Why is this important?

Practicing decision making encourages independence, and builds confidence.

What do I need to consider?

Consider the desired outcome for the lesson: allow some flexibility for students to achieve the objective.

Identify multiple opportunities for student choice-making in your lesson plan: 

• within choices – how to complete a particular activity
• when choices – the timing of activities, e.g., when to take a break or whether they spend 5 or 10 minutes on a preferred task
• where choices – the location of activities e.g. outside, under a tree or in the classroom
• whom choices – which students work together on an activity; whether they work in a pair or by themselves 

It can be easier to choose between a small number of options rather than having to find one from a seemingly endless array of potential options. 

Choose what the student/s will choose between. Offer a maximum of three possible choices. It is important that you provide choices equitable and task suitable.

You must be happy for students to choose any of the choices on offer.

By offering only choices that the teacher is happy with, the teacher remains in control of the class, but the students get a level of autonomy over the lesson. The student then feels they have control over their own choices, therefore reducing the need to act out to gain this control.

Examples 

• The objective of a lesson is for the students to write a three paragraph chapter. Allow students to choose where they do it: sitting at their desk, sitting on the floor, in the corridor outside the class. 
• There are two tasks in the lesson. These are not dependent on each other. Allow the students to choose which task they would prefer to do first.