In this article, Abbie Forbus Everett, director of Teaching and Learning at KnowledgeWorks, explains the relevance of offering students choices as a good first step in order to help classrooms become more student-centered. Often it’s the highest performing students in the school that have the most opportunities for choice. Learners who are disengaged in school are most in need of relevant work and ownership, yet often these students are offered rote, repetitive work without authentic opportunities for choice. As we know, learning is emotional and when we feel connected to the learning, there is increased engagement. Equipping students to have choices in learning increases the chances that learning will be meaningful.
