Through the review of the variety of resources including my textbooks and peer-reviewed articles I have found that my research supports my original assumption that offering choice in the classroom is beneficial to student learning by engaging students in their own learning process even in small ways. In the search for sources, nothing related directly related to the benefits of informing students of what they will be doing during the day but my experience in the classroom showed me what a positive effect this can have on student engagement and stamina. Research and my own observations in a second-grade classroom has confirmed my question of how choice and informing students of what they will be doing can impact learning.
There was a wealth of information surrounding the topic of giving students choice in numerous domains such as during instruction, in the physical environment, behavior, and reading. From these articles and witnessing how choice impacts learning in a second-grade classroom, it is apparent that choice is an essential and low-effort way for teachers to encourage engagement, incorporate differentiation, and give students the chance to be responsible for their actions and learning. In my classroom I was able to witness the significant impact on how choices can impact students demonstrating behavior problems. A student who frequently became frustrated was better able to handle and begin dealing with emotions when given a choice rather than when told to do something. This student also did better behaviorally and academically when given some autonomy over where to work or with who. Choice was a powerful tool for this student that encouraged him to make better decisions.
Despite the lack of research on informing students, I have witnessed in my tutoring lessons how essential informing students of what they have to do during a certain time of day can increase their stamina and their engagement. At times when my tutee was uninterested in what we were doing, it helped the student to know exactly what we had to do before we could go back to the whole group. When incorporating this strategy when he wasn’t feeling committed it helped to make the task(s) more manageable mentally and emotionally and helped him to power through the aspects that he wasn’t enjoying that day. In the end, our lessons together were far more successful when I used this strategy rather than just asking him to push on or ending the lesson short.
With this new knowledge of my research and personal findings I have seen the value of giving students insight to their learning by giving students choices and informing them of expectations. My future classroom will incorporate both aspects in numerous ways in the classroom. Giving students clear insight to what they will be learning can help them to better understand and be better able to learn and behave in an appropriate manner. Choice is a valuable resource that can be adapted to fit any need in the classroom, whether that be the physical environment or behavioral needs. Choice and informing students are free ways to improve the classroom and give students a chance to be included actively in their education. By incorporating these techniques, I will be able to help students develop into responsible, capable, and more independent students as the year goes on.