Student Choice Archives - Mike Anderson Consulting

Struggling with Motivation? Try Engaging Students with Project-Based Learning!

By Amy Difeo
In Classroom Management, Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies

Are you a teacher struggling to keep your students engaged? You’re not alone. A team of teachers at Sandown North Elementary School faced similar challenges, witnessing a decline in student engagement and an uptick in students that were dysregulated. Instead

By Pam Gunneson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Uncategorized

What Are We Doing Today in Physical Education? “What are we doing today?” is the most frequently asked question by my middle school students while entering the gym to get ready for class. After my response, students will usually either

By Tom Tuscano
In Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies

“How’d it go?” On the surface, it is such a basic question. I’ve been asked that question plenty of times in my life. After a sports game, doctor’s appointment, or school meeting, not to mention that nerve-wracking best man’s speech

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Health and Balance, Mike's Blog, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Ted Lasso

In the final episode of Season I of Ted Lasso, players are somber and nervous heading into a do-or-die match against a superior team. Ted decides they all need to try something new, so he invites the players to name

100 Ideas for Awesome Academic Work in the Last Weeks of School

Don’t look now, but the end of the school year isn’t far away. Of course, we know how important the first weeks of school are, but what about the last weeks of school? Surely, this is just as important a

As Students Return to School, Don’t Focus on SEL or Academics: Do Both

As schools welcome more and more students back through their doors, we’re all trying to figure out the best way to do so. It seems as though there are two wildly different needs we must address. As I talk with

You want at-home learning to feel purposeful and engaging for students, but you don’t want to further overwhelm yourself with work. What if there was a way to both boost student engagement and reduce the daily assigning, correcting, and keeping

What if there was a learning strategy that boosted student engagement, had many (many!) academic benefits for students, and reduced teacher planning and correcting/grading time? Great news! There is–and it’s a tried and true strategy you have probably been using

By David Davis
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Homework, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Student Choice

It might be the understatement of the summer that teachers, students, parents, and administrators are anxious about the upcoming school year. In addition to the priorities of health, safety, and equity of access to education in this COVID-19 period, distance

What might schools look like in the fall? We can learn from schools that have already welcomed children back to school. In the United States, many of us (teachers, parents, and students) are filled with anxiety about what the

By Mike Anderson
In Great Academic Work, In the Media, Interviews, Motivation, Student Choice, Teacher Talk, Video

I was delighted to join a group of deep thinkers for an in-depth panel discussion about leaner-centered education. Hosted by Julie Mountcastle of the Slate School, this conversation is rich and engaging. You’ll hear about the importance of cherishing children’s

Self-Care as a Professional Responsibility

A Conversation with Mike Anderson, Little Things First This is part 3 of a four-part series on how to support educators in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In this conversation with the Little Things First podcast hosts, Tracy

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice

A high school math teacher is recording short lessons on his phone in his basement, using a dry erase board and marker as he explains new math concepts. He posts the videos and then offers one-on-one and small group coaching

By Mike Anderson
In Equity, For Parents, Homework, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Student Choice, Teacher Talk, Teaching Strategies

You’ve spent the whole year building a community of learners. You’ve established rules and routines to help learners manage themselves and work well with each other. Now, with schoolwork potentially moving offsite, you still want to support your students as

Can Teachers Offer Choice in the Midst of Scripted Programs?

The Dilemma You want to offer students choices about what they learn or how the learn it. Engagement would be higher and you could offer differentiated options to meet the needs of various learners. However, you’re saddled with a scripted

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Student Choice, Teacher Talk, Teaching Strategies

The way we introduce learning options to students can make or break a choice experience for students. In this blog post, you’ll learn some practical strategies and ideas from Maggie West, a fifth-grade teacher in Conway, Massachusetts. To get

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice

Rick Gifford knew that a worksheet where students define words and then use them in a sentence wasn’t the most engaging way for them to learn and practice math vocabulary. He wanted to spruce things up and give his students

One of the most exciting and enjoyable ways to differentiate learning for students is to lead them through a process of independent research. When students get to dig deeply into something they’re passionate about, they have the drive and stamina

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Work Life Balance

One of the most devastating effects of the standardization movement—with its pressures to conform and emphasis on accountability through high-stakes testing—has been the stripping of teacher autonomy—our power to make informed decisions about how best to meet the needs of

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies

You have just finished teaching a lesson, and as you direct students to get started on their work, a familiar chorus echoes across the room, causing your heart to sink. What do we get for doing this? Do we have

Student Choice

Struggling with Motivation? Try Engaging Students with Project-Based Learning!

Choice as a Motivator in Physical Education

Can You Really Own Something You Didn’t Choose?

3 Planning Moves to Reenergize Your Teaching

100 Ideas for Awesome Academic Work in the Last Weeks of School

Tap into Self-Motivation with an At-Home Project

A Deep-Dive Into Learner-Centered Education

Start Planning with Your “Why” Instead of Your “What” and “How”

Can Teachers Offer Choice in the Midst of Scripted Programs?

Set Students Up for Success with Choice

Letting Students Make the Choice

Spark Passion and Purpose with Independent Research

Reclaiming Teacher Autonomy Through Choice

When Work Is Its Own Reward