When Students Choose Content: A Guide to Increasing Motivation, Autonomy, and Achievement

by Jeff Passe

Overview

As schools across the nation have been moving away from centralized decision making, with districts giving schools more autonomy and school principals "empowering" teachers, new opportunities for learning have been created. Jeff Passe takes this concept one step further with this practical guide on fostering student curricular decision making. Involving students in creating their own curriculum heightens the learning process, contributes to student autonomy and self-regulation, decreases discipline problems, increases motivation, and improves educational outcomes.

Passe presents the theory and research behind the movement, procedures for creating the framework, and descriptions of the model in practice. He offers tips from personal experiences while allowing for easy adaptation to a variety of classrooms, grade levels, and abilities. A chapter with frequently asked questions and answers is included to assist the growing number of educators interested in using this innovative and rewarding teaching method.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803964488
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	08/28/1996
Series:	Students Centered Curriculum Series
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
	About the Author	x
1.	Why Involve Students in Choosing Topics of Study?	1
	High School Social Studies
	High School Art
	Middle School Mathematics
	Middle School Special Education
	First Grade
	The Curriculum Belongs to the Students
2.	How Educational Theory and Research Support the Model	10
	What We Can Learn From History and Theory
	Benefits of Including Students in Curricular Decisions
	Links to Current Educational Trends
3.	A Step-by-Step Guide to Promoting Student Curricular Decision Making	27
	Overview
Step 1	Getting Permission
Step 2	Creating the Optimum Conditions
Step 3	Brainstorming Topics
Step 4	Pruning the List
Step 5	Reaching a Consensus
Step 6	Identifying Subthemes
Step 7	Determining the Sequence of Subthemes
Step 8	Communicating With Administrators and Parents
Step 9	Planning the Initial Lessons
Step 10	Planning the Rest of the Unit
Step 11	Managing the Unit
Step 12	Concluding the Unit
Step 13	Reflect, Revise, and Publicize
4.	Student Curricular Decision Making in Action	53
	Introduction
	The First Week
	Planning the First Student-Directed Unit
	Finishing the Unit on Russia
	The Teen Pregnancy Unit
	The Unit on Gangs
5.	Covering Required Content and Other Curricular Goals	68
	Covering Content
	Other Curricular Goals
	Summary and Cautions
6.	Questions and Answers About Student Curricular Decision Making	81
	An Interdisciplinary Curriculum
	Joint Planning and Teaching
	Specific Subject Concerns
	Content Gaps
	Applications Beyond K-12 Education
	The Role of Teachers
	References	95
	Index	98