Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn: The Key to Student Motivation and Achievement

by Mike Anderson

Offering students choices about their learning, says author Mike Anderson, is one of the most powerful ways teachers can boost student learning, motivation, and achievement. In his latest book, Anderson offers numerous examples of choice in action, ideas to try with different students, and a step-by-step process to help you plan and incorporate choice into your classroom. You'll explore

* What effective student choice looks like in the classroom.
* Why it's important to offer students choices.
* How to create learning environments, set the right tone for learning, and teach specific skills that enable choice to work well.

When students have more choices about their learning, they can find ways of learning that match their personal needs and be more engaged in their work, building skills and work habits that will serve them well in school and beyond. This teacher-friendly guide offers everything you need to help students who are bored, frustrated, or underperforming come alive to learning through the fundamental power of choice.

Genres: Education, Professional Development, Nonfiction, School

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2016

About the author

Mike Anderson is an award-winning teacher and the author of many books about great teaching and learning including. A classroom teacher for 15 years and a Responsive Classroom consultant for many years, Mike now serves as an independent consultant working with teachers and schools around the US and beyond. He supports educators on a variety of topics which include blending social-emotional learning with daily academics, implementing choice as a vehicle for differentiation, and using language that supports positive behavior and joyful learning. Mike lives with his wonderful family in Durham, NH and can often be seen running through the trails of College Woods or pulling weeds in his perennial gardens.

Reviews

[Kerry O'Grady]

I appreciate the research to support the practical strategies.

[Kelly]

I have always believed in student choice and voice; it empowers learners and this empowerment leads to them learning more, boosting their confidence. Choice motivates learners, allows them to match their learning to their individual needs, and boosts engagement. Anderson offers many examples to help us see how we can include more choice in our classes. We have heard that differentiated instruction is important in our teaching, but this book will also help us to understand that giving students choice provides differentiated learning which puts more emphasis on students actively pursuing their learning. Anderson explains all of this well, and he synthesizes his many trainings into an easy to read book that offers great support.

[Brent Newhall]

This book combines both theory and practice around introducing more choice into the classroom. Thankfully, it doesn't advocate choice as ideal in all circumstances--kindergartners need some structure--but it makes a good case for the stark lack of choice in most educational settings, and provides practical guidance on adding more choice. For example, when assigning a project to complete, instead of requiring all students to present on the same subject, give the students a choice between several different subjects. Very useful.

[Anthony]

This book tackles the importance of choice and how it impacts student growth. Mike Anderson skillfully describes the how, when, and why infusing choice into your classroom build the positive culture and helps student learning.

[Solange Guillen]

Directed to teachers but could grasp great ideas to apply at home.

[Brittnay]

I think this book has some great advice for newer teachers. Allowing students to make choices in the classroom can have a huge impact on learning! I loved how this book gave examples on how and when to allow students to have more of a say and when to have more structure.

[Akkire55]

I feel like my typical review style doesn't fit a professional development read like this one....wah!
There's no narrative (other than that all students can learn) and it is more a how-to guide. Very practical and very applicable to my pedagogy and practices.

[Oona]

Read it a little bit at a time -- obviously! Useful to incorporate a little bit at a time too.

[Kris Patrick]

This landed in my work mailbox with someone else's name on it... so I figured I could read quickly before putting in her in mailbox. I've now decided that probably wasn't very cool of me. Oh well.

Heinemann didn't accept me to their Fellowship program so I'm taking a break from their texts. Take that, Heinemann! hiiiyah

[Jill]

This book was a summer reading for school, and it was helpful as we progress with personalized learning. It honed in on choose, do, review. It touched on mindsets, metacognition, and providing constructive feedback, which are all key to providing student choice. The book provided scenarios and examples which were easy to identify with as a teacher.

[Read Ribbet]

Concept (use choice to motivate) is somewhat obvious and simplifies the complexity of the affective dimension of learning, but there are good practical ideas about supporting learners with some good suggestions for rethinking language in classrooms.

[Nicole Pearce-rummel]

Anderson offers some great guidance for newer teachers. For those already providing some choice, I think there are some other books that go deeper.

[Mills College Library]

370.154 A5484 2016

[Tiffany]

Great resource for the choice-based classroom