Creating Opportunities for Student Choice in Learning

The best way to teach brainstorming? Let students brainstorm your teaching approach. Today, our design thinking class at the University of Kentucky, TEK 300, "Teens and Screens," reached a pivotal moment. With midterms behind us and spring break over, we faced a critical question: How might we structure the remaining weeks to promote deeper understanding rather than just blasting through the steps of our semester-long project? Instead of deciding for our students, we chose to "eat our own dog food"(as they used to say at Apple). (HT Reinhold Steinbeck, charles kerns) We turned our students into users and co-designers through a structured brainwriting session focused on this challenge. The process was beautifully simple: • Students received worksheets with our "How Might We" question and a 3×5 grid • Everyone silently wrote initial ideas (one per box) in the first row • Sheets rotated three times, with each person building on or adding to previous ideas • We ended with a gallery walk and dot-voting to identify the strongest concepts In just 20 minutes, we generated over 50 unique ideas! The winner? Incorporating hands-on, interactive activities in every session that directly connect to that day's learning objectives. The meta-realization? We were already practicing the solution before formally adopting it. The brainwriting exercise itself exemplified exactly what our students told us they wanted more of. My teaching partner Ryan Hargrove immediately began storyboarding how we'll implement this approach, moving us closer to the collaborative learning journey we want to have with our students. We're moving from "Once upon a time..." (not as great as we could be...) to "Students designed..." (active participation), to "Now we really dig learning all this..." Your students already know what they need; your job is to create space for them to tell you. P.S. What teaching approaches have you transformed by inviting your students to become co-designers of their learning experience? #DesignThinking #HigherEducation #TeachingInnovation #BuildingInPublic #StudentCenteredLearning

Can you imagine starting the new year with... no screen time? Not anti-technology. Not disconnected. But what if every digital task had a non-digital alternative? Picture this: • A student demonstrating physics principles through dance • Another explaining historical events through handcrafted board games • Someone sharing their understanding of literature through original music • Mathematical concepts explored through sculpture and art • Scientific observations captured in detailed nature journals I've watched students light up when given the freedom to choose their medium: • The quiet artist who painted her way through biology • The musician who composed songs about chemical reactions • The builder who explained ecosystems through LEGO • The storyteller who turned math problems into adventure tales • The athlete who demonstrated geometric principles through movement Technology isn't the enemy- it's a tool. But when we make it the only path: • We limit creative expression • We overlook diverse talents • We miss opportunities for deeper engagement • We forget the power of hands-on learning • We undervalue multiple forms of intelligence What if this year, we measured mastery through: • Projects that spark joy • Creations that solve real problems • Expressions that speak to individual strengths • Demonstrations that celebrate diversity • Learning that lives beyond the screen The future isn't about choosing between digital and analog- it's about embracing all paths to understanding. This is personalized learning. What would you create if you could show your learning any way you choose? #LearningRevolution #CreativeLearning #Education2025 #StudentChoice #PersonalizedLearning

Differentiated instruction is an essential approach that adapts teaching methods to accommodate diverse learning styles, abilities, and needs. By tailoring lessons through varied strategies like flexible grouping, scaffolding, and personalized support, educators create more inclusive environments that enhance student engagement and comprehension. This approach fosters equity in education, ensuring every learner has access to meaningful learning experiences. When integrated into lesson planning, differentiated instruction proves highly effective, allowing educators to anticipate challenges, provide targeted interventions, and offer multiple pathways for success. It strengthens student self-awareness, deepens understanding, and cultivates a love for learning, ultimately leading to improved academic performance. Differentiated instruction takes many forms in the classroom, fostering engagement and personalized learning experiences. Here are a few examples: -Flexible Grouping: Students rotate between small groups based on their skill levels or learning preferences. For example, in a reading lesson, some groups may focus on phonics, while others dive into comprehension strategies. -Choice Boards: Students select activities based on their interests and learning styles. In a science lesson, one student may create an infographic, another might write a reflection, and another may complete a hands-on experiment. -Learning Stations: Different stations cater to diverse learning needs, such as a hands-on activity for tactile learners, a discussion-based station for verbal learners, and a digital exploration station for visual learners.

The revised #UDL Guidelines place an emphasis on cultivating learner agency, and Jigsaw activities are a powerful tool to achieve this. A jigsaw activity offers the opportunity to chunk instruction into four parts (think four sections in a chapter, four chapters in a text, four math problems, four vocabulary words, four steps in a process, or four stretches to learn in a physical education class). Instead of us, as educators, choosing how students are going to learn and share, we allow our students to decide how they will learn the materials and share they're learning with their peers (freeing up the opportunity for us to walk the room and spend more time working with our students). Through this activity, we are really optimizing the design of: - multiple means of engagement - multiple means of representation - multiple means of action and expression Gain more strategies for cultivating learner agency and save a copy of the resource: https://lnkd.in/ei_qmawW