  the math tasks and practice the skills I learned if I were  them. 

This scenario is the opposite of what should be happening! Kids should be eager to demonstrate their knowledge and show off the skills they were just taught. In order to do this, your lessons and activities need to be attractive and engaging. What better way to engage students than by asking them to choose how they want to show off their math abilities. 

Simply ask your students, “Okay, today we are going to practice combining like terms. You are going to either work on your Ipads to complete a digital pixel art activity, or you can complete the around-the-room task cards. Pick whichever activity you would like to do.” Stand back and be amazed at how confused but excited your students will be to complete an activity where they take the reigns and make their own choices. 

Benefit of Student Choice #2

Another benefit of giving student choice in your secondary math classroom is learning about your students’ learning styles. And guess what… your students will also discover more about themselves and their learning styles! 

I really never knew how I learned best until I was in college. I took those learning style quizzes in high school, but I never knew what they meant. Let alone, my teachers didn’t know how to use the results to differentiate  learning styles. 

Now, I’m not talking about the original choice board where students can make a song, draw a picture, write a poem, or act out a scene to demonstrate their own thinking. When learning about learning styles, these ALWAYS came up. I believe there is more than the subject-based learning styles. 

In my classroom, I have found that kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning applies more to mathematics. With all of the digital options that arose from teaching in 2020 (cringe), some students learn better with digital resources vs paper resources or vice versa. Being able to identify and provide all of these different types of learning options can help teachers see which learning style is best for each student. 

Benefit of Student Choice #1

Finally, the ultimate benefit of giving student choice is being able to differentiate your content. This is huge! Offering students a list of problems and having them choose certain problems that they feel comfortable doing is so powerful. Because each student learns in their own way and at their own pace, giving students choice will allow them to demonstrate their individual knowledge and interests. 

You as the teacher need to be aware of how your students learn best. When you differentiate the content for your students, you are doing what’s best for each individual. Handing students a worksheet, or textbook set, with a lot of problems may not be what’s best for your students. Giving students a reasonable set of problems and allowing them to choose a set number to complete is! 

When creating or assigning choice boards for my students, I level my problems. Typically, the top row contains the “easier”/guided problems and as you go down the rows, the problems are more thought provoking/independent. I recommend students picking a certain amount of problems in each column. However, with learners who are struggling with the content, telling them to focus on the first few rows instead of potentially forcing them to try the problems they are not ready for, is a much more receptive approach. 

I think we can agree that there are many benefits to giving student choice in your secondary math classroom. It all depends on what your end goal is. I believe that the many benefits that come from offering student choice stem from the three main benefits: boosting student engagement, learning about your students’ specific learning styles, and differentiating your content. 

If you are interested in learning more about what choice boards are, check out my blog post where I tell you all about how to use choice boards in your secondary math classroom.