1. Student Free Choice in the Mathematics Content Area
Leslie Johnson
Why did I choose free choice? What is it?

2. My topic Introduced to it in a college course
Students generally have no choice
Inspiration for teaching math
Drinks
Main course
Desserts
Graph around the room!
Survey classmates about favorite seasons
Addition graphing
Graphing spinner game
Graph the weather
Subtraction graphing
What my topic actually is: Whether it is involved in play or academics, what happens when free choice is implemented in the classroom? Sub questions include: What kinds of students benefit most (or do not benefit) from the option of free choice in the classroom, and specifically how does their learning benefit? What do my students think of free choice? Can free choice be used as an intervention tool to improve learning, interest, and academic achievement?
Menu choices
On a typical day – I would ask the students to choose one from drinks first, when the timer went off they would choose one activity from dinner, when the timer went off they would choose one from desserts – it varied based on how much time we had and how the students behaved – made all choices first
This example was at beginning of school year when they were had just learned about graphing and there wasn’t much else to review/focus on. Usually they were diversified for level and interest (drawing and writing etc), and also reviewed different topics such as the one reviewing addition and subtraction
Discuss other options such as writing a song, acting out a play, etc. eventually the content broadened as we learned more and students needed to review more

3. Context
Rural public elementary school in Shenandoah Valley, VA – 368 enrollment
Second grade class
13 boys, 7 girls
15 participated
Title 1 – 65% free and reduced lunch
16 white, 3 Hispanic, 1 African American
4 ESL
2 IEPs
Fall semester – 12 weeks, August-November

4. Data collection sources
Interviews/Questionnaires
Observation
Student work
Interviews with students and CT formal and informal
Explain questionnaire – placement as next slides?
Student work – grades
Coded into 3 categories for analysis

6. Literature Review Developmentally appropriate practice Social
Allows students to practice social and academic skills in varying learning styles (DiCarlo, Baumgartner, Stephens & Pierce, 2013).
Social
Management and problem solving techniques advanced, social hierarchies, how they choose to act (Wood, 2014)
Novelty and motivation
Motivated by novelty, skill, and interest (Edens & Potter, 2012)
Intervention
Create interest in low-interest activities or content
Providing particular kinds of learning experiences – autonomous exploration (Nayfeld, Brenneman & Gelman, 2011)
Wood focused on how students make decisions in particular and the kinds of opportunities that are presented . ALSO WHAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN TEACHERS ARE PLANNING
Nayfeld created interest
MORE details
REREAD STUDIES BEFORE PRESENTING AND ADD MORE DETAIL – ALSO DISCUSS WHAT THE LIT SAID

7. Decision making 6 times Initial opposition Decisions based on skill
Social
Findings
Choose what they know 75% choose graphing activity after we learned about it the day before
Modeling
Making friends

8. Finding – Children benefit
“You know, having a choice was kind of nice because we could start doing something and if we didn’t like it or if it was too hard we could just pick up something else.”
Benchmark test
Questionnaire
50% increase in interest and perceived skill
Social
Can’t solely determine benefits of free choice, however they can be considered related and the extra practice helped with benchmarks, etc
Leaders and followers and friendships

9. Intervention tool Unengaged students Learned subject matter
during centers
Assess what they know
Uninterested unengaged and did not have the knowledge

10. Findings – Free choice is not for all students
5 outliers
Making decisions
Remaining focused
Academic level
Student: “I can’t decide which one to go to.”
Teacher: “Why not?”
Student: “Well usually you give us something to do and I can do that, but I can’t decide on my own sometimes.”

11. Findings – Leveling
“[Student A] and [Student B] were lost. There has to be some way to direct them to work on the levels that fit them best, otherwise they fail to learn.”
Choice within a choice
Some choices are too big
Choice centers aren’t successful unless there’s an option for everyone
It all depends on the type of choice – sometimes a big choice such as which activity to complete can be too overwhelming
Student who struggled to make choices did have increasing scores throughout the more time choice was given and she got used to it – leading to next findding – iPad game ties into next slide

12. Findings – Practice & planning!
Reflecting on my own teaching – debriefing with CT
Modeling/expectations
Assisting decision making
Changing based on needs
Leveling

13. Discussion
Developmentally appropriate practice (DiCarlo, Baumgartner, Stephens & Pierce, 2013)
Motivational strategies and perceived skill (Edens & Potter, 2012)
Improving interest in low-interest areas (Nayfeld, Brenneman & Gelman, 2011 )
Importance of leveling, planning and guidance
Social relationships and factors to consider when planning for success (Wood, 2014)
Choice = new opportunities

14. Conclusion Implications Remaining questions
Practice – create a strategy
Always focus on individuals
Implement more often and develop techniques/intervention
Remaining questions
How would free choice centers change if they were presented differently?
How can free choice be used in other subjects and areas, such as homework?
More time – what would it help me discover?
Expectations = strategy
Maybe start small such as offering choices for homework (presented differently = earlier and more often)
Beginning by offering just centers and then asking them to choose after they are used to centers

15. Conclusion Free choice centers can be beneficial in the classroom
With practice and proper planning
Know your students
Slow transition is key!
Transition means only giving them what they are ready for

16. References
Booren, L. M., Downer, J. T. (2012). Observations of children’s interactions with teachers, peers, and tasks across preschool classroom activity settings. Early Childhood Education and Development, 23,
DiCarlo, C., Baumgartner, J., Stephens, A., & Pierce, S. (2013). Using structured choice to increase child engagement in low-preference centres. Early Child Development and Care, 183(1),
Edens, K. M., & Potter, E. F. (2012). An exploratory look at the relationships among math skills, motivational factors, and activity choice. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41,
Fisher, E. E., & Mazur, J. E. (1997). Basic and applied research on choice responding. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30(3),
Nayfeld, I., Brenneman, K., & Gelman, R. (2011). Science in the classroom: Finding a balance between autonomous exploration and teacher-led instruction in preschool settings. Early Education and Development, 22(6),
Wood, E. (2014). Free choice and free play in early childhood education: Troubling the discourse. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(1), 4-18.

17. Questions?