Challenge by Choice

Description
One-on-One Activity, Group Activity | 15 minutes

Challenge By Choice is an approach to learning that protects the autonomy of the student as they decide for themselves the level of challenge they want to engage for the tutoring session. The approach comes from adventure-based education, where it can look like an instructor introducing all participants to the same rock wall and empowering each of them to decide for themselves how far they want to go. The steps below outline its application to a tutoring context. Click here to download this page as a PDF. This activity can:

Cultivate a learning environment of respect and decreased peer pressure.
Help students practice taking personal responsibility for their choices and their learning.
Help tutors guard against classroom hierarchies that emphasize passivity in student learning.

Instructions

1. Present a set of math problems with a range of difficulty.

With the same type of math problems, present options/tasks that range in difficulty level.

2. Invite students to decide which math problems to work on.

Present the sets of math problems to your students and tell them that they get to decide which set of problems to work on. As you instruct them, use this as an opportunity to reinforce that you respect their autonomy for their own math learning.

3. Reflect together on their choice after the math problem.

Reinforce again that students are capable and engage with them on these terms as you all reflect on their work. Consider asking them to share how it felt to choose their own math problems.

Tips and Tricks

Group Adaptation. As you Share Power with your students using the Challenge by Choice principle, be mindful that it can be tempting for students to compare themselves to one another. Lean into resources like the Green, Yellow, and Red Lights to support your student in learning math while honoring the Challenge by Choice principle.

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