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The ISTE Standards provide the competencies for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, providing a comprehensive roadmap for the effective use of technology in schools worldwide. Grounded in learning science research and based on practitioner experience, the ISTE Standards ensure that using technology for learning can create high-impact, sustainable, scalable and equitable learning experiences for all learners.

For over 20 years the standards have been used, researched and updated to continuously reflect the latest research-based best practices that define success in using technology to learn, teach, lead and coach. The standards have been adopted in all 50 U.S. states and many countries throughout the world. Aligned to UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goals, the standards are available in eight languages.

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The ISTE Standards are a framework for students, educators, administrators, coaches and computer science educators to rethink education and create innovative learning environments. The standards are helping re-engineer schools and classrooms worldwide for digital age learning.

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What is student agency?

Student agency refers to learning through activities that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests, and often self-initiated with appropriate guidance from teachers. To put it simply, student agency gives students voice and often, choice, in how they learn.

This gives students a stake in choosing from opportunities provided for them-perhaps you give students a choice between projects, writing assignments, or other activities. Their ability to make a decision triggers a greater investment of interest and motivation.

What is EdWords™?

Edwords (· words) n. 1. K12 glossary breaking through buzzwords to solve the challenge of a common definition.
2. Renaissance ® resource to help educators take part in discussion, debate, and meaningful discourse. 3. Educators' jargon buster.

How can I practice student agency in my classroom?

Guidance from an instructor is essential as students choose their direction. Imagine an agent guiding an actor or athlete to good career decisions. Within student agency, the teacher takes on the agent role in looking out for their student client.

Students must feel that their voice and self-direction are increased, even if they don't get their way all the time. Think back to a lesson plan you were especially jazzed about that fell flat once you introduced it to students. Student agency keeps students engaged since they are part of the lesson plan in the first place.

What impact does student agency have?

Remember, students must also be able to demonstrate mastery. If students know what their goal is and trust their teacher is going to allow them to move through their chosen path to the goal while providing expert feedback, students are more invested in their own growth.

Let's see an example

Mrs. Martinez's fourth-grade class is studying butterflies. Together, they have read some butterfly books and are caring for monarch caterpillars. For their final project of the unit, Mrs. Martinez gives her students three options to choose from:

Create a Google Map that details the pathway monarch butterflies take every year during their migration

Keep an illustrated daily record of the monarchs' final stage of development and produce a scrapbook of their life cycle

Produce a blog post that presents evidence about the two sides of the debate over environmental protections for butterflies

Each option gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery in different ways. Because students are able to choose the option that interests them most, Mrs. Martinez has used student agency to personalize their learning.

A newsletter full of product information, blog articles, tips, and other resources for today's educators

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Student Agency - What is Student Agency? - EdWords - Renaissance

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Student agency refers to learning through activities that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests, and often self-initiated with appropriate guidance from teachers. To put it simply, student agency gives students voice and often, choice, in how they learn.

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EL Modification

Choice boards are a wonderful way to engage English learners in choosing how they will practice skills. Learners are granted the opportunity to follow their own path and teachers are able to differentiate activities based on students' needs.

English learners using choice boards are required to listen to and follow directions. Students may use all four domains of language: reading, writing, speaking and listening to interact with the activities on their choice boards. In order to support English Learners consider the following modifications:
Modifications:

1. Ensure English learners understand all directions on their choice boards before beginning independent work e.g., ask for learners to restate directions. If the activities are new to learners, consider previewing or partnering with learners' language specialist to preview for learners at lower levels of proficiency. See the "Teacher Tool: Leveled Question Stem" resource in the resource section below for more information.

2. Provide a variety of ways for learners at lower levels of proficiency to express learning including drawing, short phrases, matching words and pictures, multiple-choice, and cloze worksheets. Aim to create activities that use all four domains of language: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Use data about learners' language levels to determine appropriate activities. See the "Descriptions of What Learners "Can Do" at Various Language Levels" and the "How to Use "Can Do" Descriptors in Designing Learning Activities" resources in the resource section below for more information.

3. Consider creating an alternative choice board. Use data about learners' language levels to determine appropriate activities. Consider partnering with English learners' language specialist to discuss what topic or skills you are targeting and work together to design appropriate activities. Aim to create activities that use all four domains of language: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. See the "Descriptions of What Learners "Can Do" at Various Language Levels" and the "How to Use "Can Do" Descriptors in Designing Learning Activities" resources in the resource section below for more information.

4. Perform 1:1 check-ins with English learners. Use the independent work time to give English learners an opportunity to use their academic language, and teachers a chance to formatively assess content language use.

5. Provide English learners with familiar reference sheets such as graphic organizers, word banks, sentence stems, formula sheets, etc., to use as needed during activities.

6. Provide comprehensible content in activities that require learners to read-to-learn. Consider providing home language content as available during independent or technology-based activities. When available, home language content can be a powerful tool in developing and progressing skills. See the "Research and Bilingual Content Resources" in the resource section below for more information.

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EL Modification Choice boards are a wonderful way to engage English learners in choosing how they will practice skills. Learners are granted the opportunity to follow their own path and teachers are able to differentiate activities based on students' needs. English learners using choice boards are required to listen to and follow directions.

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Student Agency: Promoting Student Engagement - TeachHUB

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With remote learning still prevalent, finding ways to engage students remains a priority. Learn about promoting student engagement using student agency.

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Check out the 7 choice board examples for remote learning that you'll be rushing to try with your students!

Choice boards give students the freedom to decide on learning activities that interest them and they're perfect for learning in-class or at a distance. Let's get started with the choice board examples for remote learning below!

"When remote learning started, I began making choice boards every week around a certain topic of a book, or tying into what they were doing in class or in the community," says Librarian, Shannon McClintock Miller about using choice boards for remote learning.

There are a lot of ways to set up a choice board for remote learning, depending on how creative you want to be and how much time you have.

Below are 7 choice board examples ranging from short and simple to ultimate creativity.

Bitmoji Virtual Classroom

"Most teachers I know use Google Slides to make choice boards. There are lots of fun templates out there", says Carrie Willis, Technology/STEAM Director from Redlands, CA., "plus, it is fun to add bitmojis to the boards!"

Google Slides are a great option for choice board examples when you want to get creative. If you're not familiar with Google Slides, they work just like Powerpoint, but are all online, so you can easily share it with your class. Google Slides allow complete freedom to get creative with your theme and add your own backgrounds, images, and add links to anywhere.

Virtual Makerspace Choice Board

"I like Google Slides because it's directed while also giving students freedom. It's very contained and students can't click out to something else," said Ms. Miller. Read Ms. Miller's tips for creating a virtual makerspace choice board here.

Tic Tac Toe Choice Board

How to make a choice board with Google Slides

Step 1. Outline your ideas

Get started by mapping your ideas on paper. Think about what theme or learning goals you want your board to center on.

Step 2. Decide what activities you want to include.

Try to include a mix of activities that your kids are familiar with, but also some new items too. You can always change it up later.

Step 3. Sketch it on paper

Think about the way you want to organize information. The way your board is organized helps students find an activity to meet their learning goals quickly. Here are some ideas:

Activity type - robotics, coding, drawing, building

Learning concept - counting, reading, science

Theme - outside, animals, oceans, space, family

"Virtual classroom" with activities are organized like they would be in a real room

Step 4. Make the Choice Board Slide

When you're ready, set up a slide with the same layout that you sketched on paper. Add text boxes to label each of the areas or activities. To add a text box, go to "Insert" then "Text box". I used a table to make my tic-tac-toe board.

Give your students direction by adding images they're used to seeing. They'll know what to expect when they click on the activity if they see the app icon, character, or book cover they already know.

PRO TIP! You can search for images to add to your choice board directly inside Google Slides.

Finally, add links to each of your activities by selecting the images, then clicking the insert link button on the menu.

When you're finished, you can share the link to your slides with your class, or you can save the slide as a PDF and all the links will be clickable.

All About Dinosaurs Seesaw Choice Board

Seesaw is a great place to add your choice board so that you can easily collect student responses and your kids can easily interact with the activities.

Seesaw's Community library has tons of choice board examples for you to choose from. The example above focuses on dinosaurs and allows students to decide what part of the dinosaur they want to learn about, as well as what activity they want to do. Then, students are required to label each part of the dinosaur to demonstrate their knowledge, all within the Seesaw activity.

How to embed links in a Seesaw activity

In my tic-tac-toe example from Google Slides, I could export the final design as a PDF, then upload it to Seesaw and all the links would still work for my students to click on. See how here. See more Seesaw choice bard examples that include links here.

Kodable Bingo Seesaw Choice Board

Bingo is another style of choice board that is easy to use with your students. Samantha Selikoff, technology teacher in New Jersey shared her design for Kodable Bingo earlier this summer. Using the Seesaw activity creator, it is easy to create the bingo design for kids to complete on their own.

Step 1. Create the bingo board in Word, Google Docs, or any editing tool you're comfortable with. Perhaps give Google Slides a try!

Step 2 Take a screenshot and add it to your Seesaw activity using the image upload option.

Step 3 Add dauber shapes for students to add to their completed board.

Change the color and transparency by using the styling tools below the shape. Duplicate the shape 10-15 times.

Symbaloo Choice Board

If you're looking for a simple solution to direct student learning. Symbaloo is a fast and easy way to set up choice boards for remote learning this school year.

"Coding Sites" choice board created by Klear

The no-frills interface uses a simple grid, but also allows customizations like backgrounds and custom colors. You can add links to all your relevant activities as bookmarks or shortcuts for your class.

"Coding" choice board by Janel

It is important to think about how you want to organize the information on your choice board so that it is easy for a student to figure out where to go. Both teachers chose to include sections for each of their classes in the above examples, while also including a section that links to the "approved" activities directly.

Learn more about using Symbaloo for your remote learning choice boards in their instructional video here.

Share your choice board examples for remote learning in the comments below!

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7 Choice Board Examples for Remote Learning | Kodable Blog

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Check out the 7 choice board examples for remote learning that you'll be rushing to try with your students! Choice boards give students the freedom to decide on learning activities that interest them and they're perfect for learning in-class or at a distance. Let's get started with the choice board examples for remote learning below!

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One of the most common challenges that teachers face is planning engaging, hands-on lessons that are accessible to all students. Teachers know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work. That's why I'm a big fan of the choice board. Choice boards can be implemented for any grade level or subject. They typically include a wide array of activities of varying difficulty. As a result, all students, regardless of learning style, are able to get the skills and learning they need.

Here's how I use choice boards in my classroom.

The setup of a choice board is simple. First of all, I plan at least nine activities that can be done at stations or centers around the classroom. Each activity is then assigned a point value based on the level of difficulty or work required to complete it. Students must acquire a certain number of points by doing activities of their choice.

When I introduce the activity to the class, I distribute the choice board and review directions orally as students follow along. Next, I walk around the room, visiting each station and explaining each activity. That way, students know where to find them and what to do. At each station, I place another set of directions, this one specific to that activity. I have found this extremely helpful, especially for students who need information presented in smaller chunks. Of course, everything that students need to complete the activity is waiting for them at the station. This really helps avoid confusion.

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Choice boards should offer a variety of activities that appeal to all learning styles.

Another benefit of using choice boards for inclusion classes is that modifications can easily be made without students feeling different or separated from their peers. A professional development seminar that my school held on UDL (Universal Design for Learning) really resonated with me. CAST, a nonprofit education research and development organization, defines UDL as "a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn." This approach really motivated me to be extra diligent in creating lessons that were accessible to all learners.

Here are examples of activities from the choice board shown above:

Choice boards require a decent amount of preparation, but their outcomes are worth the extra time.

The students are learning, but they are also having fun while doing it. When students get to select the activities they do, they are involved in their own learning. This sets them up for success, and as a result the classroom becomes a safe haven for them. Consequently, they develop a positive attitude toward education.

Students also appreciate a teacher who they know is willing to go the extra mile for them. They can tell when a teacher thought outside of the box while planning assignments. If you're looking to create an engaging, hands-on lesson that allows students to take ownership of their own learning, then give choice boards a try.
Have you tried choice boards in the classroom? Come and share your experiences in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, how I engage middle and high school readers by offering more student choice.

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How I Use Choice Boards to Increase Student Engagement

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Choice boards can be implemented for any grade level or subject and typically include a wide array of activities varying in difficulty.

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January is Knowledge Constructor month! It is never too late to start encouraging your students to seek and locate information, evaluate the accuracy of sources, use digital resources to curate resources, and to pursue answers to meaningful questions. Knowledge Constructor works across content, and across grade levels - and the skills of Knowledge Constructor are more important than ever. Furthermore, research has shown that when students are active in the meaning-making process, they understand concepts more deeply and meaningfully.

One question we may be asking ourselves is: What opportunities do we have to give student multiple ways to locate information/evidence and build claims/knowledge?

Consider modeling research strategies and skills with students to engage them in seeking answers to compelling questions. For those teachers using Seesaw, a new update to the photo tool has been added! Now, the camera option in Seesaw can flip around, opening up new opportunities for modeling with your document camera (although you do not need a document camera to access this feature). Consider modeling for students how you might annotate on pen and paper, and either record yourself doing this, or take a simple snapshot with greater ease than ever before! By flipping the camera, any words or symbols that you write will now appear correctly to students. Note that students can also use this camera option in Seesaw to record their own annotations of a text, solving a math problem, and more.

(image courtesy of Seesaw)

Seesaw can also be utilized to help support students while engaging in independent research through websites, databases (such as PebbleGo and TrueFlix), and other curated resources. For example, Seesaw choice boards can help link to PebbleGo, and provide templates and scaffolds to guide our emerging researchers. Check out this sample activity (geared towards primary students) below!

After exploring informational databases, students can use the Seesaw canvas to codify their learning. This could be done through pencil and paper notes that are then uploaded in a click of the button, or typed directly into the canvas using the text tool. Better yet, let students choose which format suits their learning best! Finally, students could share their final thinking within Seesaw, or you could provide other creative options for students to share their inquiries and answers ( Adobe Spark, Sway, and Flipgrid come to mind!).

Happy researching, and happy Seesaw-ing!

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Constructing Knowledge: When Seesaw and Databases Come Together for Research

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January is Knowledge Constructor month! It is never too late to start encouraging your students to seek and locate information, evaluate the accuracy of sources, use digital resources to curate resources, and to pursue answers to meaningful questions. Knowledge Constructor works across content, and across grade levels - and the skills of Knowledge Constructor are more important than ever.

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Motivating students can be a challenge even in the most structured, unimpeded learning environments. But in this one, with COVID-19 upsetting the balance of normal instruction, it can be far more complex.

Faced with long hours of repetitive virtual learning, students might be more apt to tune out than tune in to teachers. They might be unwilling to challenge themselves or simply shut down if they feel unchallenged or face barriers to learning, such as poor internet connectivity or have slower devices.

Even those who begin the year with in-person learning are facing wholly different, distracting classroom settings and might be worried more about safety and adhering to school-mandated protocols than showing enthusiasm for their subjects. And a bigger problem: many of them fell behind when learning all but stopped during the spring.

The role schools and educators play this year in helping students get the most out of themselves and their work might be its most important yet. If they can help kids leap over those myriad obstacles and inspire them to learn and grow, anything is possible.

"Every student deserves the opportunity to feel successful during this time," said Chase Nordengren, senior research scientist for NWEA, an organization that supports nearly 10,000 schools and educators in 146 countries. "For some students, returning to grade-level proficiency may not be realistic this year. Students above grade level must also continue to find opportunities to learn and grow."

The NWEA, which has conducted a pair of research projects on learning loss and the impact of learning during the pandemic, said a tried-and-true method for getting the most out of students still works.

"Goal setting is a key strategy for reaching all students by finding opportunities for challenge and success at every level of proficiency," Nordengren says. "With academic targets that are short-term, relevant, and independent, they can recognize the fruits of their labor in ways that keep them motivated to learn more."
Five strategies to bolster students
In its most recent work "Goal Setting Is a Key Element to Mitigating COVID-19-Related Impacts on Learning", the NWEA says teachers will play a big part in ensuring that goals can be achieved for all students - the ones who did well during abbreviated virtual learning in March, April and May as well as those who struggled to either meet targets or simply couldn't reach them because of inhibiting variables.

At the heart of its message is this: motivation can be a linchpin for students to take ownership of their own learning. Teachers can help push this along, the NWEA says, by working alongside students to "examine past learning, set short-term targets for additional learning, and plan the specific academic and social-emotional steps needed to get there."

In its guidance and through its own research, Nordengren and the NWEA have offered these five strategies that can help educators reach and motivate students in both in-person and remote learning environments:

1. Start Early: Goal setting should start as early as kindergarten. While students may not be ready to set individual academic goals, teachers can set classroom wide goals for behavior and skill development.

2. Do it Often: Short-term goals, usually lasting no longer than four to six weeks, enable frequent check-ins with students. This allows the frequent revision of goals based on student progress, preventing students from feeling discouraged.

3. Make it Visual: Developing a variety of visual tools and artifacts help solidify a goal-setting culture. For example, utilizing the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) acronym to write an effective goal.

4. Make it Relevant: Do student goals match up with the learning goals for their grade, development level, and them as a person?

5. Center Student Choice. And finally, student ownership of learning is maximized where students feel a sense of agency and choice.

Chris Burt is a reporter and editor for District Administration. He can be reached at cburt@lrp.com

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5 strategies to give students an edge, even in pandemic

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Motivating students can be a challenge even in the most structured, unimpeded learning environments. But in this one, with COVID-19 upsetting the balance of normal instruction, it can be far more complex. Faced with long hours of repetitive virtual learning, students might be more apt to tune out than tune in to teachers.

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So you want to create a choice board for your students to learn a concept. In this blog, we will tackle the BIG question, how does one go about creating a choice board.

What is a choice board?

A choice board is a graphic organizer that allows students to choose how they will learn a concept. Usually a choice board carries these aspects.

9-square grid

Each square has an activity

Each activity should relate to one of the multiple intelligences

Level of difficulty can vary or stay consistent

How do students complete a choice board?

1. Tic-Tac-Toe Style: choose three choices in a row

2. Random choice

Why use a choice board?

Choice boards engage learners. A choice board can also facilitate differentiated learning opportunities for your students. For ten reasons why to use choice boards in the classroom, check out Miguel Guhlin's blog. For additional information, Lori Gracey's blog is a great read.

Steps I Took to Create a Choice Board

Step 1: Choose the Concept

As a former fourth grade teacher and a big FAN of Texas history, I chose the following Texas TEK:
113.15. Social Studies, Grade 4 (16) Citizenship. The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations of Texas. The student is expected to: (A) explain the meaning of various patriotic symbols and landmarks of Texas, including the six flags that flew over Texas, the San Jacinto Monument, the Alamo, and various missions; (B) sing or recite "Texas, Our Texas"; (C) recite and explain the meaning of the Pledge to the Texas Flag; and (D) describe the origins and significance of state celebrations such as Texas Independence Day and Juneteenth.
Step 2: Get to Know your Multiple Intelligences

I checked out these three resources:

Step 3: Create a List of Multiple Intelligences

From the above three articles/blogs, I combined the multiple intelligences I read about and added a few I thought were missing. See my compiled list of learning modalities below:

Naturalist (nature smart)

Musical (sound smart)

Logical-mathematical (number/reasoning smart)

Existential (life smart)

Interpersonal (people smart)

Bodily-kinesthetic (body smart)

Linguistic (word smart)

Intra-personal (self smart)

Spatial (picture smart)

Computer (*technology smart)

Visual/Spatial (art and space smart)

Culinary (food smart)

Makerspace (**maker smart)

*3D printing, robotics, minecraft, coding, etc.

**Woodworking, perler beads, crocheting, jewelry making, etc.

Step 4: Brainstorm and Map it Out

After selecting my fourth grade social studies TEK, I drew a 9-square grid and a brainstorming box on a piece of paper. I started writing down modalities that I thought would work for this particular TEK. I created space at the bottom of my brainstorming for two items: 1. Activity ideas that popped into my head 2. Tools to integrate technology into the activities. I always write in pencil, because I tend to move things around or change the activity to a different square.

Step 5: Make the Choice Board

Finally, I transferred my choice board to a Google Slide. I listed the activity at the top of each square and suggested tech tools in blue at the bottom. You could also use MS Word or a Google Drawing to design your particular choice board. Check out my choice board

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Creating a Choice Board for Your Classroom

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So you want to create a choice board for your students to learn a concept. In this blog, we will tackle the BIG question, how does one go about creating a choice board. A choice board is a graphic organizer that allows students to choose how they will learn a concept.

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How to Use Choice Boards to Differentiate Learning

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How to Use Choice Boards to Differentiate Learning % %

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how to make a choice board on seesaw - Bing video

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Top suggestions for how to make a choice board on seesaw

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Have you tried Digital Choice Boards? They are one of my favorite activities I like to help teachers implement. The activities we include in these digital choice boards involve technology tools for students to use as they explore a topic they are studying. We don't come up with technology based activities just to get students using technology, we come up with technology based activities because they have the ability to tap into multiple intelligences and learning styles . Typing, voice-to-text, text-to-speech, graphic, diagram, audio recording, video recording, and multiple creation tools can truly maximize our learning environment to reach its fullest potential. Differentiation has never been easier!

I like to create digital choice boards in Google Slides because you can easily link to outside web tools as well as link the activities to slides built into the same presentation. I refer to the slides that appear under the main choice board as accountability slidesbecause teachers can build different activities for students to work with as well as provide an area for students to add links and screenshots of their creations.

users can now create and edit rubrics right within the platform! Click Q: How do you grade the choice boards?
Google Classroom HERE to learn more. A: In the choice boards I create that can be found in my I include an editable rubric that the teacher can insert his/her criteria. The rubric can be printed (I usually recommend teachers print two rubrics to a page to use for grading to save paper) or used digitally. To grade digitally, teachers can use the shapes tool to circle the amount of points students earned. You would also want to make sure to fill in the criteria before assigning the board to students.

If you are using a choice board that you created, then you might be interested in checking out the free rubric generator: Quick Rubric.

Q: I assigned my students a choice board but they can't edit the file. It says view only. What am I doing wrong?
A: When assigning students a digital choice board, they each need their own copy to edit. There are many ways to go about sharing files so each student has their own copy. Head to the follow blog post if you need help with this: The Most Popular Ways to Share Google Drive Files and Templates with Students. Q: Do you assign a new choice board each week?
A: That is totally up to you! I added my choice board activities as text boxes so the teacher can easily click and drag the boxes to new locations on the choice board to provide a different experience each time the choice board is assigned. The text is also editable in my templates so the teacher can type any sort of text & link in a different activity. Lots of flexibility! If students use technology regularly in your classroom then you might consider assigning a fresh choice board each week.

Q: Can your choice boards be used with Microsoft?
A: All of my choice boards are available in Google Slides; however, you can download the Google Slides file as a PowerPoint by going to File>Download>Microsoft PowerPoint. All of the links and images transfer nicely😉.

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Have you tried Digital Choice Boards ? They are one of my favorite activities I like to help teachers implement. The activities we include in these digital choice boards involve technology tools for students to use as they explore a topic they are studying.

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Copy of Winter Holiday Choice Board Collection 

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"A choice board is a graphic organizer that allows students to choose how they will learn a concept. The choice board below has nine squares. (There is no minimum or maximum, however nine seems to be a good number.) Inside each square is an activity. Students can choose one or several activities to complete. Choice boards can be organized so students need to finish one square before moving to the next, they can be random, or can be organized in a specific way. The level of difficulty of the activities can vary or stay consistent."

Tic-Tac-Toe Boards and Menus are two different types of choice boards.

"A menu offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A menu could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study. Once the teacher has decided on what the essential understandings and/or skills are, she/he can begin to create a menu."

"Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards give students the opportunity to participate in multiple tasks that allow them to practice skills they've learned in class or to demonstrate and extend their understanding of concepts. From the board, students either choose or are assigned three adjacent or diagonal tasks to complete.

Choice boards address student readiness, interest, or learning preferences. They are easily adapted to a subject area."

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Choice Boards, Menus, & Tic-Tac-Toe by Sarah Dillard

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Daily Activities Template for Online Lessons Or choice board template for Google Slides.

New choice board template, this time featuring gems!

Each number on slide 2 is linked to its activity, and each activity is linked to "Let's have fun" slide. If you wish to modify the main title or the numbers, double click on them - They are made with Word-Art.

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Gems Choice Board Template for Google Slides or PowerPoint - SlidesMania

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New choice board template, this time featuring gems! Each number on slide 2 is linked to its activity, and each activity is linked to "Let's have fun" slide. If you wish to modify the main title or the numbers, double click on them - They are made with Word-Art.

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Differentiate with Learning Menus and Choice Boards

"...at its core, differentiated instruction means addressing ways in which students vary as learners." - Carol Ann Tomlinson

[Tweet "Interactive Learning Menus with @GoogleforEdu #edtech#gsuiteedu"]

What Are Learning Menus?

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICE! Learning menus (aka choice boards) are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities. Learning menus and choice boards can be created in a variety of styles and mediums. They've been around for a long time and originated in a static, paper format. But with digital tools, we can bring the menus to life with interactivity and creation. Menus can be a simple list, a tic-tac-toe or bingo-style game, or get as creative and intricate as you like. Check out my Pinterest board for ideas.

Learning Menus Can Be Used with Any Age Group

I have found that menus and choice boards tend to be more popular among elementary teachers, but I used them in my middle school classroom, and now I use them in professional learning workshops with adults. Any grade level can use learning menus!

Learning Menus Can Be Used in Any Subject Area

Since learning menus are so flexible, they can easily be created and adapted for just about any subject area. So no excuses! Any teacher who is willing to try can make use of this student-centered strategy.

[Tweet "Any teacher who is willing to try can make use of this student-centered strategy. #edtech"]

Are Learning Menus Hyperdocs the Same Thing?

No, but they could be part of a Hyperdoc assignment. I love Hyperdocs! But these two are not one in the same. Keep in mind the definition of learning menus stated above. It is simply a menu of choices from which students can choose. Student choice is the big idea behind learning menus and choice boards.

A Hyperdoc is a complete packaged assignment that also meets some additional criteria. A Hyperdoc doesn't have to include choice, but it could. To learn more about Hyperdocs, visit their site or read the AMAZING book by Lisa Highfill, Sarah Landis, and Kelly Hilton.

Creating a Tic-Tac-Toe Learning Menu in Google Docs

One easy way to dip your toes into the learning menu water is a Tic-Tac-Toe menu. A Tic-Tac-Toe can be used for anything from short activities to more long-term projects, both assessment FOR learning (formative) and assessment OF learning (summative).

Below is an example of a Novel Unit Tic-Tac-Toe menu that I created as a summative project. It was created in Google Docs, nothing fancy, just a table and some color. Depending on how you want to use, you can add links, rubrics, images, video and more. (Click here to use my blank tic-tac-toe template.)
CLICK HERE to use the Novel Study Tic-Tac-Toe template. On mobile? CLICK HERE to make a copy.
Learning Menu Design

Remember when you are creating a learning menu to align it with your learning goals! First, I use the middle square as my non-negotiable, the one activity that I want every student to complete. This could be reading an article, watching a video, or in this case; every student will write a summary and add it to a collaborative Google Slide deck where they will also add links to their other projects. Everything in one place!

Some teachers also make the middle square a free space where students can propose their own ideas to demonstrate their learning. LOVE THIS IDEA!

I had some students who would try to find the easiest or fastest way to complete the tasks. But if you pay attention to the learning design, you can design it so that it gives choice and flexible learning paths, not just an easy completion grade.

I use the color to guide the learning design. Because I use the middle square as a non-negotiable, I control how they make the tic-tac-toe just a little bit more. Every student will do the middle square and one from the blue and one from the yellow. In this summative example, students are mostly creating, but in the example below, you will see how it can also work for activities that guide the learning.

Below is a professional learning example that I designed for teaching Google Chrome. As a trainer, I typically have very mixed groups in my training sessions (multiple grade levels, subject areas, and tech savviness). I usually address general skills, and apps and extensions that are applicable across all grade levels and subject areas as a whole group.

Then I move into an activity like the Chrome PD Tic-Tac-Toe learning menu to allow teachers to dig deeper into their own subject areas and grade levels AND move at a pace that is comfortable for their level and learning style.
CLICK HERE to use my Chrome PD Tic-Tac-Toe template. On mobile? CLICK HERE to make a copy of the template.
Other Types of Learning Menus

As I said, a tic-tac-toe is just one type of menu. It happens to be a favorite of mine because they are easy to design and are not too overwhelming. But I have used many other types of menus, and I have been curating ideas on this Learning Menu Pinterest Board.

Digital Menu for Student Creation with Google Slides by Tommy Spall

Below is a Google Slide example of a learning menu that takes on the look of a restaurant menu from my friend, Tommy Spall. Follow him @TommySpall. (You can thank me later!) Click here to make a copy of Tommy's template that includes linked slides to lots of Googley projects and room for you to make it your own. (If you are on mobile and having trouble with the template link, try this make a copy link.)

Professional Development BINGO Board by Amber Teamann and Melinda Miller

Another option is to make it a full out BINGO board, like in this example from my friend Amber Teamann and her collaborator Melinda Miller. (Follow them at @8Amber8 and @MMiller7571, and yes, you will thank me for this one, too!)

Amber and Melinda are both elementary school principals. They issued this BINGO PD Challenge to her teachers over the summer, and I thought it might inspire you with some other options for choice and challenges in your classroom or professional learning. You can learn more details about PD Bingo in Amber's blog post.

Using G Suite to Create Learning Menus

The possibilities are truly endless! Consider all the ways you could use G Suite to create learning menus and the extended activities and links. Try thinking of the ways you could create menus using these G Suite tools:

Google Docs

Google Slides

Google Drawings

Google Sheets

Google My Maps

Google Sites

How to Use Google Templates and Assign in Google Classroom

If you enjoyed this post, you will love the more in-depth look at the power of choice boards and more examples in this post and podcast episode.

© Shake Up Learning 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) Using Google Docs

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I love learning menus, and it is one of my favorite ways to incorporate student choice and to differentiate learning. And with digital tools like G Suite for Education, it's super easy to make menus interactive, digital, and more dynamic! Digital Differentiation offers teachers and students many ways to reach all learners.

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Choice is very motivating. Try using my gamification template to create a Google Sheets choice board. Make a copy for each student so they can check off their choices and level up.

Template

Use alicekeeler.com/badgegame to make a copy of the template. Note, I have formulas all over the spreadsheet, be careful not to delete them or the board breaks. Use Version history under the File menu if you accidentally delete some formulas to restore the spreadsheet back to how it was.

Example:

Try out the badge game at alicekeeler.com/searchdrive for a challenge game about searching in Google Drive.

Create Challenges

On the spreadsheet, start by going to the description column. Your first challenge should be wicked easy and preferably something fun. Hook the students into the activity! Remember that success breeds success. Let the first couple of choices be easy wins so they can level up more quickly.

Quest Title

I find it to be much easier to create clever quest titles after I have made the descriptions. Try to be funny and use pop culture references if possible, even if the kids don't get the references it's at least funny to you 🙂 Tip: Own it to the students that you aren't that cool. Ask them to help you create better quest titles. Even if your quest title is better, try to use a student title, they like being involved.

Difficulty Level

Under difficulty level choose a number between 1 and 5. The stars automatically populate from the difficulty level. This is created from a formula, be careful not to delete those formulas.

XP is NOT Points

The XP column is not how many points the assignment is worth. It is more a number that corresponds to how much you want the student to do it. You may have a fun challenge that you think few students would do, but it would be cool if they did. Make it worth a LOT of XP. I generally establish a baseline that 5 points is a regular activity and then I go up from there based on how much I want them to do it.

Make the Choice Board the Assignment.

The Choice Board would be listed ONCE under your assignments. Each activity in the choice board would NOT be listed.

Reach Level 10

Choose your goal, what level do you want the students to reach. They should be able to get there by making CHOICES. So they should be able to skip some of the challenges.

Links

Notice the links column. Use this to hyperlink to directions documents or resources the students need for the challenge.

Evidence

The evidence column is for students to link to their evidence that they did the challenge. If they get whatever their evidence is into Google Drive they can copy the link and paste it there. If they submitted it to Google Classroom, they can use the 3 dots on the assignment stripe to "Copy link" to link back to their assignment submission.

Hide Tabs

The first sheet in the game is essential obviously. The second sheet shows a grid of the badges the student earned for the challenges. The third sheet "Additional resources" only needs to be kept if you linked to extra resources.

The "Levels" tab, the "Directions" tab, and the "Badges" tab all need to be hidden. Click on the tiny triangle on the tab to choose "Hide sheet."

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Badge Game - Remote Learning Challenge Board

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Choice is very motivating. Try using my gamification template to create a Google Sheets choice board. Make a copy for each student so they can check off their choices and level up. Use alicekeeler.com/badgegame to make a copy of the template. Note, I have formulas all over the spreadsheet, be careful not to delete them or the board breaks.

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The Most Popular Ways to Share Google Drive Files and Templates with Students

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The Most Popular Ways to Share Google Drive Files and Templates with Students

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Seesaw creates a powerful learning loop between students, teachers, and families

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5 Reasons to Use DIGITAL Choice Boards in the Classroom

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5 Reasons to Use Digital Choice Boards in the Classroom: Personalize learning with digital choice boards and activities. Great way to integrate technology into the classroom while providing a rich learning experience for a variety of learners. Digital differentiation! Think of it like a hyperdoc or…

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Differentiated Instruction

Elementary students have a better chance of showing what they've learned when they have a choice about how to show it.

©Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

Most classrooms are filled with students of varying academic abilities. Even within a gifted and talented classroom like mine, the ability levels can range drastically. As teachers strive to meet each student's individual needs, differentiation is key because it's about giving more opportunities for students to grow to their highest potential, and it is beneficial for all students.

In the digital era, we can provide all of our students with technological ways to enhance their learning, no matter their academic label. Every student is different and needs to be offered a variety of ways to show what they've learned in a way that reflects their individuality.

One way to differentiate within the curriculum is to provide students with choices for completing an assignment. Students learn in various ways, and we can let them show their learning in various ways. When I give my students a choice on how they'll complete a project, they have to meet certain criteria, but I allow them to find an outlet they find most enjoyable, such as creating a Google Slides presentation, a trifold board, or a pamphlet. Giving students a choice allows them to take ownership of their learning as well as create a product that feels authentic to them. They work on something that they're good at creating, or try something they want to get better at.

An excellent way to ensure differentiation is to have each student create an e-portfolio-a technology-based assessment tool that collects a student's authentic work samples, providing a quick way for a teacher to assess growth and skills. In a sense, the e-portfolio is a window into a student's learning, one that allows the student to choose what to include.

An e-portfolio can follow the student across grades, too. And once the time is spent creating one, the process of adding content becomes easier and quicker as the student adds to it in later grades. Since e-portfolios offer a way for students to show authentic learning, they allow students to exhibit their individual growth through their academic experiences.

Differentiating by Giving Choices

The best way to differentiate instruction is to give students a choice in how they show their learning. All students learn in their own way, and they need to be able to show their individual skills and interests. As long as they're able to demonstrate a certain skill, assessment should be more about the process than the product.

Giving choices may seem like more work for the teacher, and it can be, but it's also worthwhile because it encourages more students to take more ownership of their learning.

Adding a technology component to an assignment can drastically increase student engagement, especially if they haven't been given such options in the past. Using a novel app, such as Flipgrid, adds an element of fun while also giving students practice with tech skills.

But technology is not the only way to provide choice-try using choice boards, which provide students with many options for presenting content. Students may present the water cycle stages in a song, for example, or create a comic that lays out those stages. Such choices can be fun for the students, and can show teachers hidden talents their students possess that they wouldn't see otherwise.

Differentiating With Portfolios

Few applications offer the opportunity for students to reflect on their learning, but pushing students to do that is important in getting them to think about how they learn best and take an active role in their own learning. Quick assessment applications such as Flipgrid and Kahoot allow for student reflection, but the e-portfolio-which showcases an individual student's personality-is even better.

With e-portfolios, students reflect on their learning while putting their own mark on their assignments. Students are able to showcase their learning and the process they used to create their final product while individualizing it with their likes and interests.

A teacher may require some items to be present-such as name, class section, pictures of hobbies, or content-related materials-but seeing the ways that students make the e-portfolio their own is what a teacher wants. The e-portfolio is a tool that students can use to express their thinking in a way that is unique to them.

Teachers can assess e-portfolios to measure growth and skills instead of just knowledge of course content. Students are able to take ownership of what they have learned, choose how they present the content, and take control of their learning.

Differentiating allows students to have their voice heard, which can lead them to become self-motivated learners. And that in turn can help increase both their learning growth and their self-awareness of that growth.

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Elementary students have a better chance of showing what they're learning when they have a choice about how to show it.

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It's important to give students influence over how and what they learn in the classroom. But not all choices are equal. Teachers should structure learning scenarios that equip students with opportunities to strengthen their autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Giving student real choices in the classroom - having to do with the material they study, the assignments they complete, the peers with whom they work, and so on - can boost their engagement and motivation, allow them to capitalize on their strengths, and enable them to meet their individual learning needs. But, like most teaching strategies, the structuring of choices for students can go very well, and it can go very badly - the nuances make all the difference.

Teachers need to understand how individuals and groups of students are likely to respond to any given opportunity to make consequential choices about the goals, activities, and experiences they wish to pursue in the classroom. To illustrate, we describe three cases in which high school mathematics teachers presented their students with choices. (Although these three vignettes feature secondary math classrooms, we argue that their lessons can generalize to other settings and subject areas.) We begin with the case of Ms. R, who found that when she gave her students a specific choice to make, she saw noticeably improved engagement in learning. Next, we describe the case of Ms. C, who provided a similar choice to her students but was disappointed with their response. We then discuss the ways in which students' feelings determined how they responded to the given choices, and we describe a third case, which illustrates how teachers can structure choices that are likely to support student engagement.
The Case of Ms. R - Choice improving student engagement
Once a week, Ms. R gave students in her Algebra I class a choice of activities to work on. On these "work days," as students called them, Ms. R offered a set of three to four activities. Each student could select the activity that featured the skill that they thought they needed to work on the most. Before implementing these work days, Ms. R was concerned that students might not use their time wisely, so she made sure to give them plenty of work to do, including supplemental practice problems.

Initially, when she introduced the work days, students found it difficult to choose an activity. Ms. R believed this was because students had little experience making choices in school, and they were in the habit of letting their teachers make all the decisions. Thus, she made it a priority to teach them, explicitly, how to choose an appropriate activity.

By the third week, students were comfortable selecting activities and were productive in their work. Ms. R was pleasantly surprised to observe that her students spent more time helping each other and even policing each other's behavior, calling out peers whose behavior was distracting or who weren't being productive. Overall, she found that students knew what they needed to work on and when they needed help, and they used their time accordingly. This meant students spent more time on-task and asked for her help less often. As a result, Ms. R. was able to spend more time checking on students' progress and helping those who genuinely needed her assistance. Ms. R was happy to learn she could trust students to make positive choices.
The Case of Ms. C - Choice not improving student engagement
In her Algebra I class, Ms. C offered a choice activity that appeared to similar to the one that Ms. R offered, only the result was quite different. During a unit on inequalities, she presented students with four problem sets (each consisting of eight problems), each one pegged to a certain level of difficulty. They should each choose one or two problems from two of the four levels, she explained, advising students to choose problems based on their self-assessment of their readiness for each level.

By the end of class, Ms. C was disappointed with her students. Most were treating the problems like busywork, rushing through them without giving them much thought. Further, most students picked problems from the easiest two levels, even though Ms. C knew that some of them were ready to work at levels three and four.

What makes choices engaging? Autonomy, competence, and relatedness Judging by the research literature on choice in the classroom, itǯs not unusual to see the very different outcomes experienced by Ms. R and Ms. C - some studies show that choice positively influences student motivation and learning (e.g., Assor, Kaplan, & Roth, 2002), while others indicate that choice has either no or even a negative effect (e.g.,D'Ailly, 2004). To explain these conflicting outcomes, psychologists Idit Katz and Avi Assor (2006) have argued that what matters most isn't the kind of choice given to students but, rather, how students perceive the choice provided to them: When students associate feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness with choice, then choice is most likely to result in beneficial outcomes, such as student engagement.

Students feel autonomous when they understand the value or relevance of a task, particularly if they believe that the task aligns with their values, interests, and goals. It comes not just from participating in the process of choosing but, rather, from having a sense that the choice is personally meaningful. Students must see real differences in the importance or relevance of the choices at hand, and they must find at least one option to be worth choosing. In short, while Ms. R and Ms. C each gave students a choice of tasks, there was something about the set of choices that Ms. R created that made her students feel that those choices were meaningfully different. Evidently, Ms. C's students did not feel this way.
Competence
Students feel competent when they believe they know what to do to be successful and feel capable of mastering challenges. To engender competence, students must perceive choosing the task and doing the selected work as appropriately difficult. When people are confronted with too many choices or believe the selection process is too complex, they opt for an easier choice method such as choosing a default, choosing randomly, choosing not to choose, or letting someone else choose for them. Teachers, then, must make the selection process appropriate for students in terms of the number of choices and the ways in which students are expected to choose.

Students feel competent when they believe they know what to do to be successful and feel capable of mastering challenges.

Ms. R provided only three to four choices, she was explicit with her students that they choose activities they felt would best address their learning needs, and she made a point of providing explicit instruction in how to make good choices. In contrast, Ms. C told students to choose two out of four problem levels and then one to two problems out of eight problems in each level. This required two stages of choice, and it wasn't clear that students knew how to make a good choice at either of those stages. It seem likely that they were overwhelmed by the range of choices at hand, so they opted for the easiest choices they could make.

The other part of engendering competence is that students must be able to choose tasks that are appropriately challenging. That is, possible tasks should not all be too easy or too hard. In Ms. R's case, students appeared able to find tasks that engaged them and that they could successfully complete on their own or with help from peers or Ms. R. The problems in Ms. C's packet may have been similarly appropriate but perhaps due to the high cognitive demand of choosing from among 32 problems, most students did not find problems best suited for them.
Relatedness
A sense of relatedness stems from feeling close to people or a sense of belonging in a group. Choice can influence student's feelings of relatedness differently depending on their beliefs. Students with more collectivist beliefs value relationships and making contributions to group efforts and can see individual choice as a threat to group harmony. Students with more hierarchical beliefs value the role of authority figures and can see choice as a threat to acceptance from people in authority, such as teachers. People with individualistic beliefs value personal goals over group goals and tend to value choice as a means of demonstrating independence and expressing individuality. However, choice can undermine a sense of relatedness for students with individualistic beliefs if they perceive their choices could lead to rejection, humiliation, or teasing. Ms. R gave students choices that did not seem to interfere with, and possibly supported, students' sense of relatedness as they worked more closely on "work days" than on other days. But students' sense of relatedness in Ms. C's classroom is not clear because she provided the choice for only one day, and students didn't appear to perceive the choice as supporting autonomy or competence.
Learning from choice outcomes
So, how might Ms. C learn from her disappointing experience in providing choices to her students? First, she could have conjectured why students might not have associated feelings of autonomy, competence, or relatedness with the choice she provided them. Reasoning as described above, she might hypothesize that the process of choice was too complex, and students might not have had good strategies for choosing appropriate problems. To check her thinking and get more ideas, Ms. C could then ask students why they responded to the worksheet as they did. For instance, she might ask:

Why did you pick only levels one and two?

Why did you do only one problem at each level instead of two?

Did you find the problems helpful to do? Why or why not?

What might have made this activity better for you to practice solving problems involving inequalities?

Students are often quite insightful about their learning needs. In talking with students, teachers might find that the fundamental structure of the choice they provided the students was not conducive for students' feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. However, like Ms. R, teachers might find that changing the choice structure is not necessary; instead what is needed is helping students understand the rationale for the choice and how to productively make choices. And, of course, improving choice may involve some combination of changing the choice structure along with educating students about how to use choice to learn.

Students who associate a choice with feeling autonomous, competence, and in relationship with others are more likely to be engaged with the learning.

Next, we provide one more case to show a different choice structure, how this choice related to students' feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and the type of student engagement choice can foster. Student engagement can sometimes be garnered by providing relatively small and simple choices to students. The case of Ms. H illustrates this.
The Case of Ms. H - Small choice, big engagement
Every day, Ms. H prepared two warm-up problems, each with the same mathematical content but situated in different contexts - for example, one problem might have to do with hiking and the other with flying. The two contexts were always on the board, and during the first minute of class, students were allowed to vote for the one that interested them. In order to make sure that they could vote, some students began to arrive to class early, and overall, the number of students who were late went down. The motivation to select a context carried over into actually doing the warm-up problem. According to Ms. H, all students began to actively engage in doing the warm-up, which had not occurred before she began offering students the choice of contexts.

After the first week of voting for the warm-up problem context, students asked Ms. H if they could suggest contexts. Ms. H agreed and students put suggestions in a hat, from which she drew contexts for the next day's warm-up. After two weeks of doing the warm-up voting, Ms. H tried to stop, but students loudly objected, so Ms. H continued providing the choice. Tardies continued to remain low, and student engagement in the warm-up problems remained high.

The success of Ms. H's warm-up context choice can be explained by its influence on students' feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Students' feelings of autonomy were likely fostered because most students found at least one context meaningful to them, which was probably strengthened when students began suggesting contexts. Students likely felt competent making this choice because choosing was relatively simple, and the actual warm-up problem appeared appropriately challenging for most students, as indicated by their level of engagement. The fact that students worked productively on whichever warm-up problem was selected suggests the choice did not interfere with students' sense of relatedness. Thus, Ms. H's experience demonstrates that relatively simple choices can foster the key feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and consequently even simple choices can improve student engagement.
Conclusion
Teachers have described to us any number of ways in which they provide choice to students, including giving them opportunities to choose work partners, seating arrangements, homework problems, assessment problems, and ways of being assessed.

Like Ms. R, many teachers are initially concerned that students will not respond well to having choices. Ms. R addressed her concern by making sure to have plenty of work available for students to do; other teachers make it a point to be explicit with students about why they are providing choices, and they request student feedback on whether they value the choice. Whatever strategy they choose, though, teachers can increase the likelihood their students will value choice by analyzing how students associate feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness with the choice provided them. While this might take some trial and error, finding the right choice structures for students can be a powerful tool for fostering student engagement.
References
Assor, A., Kaplan, H., & Roth, G. (2002). Choice is good but relevance is excellent: Autonomy affecting teacher behaviors that predict students' engagement in learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 261-278.

D'Ailly, H. (2004). The role of choice in children's learning: A distinctive cultural and gender difference in efficacy, interest, and effort. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 36, 17-29.

Katz, I. & Assor, A. (2007). When choice motivates and when it does not. Educational Psychology Review, 19 (4), 429-444.

Citation: Parker, F., Novak, J, & Bartell, T. (2017). To engage students, give them meaningful choices in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan 99 (2), 37-41.

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To engage students, give them meaningful choices in the classroom - kappanonline.org

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It's important to give students meaningful choices about how and what they learn. But not all choices are equal.

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How to Make a Choice Board in Google Slides

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160 Learning Menus and Choice Boards ideas in 2023 | choice boards, student choice, teaching

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Jul 18, 2023 - Learning menus and Choice Boards are incredibly effective ways to incorporate student choice and to differentiate learning. And with digital tools like G Suite for Education, it’s super easy to make menus interactive, digital, and more dynamic! On this board, you’ll find tons of tips…

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Introduction to the Theory of Multiple Intelligence

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Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligence to challenge the idea that IQ tests measure an individual’s potential.

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I even shared some choice boards and ideas in my book, Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning From Static to Dynamic .

As a middle school language arts teacher, I began teaching the way I was taught-every student did the same thing at the same time.

But as I began to improve my craft and implement things like small group instruction, I learned that we could differentiate, offer choice, and have multiple learning opportunities happening at the same time-even in secondary.

You can listen to this guide in a podcast version, or scroll down to get all the content in the blog post and get the FREE eBook!

Scroll down to get this post in a FREE download!
In This Episode:
[00:28] - Kasey welcomes listeners to today's episode, and explains that its topic will be choice boards (specifically digital choice boards).

[02:43] - Today's shout out goes to Rudder Middle School in Northside ISD, in San Antonio, Texas!

Bring The Dynamic Learning Workshop and Coaching Package to Your School!

[07:46] - We hear an introduction to the meat of the episode, which is the teacher's guide to digital choice boards.

[09:51] - What exactly is a choice board, or a learning menu?

[11:19] - We learn about some of the benefits of using choice boards, and what they can offer students.

[13:13] - Kasey digs into what choice boards look like and explains that they can be as simple or creative as you like. She also talks about how versatile they can.

[15:13] - Are choice boards and hyperdocs the same thing?

[16:11] - We hear about some of the types of learning menus, such as a simple list, a bingo board, or a restaurant-style menu.

[17:28] - Kasey talks about the tic-tac-toe choice board, which is one of her favorites.

[18:36] - The lesson design for choice boards is something that Kasey has learned the hard way, she points out. She then explains three things that you should notice on her tic-tac-toe templates.

[23:36] - Kasey gives an example of how her color-coding could work, and talks about the option of making the middle square a free option (pending teacher approval, of course).

[26:22] - Kasey talks listeners through the tic-tac-toe templates that she's sharing today.

[31:16] - There are many other options for designing choice boards, Kasey points out; they don't have to be tic-tac-toe style!

[33:48] - Kasey mentions a few other types of learning menus.

[36:53] - Kasey chats about some project ideas that can go onto a choice board.

[39:31] - We hear some final tips on choice boards.
The Google Certified Educator Level 1 Academy The Google Certified Educator Level 2 Academy Become a Google Certified Trainer Online Course
Podcast Question of the Week:

[42:01] - Ready for the podcast question of the week? Here you go: where can you begin integrating choice boards in your classroom? What choices will you give? How will you assess the learning? Post your answers in the Shake Up Learning community or on your favorite social platform.

[42:38] - Kasey talks about how she can help with the Google Certification process through her three online courses:

[45:05] - Thanks so much for tuning in! Don't forget to subscribe so you can hear a new episode each week, and please leave a review (bonus points for using the word "y'all"!) so other teachers can find the podcast.

The Teacher's Guide to Digital Choice Boards

This is a very in-depth (and long) blog post and podcast episode.

To make things easier, I have put the guide into a FREE download!

What is a Choice Board?

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICE!

Choice boards are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities.

Learning menus and choice boards can be created in a variety of styles and mediums.

They've been around for a long time and originated in a static, paper format.

With digital tools, we can bring the menus to life with interactivity and creation.

Why Use Choice Boards?

"...at its core, differentiated instruction means addressing ways in which students vary as learners." - Carol Ann Tomlinson

Choice boards provide students with flexible learning paths to the learning goal. Every student has different strengths, learning styles, and interests, and choice boards allow us to reach more learners in new and different ways.

Choice boards help teachers differentiate. There are many ways to differentiate for our students. Providing choice allows us to give students a voice in their own learning. It's student centered!

What Do Choice Boards Look Like

Choice boards can be a simple list, tic-tac-toe or bingo-style game, or get as creative and intricate as you like.

Where and When Should We Use Choice Boards?

Choice boards are incredibly versatile!

Choice boards Can Be Used with Any Age Group

Choice boards Can Be Used in Any Subject Area

Choice boards Can Be Used for Short Activities or Big Projects

Are Choice Boards and Hyperdocs the Same Thing?

No, but they could be part of a Hyperdoc assignment.

A Choice Board is merely a menu of choices from which students can choose.

A Hyperdoc is a complete packaged assignment that also meets some additional criteria.

A Hyperdoc doesn't have to include choice, but it could.

Types of Learning Menus

See more ideas in this blog post: Interactive Learning Menus with G Suite .

The Tic-Tac-Toe Choice Board (MY FAVE!)

Simple but effective

Great for daily activities, as well as long-term projects.

It is not overwhelming with just three choices.

Easily create a Tic-Tac-Toe in Google Docs or Google Slides by inserting a table.

Choice Board Lesson Design

The first thing my eighth graders did when I gave them a choice board was to try to figure out which choices were the "easiest."

If you design your choice board with some thought and meaning, there will not be an easy way out!
1. I number the boxes.
Yes, some activities take longer than others, so keep that in mind and try to balance the choices evenly.
2. I use the middle square as my non-negotiable.
But, most importantly, design each activity to meet the learning goal!
3. I color-code the boxes to align with how they make their choices.
When you look at my Tic-Tac-Toe templates, you will notice three things.

Numbering the choices gives you and your students an easy reference.

There is usually at least one thing you want every student to do-read an article, watch a video, write a paragraph, etc. This will also control how they make their tic-tac-toe when it contains the middle square. Now, they are only making two choices which is also less-overwhelming.

Students choose one option from the blue section and one option from the yellow section. This can also help you with lesson design. Each color can align with a different learning goal. For instance, blue can be research, discovery, and inquiry; then yellow could be creating based on that learning. Or they could all be summative projects.
Google Docs Tic-Tac-Toe Template
Another option is to make the middle square a FREE choice where students propose their own project, activity, or tool pending teacher approval. This is not something I would recommend for first-timers, but for students and teachers who are experienced with choice boards.
Assigning in Google Classroom
I would recommend making each option not only aligned with the learning goal but also at the same level of Bloom's or Depth of Knowledge (DOK). This will help ensure balance in the activities.

Tic-Tac-Toe Choice Board Templates

It is super easy to create a table in Google Docs! (If you don't want to create your own, you can use my template below.)
Google Slides Tic-Tac-Toe Template
Typically, students do not need to edit a choice board. Most choice boards (not all_ are designed to be "read-only." If assigning in Google Classroom, simply attach from Google Drive and use "students can view the file."
Assigning in Google Classroom
You know I love Slides! Slides can also give you the option for a read-only directions document, but consider a slide deck to add a slide for each rubric and additional information.

If you are just sharing directions, assign and attach from Google Drive and use "students can view the file." Alternatively, if you give students their own copy, you can also have them select their choices on the slide by marking or highlighting in a different color, and even link to their creations.
Other Tic-Tac-Toe Templates Quick G Suite Tips:
Get Creative with Choice Boards

There are many ways to design choice boards. The Tic-Tac-Toe is just a jumping off point.

My friend, Tommy Spall, from Brenham ISD in Brenham, Texas, has shared many creative learning menus, one of which is even featured in my book, Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning From Static to Dynamic .

Tommy's Digital Learning Menu for Student Creation

In this Google Slides menu, you will find several tools from which students can choose in a restaurant-style menu. Tommy also included rubrics!
Fortnite Menu for Student Creation
In this menu, students choose where to drop on the Fortnite map!

Multiple Intelligences Menu

Consider how you can use these ideas to develop a Multiple Intelligences Menu in your content area.

The example below shows lots of options in each square. Use this as inspiration and create your own. There are too many choices on this board, and it would overwhelm students. Stick to one option per square!

Credit: https://indulgy.com/source/mrsestblog.blogspot.com

BINGO Style Choice Board

Amber is an elementary principal in Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas. Although her example was designed for teachers to avoid the summer slide, it can easily be adapted into choices appropriate for students.

Remember too many choices can overwhelm so keep these short and sweet!

Consider a BINGO board for brain breaks or enrichment activities to work on over a longer period of time, 6-week period, or semester.

Using the 4 C's in Learning Menus

How are you integrating the 4 C's in your curriculum?

Where do you have opportunities to integrate the 4 C's?

The 4 C's Digital Learning Menu can help you find ideas and push deeper.

Use the link below the image to get your copy of the template and the teacher's guide so you can customize for your classroom.

Choice Board Product Ideas

Are you looking for ideas to get students creating with choice boards?

Don't just use the ideas in the templates, choose the RIGHT activity for your students and learning goals.

Below is a list of some project ideas to get you started.

Rubrics

Using student friendly rubrics are really important! The purpose of a rubric is not for teachers to grade, but to communicate expectations.

Consider the possibility that you may need multiple rubrics depending on the goal of the choice board.

Rubrics should focus on the content goals, not the technology.

The number of images and transitions in a presentation is not what should be evaluated, but the content and learning targets.

Be careful that you aren't using a choice board because it was an easy, free download. Does it align with your learning goals?

Choice Board Tips

Again, be careful that your choice board isn't driven by technology; make sure it aligns with your learning goals!

The purpose of a digital choice board shouldn't be just to integrate technology, but to leverage technology to engage learning and help them reach those goals!

Start small! Students who have never been given a choice will be overwhelmed by too many options.

And, as much as we like to think that students will love having a choice, many will not. They are used to playing the game of school where there is one correct answer.

The high-achievers will want you to tell them which choices to pick.

The students who just want to get their work done will look for an easy way out. Make sure they don't have one!

Additional Resources

Meaningful Menus FREE PDF (from Laurie Westphal )
Kasey's Pinterest Board
Laurie has learning menu books available for different subject areas and grade levels!
Shake Up Learning Differentiation Resources
Click here to see her Learning Menu books . (Too many to list!)
Books by Laurie Westphal: Recommended Books on Differentiation by Carol Ann Tomlinson How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners Understanding Differentiated Instruction (Quick Reference Guide)
Get this ENTIRE post in a FREE eBook!
Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom (Use Brain-Based Learning and Neuroeducation to Differentiate Instruction)
© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.
Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom (Professional Development) Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design: Connecting Content and Kids

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The Teacher's Guide to Digital Choice Boards - SULS008

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I even shared some choice boards and ideas in my book, Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning From Static to Dynamic . As a middle school language arts teacher, I began teaching the way I was taught-every student did the same thing at the same time.

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Professional development courses for teachers created by expert educators We offer flexible classes that address the needs of teachers and schools to support today's classrooms and increase student success Sign Up for Free For School Districts Live

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Our StickTogether webinar on September 21 was so much fun! Brianna and I welcome our friends, Zee Ann and Connie, to talk about Bringing Literacy, Learning and Creativity to Life With STEAM.

You will find the recording of the webinar here in the StickTogether YouTube Channel.

And the webinar Google Slides can be found here.

You will love what they shared and gain so many ideas to take back to your classrooms, libraries and school communities.

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"A choice board is a graphic organizer that allows students to choose how they will learn a concept. The choice board below has nine squares. (There is no minimum or maximum, however nine seems to be a good number.) Inside each square is an activity. Students can choose one or several activities to complete. Choice boards can be organized so students need to finish one square before moving to the next, they can be random, or can be organized in a specific way. The level of difficulty of the activities can vary or stay consistent."

Tic-Tac-Toe Boards and Menus are two different types of choice boards.

"A menu offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A menu could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study. Once the teacher has decided on what the essential understandings and/or skills are, she/he can begin to create a menu."

"Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards give students the opportunity to participate in multiple tasks that allow them to practice skills they've learned in class or to demonstrate and extend their understanding of concepts. From the board, students either choose or are assigned three adjacent or diagonal tasks to complete.

Choice boards address student readiness, interest, or learning preferences. They are easily adapted to a subject area."

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Choice Boards, Menus, & Tic-Tac-Toe by Sarah Dillard

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NWEA: Advancing learning outcomes for all kids

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Motivating students can be a challenge even in the most structured, unimpeded learning environments. But in this one, with COVID-19 upsetting the balance of normal instruction, it can be far more complex.

Faced with long hours of repetitive virtual learning, students might be more apt to tune out than tune in to teachers. They might be unwilling to challenge themselves or simply shut down if they feel unchallenged or face barriers to learning, such as poor internet connectivity or have slower devices.

Even those who begin the year with in-person learning are facing wholly different, distracting classroom settings and might be worried more about safety and adhering to school-mandated protocols than showing enthusiasm for their subjects. And a bigger problem: many of them fell behind when learning all but stopped during the spring.

The role schools and educators play this year in helping students get the most out of themselves and their work might be its most important yet. If they can help kids leap over those myriad obstacles and inspire them to learn and grow, anything is possible.

"Every student deserves the opportunity to feel successful during this time," said Chase Nordengren, senior research scientist for NWEA, an organization that supports nearly 10,000 schools and educators in 146 countries. "For some students, returning to grade-level proficiency may not be realistic this year. Students above grade level must also continue to find opportunities to learn and grow."

The NWEA, which has conducted a pair of research projects on learning loss and the impact of learning during the pandemic, said a tried-and-true method for getting the most out of students still works.

"Goal setting is a key strategy for reaching all students by finding opportunities for challenge and success at every level of proficiency," Nordengren says. "With academic targets that are short-term, relevant, and independent, they can recognize the fruits of their labor in ways that keep them motivated to learn more."
Five strategies to bolster students
In its most recent work "Goal Setting Is a Key Element to Mitigating COVID-19-Related Impacts on Learning", the NWEA says teachers will play a big part in ensuring that goals can be achieved for all students - the ones who did well during abbreviated virtual learning in March, April and May as well as those who struggled to either meet targets or simply couldn't reach them because of inhibiting variables.

At the heart of its message is this: motivation can be a linchpin for students to take ownership of their own learning. Teachers can help push this along, the NWEA says, by working alongside students to "examine past learning, set short-term targets for additional learning, and plan the specific academic and social-emotional steps needed to get there."

In its guidance and through its own research, Nordengren and the NWEA have offered these five strategies that can help educators reach and motivate students in both in-person and remote learning environments:

1. Start Early: Goal setting should start as early as kindergarten. While students may not be ready to set individual academic goals, teachers can set classroom wide goals for behavior and skill development.

2. Do it Often: Short-term goals, usually lasting no longer than four to six weeks, enable frequent check-ins with students. This allows the frequent revision of goals based on student progress, preventing students from feeling discouraged.

3. Make it Visual: Developing a variety of visual tools and artifacts help solidify a goal-setting culture. For example, utilizing the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) acronym to write an effective goal.

4. Make it Relevant: Do student goals match up with the learning goals for their grade, development level, and them as a person?

5. Center Student Choice. And finally, student ownership of learning is maximized where students feel a sense of agency and choice.

Chris Burt is a reporter and editor for District Administration. He can be reached at cburt@lrp.com

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5 strategies to give students an edge, even in pandemic

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Motivating students can be a challenge even in the most structured, unimpeded learning environments. But in this one, with COVID-19 upsetting the balance of normal instruction, it can be far more complex. Faced with long hours of repetitive virtual learning, students might be more apt to tune out than tune in to teachers.

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Shannon M Miller

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It's so much fun celebrating special events throughout the year with our students in the library, classrooms and even while learning at home. There are many events coming up over the next few months and one that we are most excited about is National Crayon Day!

Each year, on March 31st children and adults alike, pick up their favorite colors for National Crayon Day. Opening up a box of crayons opens up a world of imagination and hours of fun. Wax and chalk-based crayons have been used by artists around the world for centuries.

We can't wait to celebrate and this year we plan to make it a celebration for our entire school community, preschool to 12th grade.

As we get ready for National Crayon Day, one of my favorite ways to celebrate special events, and for our students to learn about these topics, is through books.

I have gathered together a wonderful collection that I can't wait to share with our students and teachers as we celebrate National Crayon Day and creativity. And being a preschool to 12th grade school community, it's fun to share picture books and nonfiction with all of them in fun and engaging ways.

Our friends at Follett even put together a list in special Crayon Day Titlewave Booklist for all of us to use. I found lots of great new ones to add to our collection from this list.

One of my new favorites is The Crayon Man...The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons.

When I look for new titles on Titlewave, I love it when I see Free Teaching Resources available for download.

The one included in Titlewave with The Crayon Man is amazing!

It's 27 pages of ideas, resources, activities and more for teachers, librarians, families and of course, our kids.

And remember, Titlewave is perfect for teachers too. With so many great ideas and resources, it's a wonderful teacher tool and one that can be used while planning and collaborating too.

I also created a choice board, Let's Celebrate National Crayon Day.

You will find the Let's Celebrate National Crayon Day Choice Board link to share with your students here. If you would like to make changes, you can make a copy here.

It is filled with lots of fun resources and interactive activities for all learners.

It includes activities too.

You will find them here on the KidLitTV site.

I used Collections by Destiny® to create a collection of Crayon Activities, Resources and Fun For National Crayon Day that you will find here.

With tons of science, craft and STEM ideas and projects, I have been collaborating with our teachers and students on how we will celebrate at our school.

One thing we are doing (and several weeks early to give families time) is collecting used crayons. I used this little graphic on social media and in our online newsletters. Teachers also printed it off and sent it home with students.

It's been so much fun watching them bring in their used crayons and even more fun...

...seeing what they create!

There is a lot more to come on what is happening at our school. You can catch these ideas on the March 10, 2021 episode of Teachers Ask: New Ways To Use Old Crayons.

I can't wait to share ideas with all of you in this Crayola Education Facebook Event. You can join us here.

This year, more than ever, our students, teachers and school communities need chances to be creative, innovative and have fun. No matter where students are, at school or at home, Crayon Day is a special way to kick off creativity all throughout the year.

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Let's Celebrate National Crayon Day With Special Activities, Books, a Choice Board and Collections by Destiny®

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A library and education blog and place to be heard through creating, technology, connecting, reading, collaborating and noise.

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Shannon M. Miller

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April 2021 Choice Board To Share (PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next for Earth Day) 

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Our April Choice Board Learn about and celebrate special events in April Coding Making Technology Fun Where reading, learning, making, coding, technology and singing can take you on adventures all month long! Play Recycle Roundup to learn about and practice your recycling skills for Earth Day. Pl...