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Allowing every child to learn entirely “their own way” could create several practical and instructional challenges. Students may avoid productive struggle. If learners always choose what feels comfortable, they might miss opportunities to develop resilience, foundational skills, or exposure to new areas outside their preferences.

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Project based learning or exploring problems and trying to create solutions. Teachers can facilitate the learning experiences for students to understand a topic deeply and work on problem solving to develop skills and purpose.

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One way this could work is through the use of choice boards and learning stations. Tasks and units of study can have differentiated, open-ended tasks. Students having choice in their work and expressions of learning takes time to implement, but the potential for success and deeper engagement would be worth it.

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I would need to know the parameters and format. Are there examples or case studies where this has been done successfully? How do we ensure equity? Would the class size be the same? What would happen if additional resources and materials are required? I might be making the assumption that "more" work is required rather than "different" work. Also, some of these questions feel like black hat questions.

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If teachers let children learn entirely in their own way, several challenges can arise. First, some students might miss key skills or content if their self-directed path doesn’t naturally cover required standards.

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One problem is it would be time intensive to get to know each students learning styles, interests, and inclinations. How feasible is it? Also, what would this entail? Many teachers, including myself, will do interest inventories with families and students at the beginning of year. The hope is that we get to know students well and connect that information to instruction and class community building. However, I think many of us only scratch the surface with the potential of this student "street data." Also, what steps will we take to ensure that other learning styles and interests are not underdeveloped as students focus on the one way they prefer?

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Instinctively, I feel excited about children having the freedom to learn their own. It would be ideal and joyous. More students would be energized about learning because it would appeal to their interests and passions. 

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Instinctively, I feel excited about children having the freedom to learn their own. It would be ideal and joyous. More students would be energized about learning because it would appeal to their interests and passions. 

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Like many other people have said, I enjoy doing choice boards and projects that have a little bit of wiggle room for students to choose their subject, research topics, or type of analysis.

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I think this would work well in classrooms that are accustomed to blended learning or frequent group work. It would need to be something to work up to rather than something to immediately implement. Start small!

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I would need to know how to do implement this in a classroom that easily gets distracted or in a classroom that prefers more traditional learning. Are there people in my subject and grade level who have successfully implemented this and do it regularly? Where can I find people to discuss this with?

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Some students might use alternative ways to get answers or have AI complete the majority of the assignment for them. Also, students might lose interest and stop working if the teacher is with another group of students and not actively monitoring each group.

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I love when students have freedom to learn in their way. I want them to have memorable and unique experiences when learning. I also believe that this is the best way to learn.

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Lisa Roberson

Some creative ways to allow freedom is 1) choice boards, 2) flexible seating, 3) involvement that reflects their interest and last providing multiple options.

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Lisa Roberson

Some logical ways this could work is by establishing clear objectives and expectations. It can be supported with lots of teacher modeling.

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Lisa Roberson

Some questions I will need answered before I make a valid judgment will be 1) How student-led learning will be structured and aligned 2) How student process will be monitored? and 3) How will all students be supported and accounted for?

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Lisa Roberson

Some problems the teacher may have if children learn on their own will be encounter gaps in their learning, classroom management will lose its structure and inconsistent skill development will not be gained.

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Lisa Roberson

I instinctively feel elated when children are given the freedom to learn in their own way that aligns with their talent, strengths and learning styles. They become more engaged and confident. I believe my job then is to empower their choices, critical thinking and cultivates independence.

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Some creative ways could include offering project-based learning where students choose their topic, using learning stations with different activities for each learning style, letting students create their own presentations or products, incorporating technology like videos or virtual field trips, and allowing flexible seating so they can work in ways that help them focus and explore.

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This could work if students are given clear goals and guidance while having choices in how they learn. Using flexible grouping, structured routines, and supportive resources could help students stay focused and motivated, allowing them to explore their strengths and interests successfully.

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I would need to know what resources and support are available, how much time students need for independent learning, and what evidence shows that letting children learn their own way actually improves understanding and achievement. I’d also want to know how learning goals and assessments would be managed.

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Some problems could include difficulty managing the classroom, keeping students on task, and making sure everyone meets learning goals. It might also be challenging to plan lessons that fit all learning styles and to assess progress fairly.

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I feel a mix of excitement and worry—excited that students can follow their passions and learn in ways that suit them, but a little nervous that the classroom might get noisy or chaotic if everyone is doing something different at the same time.

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I really enjoy using choice boards and giving students different options. By giving these options, it allows students to choose something that they feel most comfortable completing.

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I can see this working very well in my classroom because of improvement of engagement that would take place. Once students have the choice to do something in a way that caters to them, then they will be more eager to work.

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What do I need to have prepared and ready to go to better support my students while they are learning in their own ways? What can I do to support all students at once?

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I can imagine students getting distracted and wanting to see what their peers are doing. If one student learns in a more visual way, they may be curious to see what the person next to them is doing.

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I instinctively feel pretty good about this. I understand that it is better for students to learn when it is under their circumstances. Every person has a specific learning style they do better with.

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Activities or projects with First Graders from other classrooms, choice boards, "at home" projects, less restrictive work-station schedule (cross-subject options for students to choose from).

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I could see a benefit in students' engagement when they are given choices, so long as each activity supports the learning objective. A major stumbling block I see is student motivation, which can be increased when students have some ownership in how they are learning.

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What data supports each learning method's efficacy? Are certain activities too disruptive to our shared (open-concept) classroom design? What do studies of similar methodologies (such as from Montessori schools) show in terms of student learning? What additional resources would be required to accommodate a wider array of learning styles and activities?

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I can foresee students migrating from an objective based activity to an off-task one quickly. I worry that students may, if given the choice, think they know the best way to learn an objective but miss out on perhaps a more efficacious mode of instruction.

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I instinctively feel good about this. I know that children will be more engaged when they are learning in ways that they are comfortable with or enjoy.

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Picking their own reading to do assignments. Creatively writing instead of just ECRs. Exploring their interests and researching them.

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Choice boards and project based learning are some ways I can allow for students to learn their own way in my classroom.

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I think there would have to be very clear expectations.

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Does it follow the curriculum? Is this purposeful? Is everyone able to do this?

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Our district provides us with many applications like Schoology, online textbook and writable that allow me to provide choice, feedback and multiple resources for my students. Applications like these could be very helpful in giving students the option ot learn their own way.

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Making sure they are all on the right track and checking in when things are not uniform. It may take longer than a quick glance to know if they are on the right track.

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I instinctively feel scared by this! I know that it can be fun but I have to be so disciplined in setting the guidelines. So often it can go haywire when we try to do things a little more free than our normal work.

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One question I would need answered is, what resources are available to provide students support with managing their own learning?

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I think one problem would be keeping on top of students progress and meeting district grading requirements. As a middle school teacher, I see 130 students everyday. That is a lot of individual learning paths to keep up with.

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I instinctively feel excited by this idea. I love days when my students are working on a project or writing piece, and I get to just meet with them individually or in small groups to see where they are in the process, and to identify where I can support them. It makes me feel inspired. It can be intimidating to think about the behavior management as well as staying on top of grading requirements., but overall, I feel drawn to this type of environment.

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For my Kinder class I see it being where one option is drawing and the other writing. Another option would be to work with a peer. I have students who prefer drawing and others who prefer to write.

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I think for this to work and for me to be able to observe which learning method works best for each kid I would need stations. I would have an assignment and have different stations where they are completing the same thing but in a different way.

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A question I would need answered is how do I start this in the classroom and how can I help guide students in finding the best way to learn. I have seen teachers show what it looks like but I want to see the process of where to begin to get there.

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I think one problem a teacher could face is having students stay focused. In my Kinder class we have class discussions about the importance of staying on task and focused in order to get the most out of our learning. Some students listen and understand, while some understand but still don't stay focused. I think some students might get frustrated if they don't have someone guiding them. This year I have a handful of students that require my help or else they don't even try.

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I would love for my students to be able to learn their own way, but I don't know how to start and I'm worried they might not learn if I don't execute this correctly.

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I could allow students to work with other peers, maybe in a partnership or group. I could also allow students to learn in different ways while still letting them "choose". Examples include visual learning, auditory learning or a mix of both.

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1. Choice Boards

2. Stations/Rotations

3. Relevant Applications that allow choice in delivery of the end product

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For this to work I think there would need to be a discovery phase where students are learning more about themselves and how they are most successful. I also think that classroom expectations would need to be clear.

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A question I would need answered is identifying the students way of learning. I wonder if this is something that can be slowly implemented after classroom culture is set and students feel more confident in taking hold of their learning

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I think that students will have difficulty remaining on task. I think that the teacher will need to establish a strong classroom culture that is focuses students on-task.

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For this to logically work, the teacher would have to set clear and explicit guidelines to ensure students do not get carried away in the classroom. If it is a larger class, a para would be extremely beneficial to help the teacher monitor student interactions and learning.

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I feel worried my students are not aware of their own way of learning and will struggle with the autonomy of choice. But I love the idea that students may learn to be independent with their choices and can serve them best

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A question I would need answered is do the pros outweigh the cons of letting students learn in their own way. Are there more benefits to this or would it place more stress upon the teacher?

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Problems I foresee occurring in the classroom where all children are free to learn their own way include

1. Students getting WAY too loud

2. Students running out of time

3. Students getting frustrated quicker due to less scaffolding and guidance.

4. Students getting off task

5. Students trying to "compete" with one another.

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I feel great about all the children in my classroom having the freedom to learn their own way. I would be worried about students taking advantage of this freedom, however. Even the most creative students need time constraints implemented to ensure they are using their time wisely. A classroom can get overwhelming quickly when all students are free to "work" on their own.

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1) creative and flexible stations/rotations

2) Peer teaching

3) Projects

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1) Having a teaching partner would enable this method to work

2) Setting up a schedule of times when this "freedom to learn" time is offered (ex: Tues and Thurs)

3) establishing clear rules and expectations

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1) What studies show to positive impact to students

2) How much would I need to dedicate to maintain this method effectively/consistently/with fidelity?

3) What does this look like? Where can I see this being modeled?

4) how will I balance the demands on me when employing a strategy such as this when "gen ed" students don't pace the same as the GT students.

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off task behavior

discipline issues

not enough time

lack of structure/consistency

complexity of planning for the "different" ways students learn and establishing the opportunity for them to learn in their own manner

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I am thrilled when students have the opportunity to learn "their own way". And yet, am conflicted at the same time when trying to marry the "time constraints" with the benefits of allowing them said freedom.

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Some creative ways students can work in my classroom include:

1. Projects: Students can work collaboratively with peers who are at a similar learning level and clearly understand the task expectations.

2. Voice responses: For students who struggle with writing, I can allow them to record verbal responses on the computer when answering questions.

3. GT extensions: For gifted and talented students, I can encourage them to deepen their understanding of the current topic by conducting additional research and presenting their findings to the class.

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Realistically, this approach would only be effective with a manageable class size, support from a second adult (such as a paraprofessional) to assist while I work with multiple small groups throughout the day, and additional planning time to prepare materials and supports for students with different learning needs.

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Project-based learning – solve real-world problems or create meaningful projects

Creative stations/centers – mix hands-on, reading, tech, and collaborative activities

Student-led teaching – small groups become “experts” and teach the class

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It can definitely work because you get more student buy-in, and because of that, kids are more willing to put in the work. It gives them an opportunity to use their creativity and break out of the “normal” school expectations—or what they’ve been told is normal.

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I would need to make sure I have the right information and resources before getting started.

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students may get off taslk

loosing sight of what's important

too disrruptive becasue they also get very excited

running out of time becasue sometimes the kids are perfectionists

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I could learn some creative ways to support my learners through other teachers and articles.

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I enjoy habing kids have freedom in the classroom. I wish I had more time to do it.

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Students could be given a choice board with various ways to choose what they would like to learn and how they could show their learning.

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What are the pros and cons to letting students learn in their own way. What does the data show and prove?

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The class could be loud, students could lose control.

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I hope my students feel happy and supported when they are able to learn in their own way. Their feelings are valid and important.

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Students could choose from learning stations, choice boards, or project options to show understanding. Lessons could include hands-on activities, technology-based tasks, peer collaboration, and independent work. Flexible seating and self-paced learning tools could support individual learning styles while the teacher provides targeted guidance.

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This approach could work because students are more engaged when learning matches their strengths. Clear objectives combined with flexible pathways allow students to meet the same goals in different ways. Structured choices can support independence while maintaining accountability.

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What learning standards must all students meet? How will learning be measured and documented? What training and resources are available to support differentiated instruction?

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Allowing all children to learn their own way could lead to a lack of structure, inconsistent progress, and difficulty managing behavior. Some students may misuse the freedom, fall behind, or miss essential skills, and the teacher may struggle with planning, assessment, and time management.

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I feel hopeful and supportive of the idea because I believe children learn best when they feel respected and understood, but I also feel uneasy about how overwhelming it might be to manage in a classroom setting.

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Some questions I have considered are:

1. How much time would I need each week to prepare for individual students, and could this be completed during my planning period without taking work home every day?

2. What class size would allow me to effectively focus on and support every student’s needs?

3. What would my monitoring notebook or journal look like, and what information would it need to include?

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The challenges I can think of include how a teacher would effectively track each student’s progress, the increased workload and level of differentiation the teacher would need to prepare, and how students would be assessed fairly.

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As someone who had ADD and dyslexia at a young age and needed to be taught in different ways and at my own pace, I support giving students the freedom to learn in ways that work best for them. At the same time, I can also see the challenge if there isn’t some level of consistency in learning expectations, how do we accurately measure student progress? For example, if Student A is working on single-digit addition while Student B is working on multi-digit addition, should they be given the same assessment?

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Other creative ways that would allow students to learn their own way would be to match them up with other students with similar learning styles, create projects for those groups to work on, allow for preferred seating in classroom during this time, introduce new digital and print resources to spark creativity and more student discourse.

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A logical way that this could work is by incorporating more project based learning, preferential seating, more time to work with other students that have the same learning style...

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The questions I would have are: Could I see this method in action and could I get support from the campus liaison, if needed? Could I talk to a person on campus to talk to who has used this method or someone in district?

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If the teacher is not organized and prepared, it can be chaos. It will require extra work on the teacher's part.

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At first, it made me a little nervous to imagine managing all of that. It was hard for me to differentiate and understand that the same TEK can be mastered and presented in different ways. Now, with more practice and with having such a variety of learning styles that I have experienced over the years, I thrive on seeing them learning in all of their different ways.

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Some ways I can allow children to learn in their own way in my classroom is by giving students the opportunity to show their learning in different ways such as an oral presentation, a video, a poster, or writing. I could also give them more opportunities to use a self-selected text to show their understanding of the reading skill taught that day.

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Some logical ways this could work is if students were grouped into classes with other students who learned the same way they learn, that way the teacher knows exactly what those students need and how to help them. Another way this could work is if there was a part of the day where teachers received support teachers to work with students in groups based on the way they learn best.

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Questions I would need answered are:

1. Has this been done before?

2. If so, what was the result?

3. What exactly would this look like in the classroom?

4. What would student tests/evaluations look like? Would they be different for each student depending on how they learn?

5. Will the school provide me with the proper supplies or resources for students?

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Some problems that could come with allowing students to learn in their own way is that it causes confusion in the classroom with so many different techniques going on at once. It could also have the possibility of students not fully learning the required curriculum because the idea just doesn't work.

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Instinctively, I feel hopeful with the idea of my students having the freedom to learn in their own way. I know that all students learn differently and have their own unique strengths, so this could benefit them.

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Project based learning. Group presentations.

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Having a rubric or example that they can use. Also by setting clear expectations and leading by example.

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How can I make it applicable to Gt students who range in different academic levels. But at the same time pushes them all at equal rates.

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It makes me feel very uncomfortable and uneasy. How do I know they are understanding the concept correctly that they can build on this understanding as they get to the older grades.

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Flexible seating/grouping. Choice board. Finish product choice.

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Students not truly understanding the concept of what you want them to get out of the lesson. Or students will from misconceptions that will confuse them in learning as they get older.

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Set clear expectations. Have the right materials and tools. Have a rubric or checklist. Give students ample time. Give students examples before hand.

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What resources or materials are going help my students to learn their own way? What tools could I provide?