Learning Menus

One sessions I went to while attending the Kamehameha Educational Technology conference, reminded me of learning menu's, also known as choice menu's.  The idea is rather than giving every student the same assignment, you provide a list of choices so they are more likely to complete assignments.

The teacher sets it up but the students have the choice as to which ones they will do, the order of completion and they choose the time frame for each choice, all within the general assignment.  Sometimes, there will be a section that must be done while there are choices for other sections or the menu may be set up so a student has to select assignments that add up to say 100 points for each section.

There are several types of menus ranging from one resembling a food menu with appetizers, entree's, sides, and desserts to others similar to agendas with imperatives, negotiable, and options to Think-Tac-Toe, a game show menu and more.  Each one is set up to provide choices, differentiation, and empowerment.

So in general Choice Boards, regardless of form, provide work in a different format, provides choices so those who struggle will find problems they can do while more advanced students can also find problems they will enjoy.  In addition, the assignments evoke interest while having students work on the same standards or learning goals and learning the same key concepts, and skills.  In essence, the choice board is a learning contract between the teacher and student and provides an inbuilt assessment while focused on objectives.

Since there are a variety of choice boards, a teacher does not have to use the same one time, after time, to the point students get bored.  Even within types, there is a difference.  For instance, menu's can be found in several formats.  One of the most common is one with everything in the main dish section being required.  For appetizers,  side dishes , the student is given a number of choices that must be done for each and dessert might be optional.  Another way of doing it is to give students a choice of say 2 problems for each topic.  It's all varied.

Think-tac-toe are done in a tic-tac-toe format usually in a 3 by 3 or 4 by 4 grid where students choose a certain number of activities so they complete a whole row across, up and down, or diagonally.  Each choice requires a different type of activity such as creating a crossword puzzle for vocabulary, create a game, do a video to explain, or watch a video and write a summary.

Of course some other possibilities include a game show menu with say 5 topics and 5 choices for each topic with each choice being assigned a number of points.  Award prizes such as homework passes or quiz passes for finishing that number of points.  Other menu's might be a 20/50/80 where each group is worth so many points and that section will have a variety of activities. The idea is to complete 100 points worth of activities.  The higher the points, the more difficult they are.

Now it is possible to find templets on the internet for physical menus but the problem with physical copies is that many students tend to loose them so you can always create digital versions of the menus.  Kasey Bell of Shakeup Learning, has great instructions for creating digital learning menus using G-Suite if you'd prefer the digital version.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.