Personalised+Learning+-+Engaging+Students+by+Providing+Choice+in+the+Classroom

Helen Moran ABSTRACT //Pedagogies support learning programmes that take into account the individual learning styles and intelligences of students and allow them to make choices in their learning pathways. This study investigates the correlation between choice given to students, and their engagement in learning. Data is gathered from a questionnaire exploring five aspects of choices and was administered to group of Year 7 and 8 students on two occasions, first following a term of limited choices, and then during a term of considerable choice. An opportunity was provided for students to contribute comments in a discussion forum, but few were offered. There was a clear link between choice and engagement in all aspects of the study, but there was evidence that when allowed to take ownership of their own timetables, students did not always manage their choices productively, indicating a need for teacher guidance and scaffolding. Students responded very positively to increased choices in what they studied. There was little difference in boys’ and girls’ perception of choice and engagement, although teacher observations suggest that boys experience more self-management problems. The study acknowledges that engagement does not necessarily equate to achievement, but contends that it is an essential factor. // INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW With a change of principal three years ago, the school rapidly transformed from one of regimented teaching programmes dictated through the hierarchy to classroom teachers, to an inclusive, collaborative system that actively promotes student-centred learning. Some teachers have embraced the opportunities to differentiate and adapt learning programmes to their own strengths and the needs of the students, while others have struggled to let go of their role as directors of classroom programmes. Last year, a colleague and I experimented with classroom practices that personalise learning and enable student choice in their learning direction, timetabling of tasks and workmates. An important component of the programme was the use of digital technologies which supported learning and engaged students who preferred visual, tactile and interactive experiences. Students’ reflections on the programme indicated that most enjoyed the opportunities, but a small group said they preferred to be told what to do and when, as they had found it hard to manage themselves. I identified some areas for improvement in my management of the system but implementation has been postponed while I am on study leave. The school-wide focus for the first half of this year is Globalisation, and there was a prescribed unit on the Treaty of Waitangi for all classes to complete in Term One, so student options were limited. In Term Two, teachers are encouraged to promote student-driven inquiries, and my colleague has taken the opportunity to also allow most students freedom with their timetabling, when not required for targeted lessons. We have frequently shared our thoughts about the specific learning styles of boys and the need to engage them, and we look to personalised programmes and the use of digital technologies to address their needs. Howard Gardner’s theories have been readily embraced by educators who have recognised that children think and learn in different ways, and that the traditional, rigid curriculum that is disconnected from the students’ real world does not meet the needs of the range of learners in the classroom (Smith, 2002, 2008). His ideas favour flexible learning programmes with varied approaches that allow students to pursue topics in depth and give them choice in their curriculum paths. Guskey & Anderman (2008) contend that the lack of choices offered to students and opportunities to make decisions, particularly as they get older, has given them little reason to demonstrate responsibility and ownership of their learning. They advocate such strategies as allowing students to manage their own time to complete a set of tasks, developing their own rubrics for assessment, and choosing their work locations and paths of learning within a set of guidelines. A study by Jenkins & Keefe (2002) describes education programmes at Thomas Haney Secondary Centre that recognise learning as an individual process requiring active participation of the learner and allowing them to learn at their own pace. Under the guidance of the teacher, students choose appropriate learning activities and manage their own timetables around scheduled activities, sometimes choosing to work on one project for three to four days at a time. Student response indicates that, while not all take to the system straight away, they work harder, learn more and take responsibility for their own learning. West-Burnham (2008) states that ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is ‘pivotal to personalising learning’ (p. 21). Computers provide access to learning systems and a range of learning activities, and they provide an accurate and detailed means to monitor progress, assessment and learning pathways. Our experiment is a very small step into the domain of personalised learning. Researchers visualise personalised learning as reconstructing our education and school management systems, and empowering students to choose their own pathways to learning (Hopkins, 2004). The studies provide ample evidence of the value of personalised learning, but I narrowed the focus of this study down to the levels of enjoyment that students experienced in relation to the amount of choice they perceived they were given. My expectation was that more opportunities to choose would relate to greater enjoyment, but in the light of the comments made by some of our students, which are illustrated in the research, I wondered whether more students preferred to be directed than we thought. I was also interested in whether we were right to assume that having choices was favoured by boys. METHODOLOGY I chose a class for study, based on the teaching strategies implemented by their teacher. He is committed to providing a personalised programme that gives choices to students, and supports it with extensive use of digital technology and Web 2.0 tools. The classroom programmes were dictated by school-wide requirements in Term One, with limited opportunity to provide options for learning pathways to students. Term Two has been focused on inquiries, so there was an opportunity to carry out a comparative survey.  I was seeking quantitative and qualitative data from a class of Year 7 and 8 students at a Decile 8 intermediate school. Participation was optional and identities were concealed, so the principal did not require parental consent to be sought. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I created a questionnaire (Appendix 1) that would be easy to complete, aware that a number of children would be reluctant to take part if they had do writing. There were five questions pertaining to areas of choice in the classroom programme with ratings for the amount of choice offered and the level of enjoyment experienced by the student. The questions were: <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Could you choose whether to work alone or with other people? <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Could you choose the people you wanted to work with? <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Could you choose a topic of your own to study within the unit? <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Could you make choices about when you did work on your topic? <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Could you choose how you would present your findings? <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Question 5 recognised the wide range of options that are provided by digital technologies and Web 2.0 tools in this classroom. There was a space for comments after each question, and another space for general comments at the end. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In the third week of Term Two I explained the survey and its purposes to the class, asking them to answer in relation to the classroom programme from the previous term, when they studied the Treaty of Waitangi. I distributed the questionnaire to all the students present so that they could make an informed choice as to whether or not to participate. I explained that they could fill in the whole survey if they wished before making their decision. I pointed out the space for personal information at the end of the questionnaire and explained that they could use a pseudonym, as long they used the same name for the second survey. I read out each question as they filled in their responses, frequently asking if there was any need to clarify the meaning. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I returned in Week 6 to repeat the survey from the perspective of the Term 2 approach to the unit. They had chosen their own inquiry related to the school-wide Globilisation theme and were allowed to work in groups of their choice, with ample opportunity to use digital technologies. Students who had failed to engaged productively in their inquiry were given alternative tasks and a more directive approach was taken. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">After the second survey, I provided an opportunity for informal discussion to gather qualitative data that I thought many students would be reluctant to give in writing and hoped that non-participating students may offer their thoughts. I anticipated that sharing ideas and thoughts orally would also prompt thinking that may not have otherwise occurred. I invited the class teacher to contribute with insights he had about the classroom proceedings, but all our attempts failed to inspire any useful discussion. I sought comments on why there were occasionally big differences between the amount of choice and enjoyment levels, but they had little to offer, so my qualitative data is gathered mainly from the few comments that were made on the surveys, and anecdotal information provided by the teacher over the period of the study. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">RESULTS <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Eighteen students took part in both surveys. Of those, seven were Year 7 girls, six were Year 8 girls, one was a Year 7 boy and four were Year 8 boys. Four more students took part in one of the surveys, and their responses are included in the discussion where relevant. Of these, there were two Year 8 girls, one Year 7 girl, one Year 7 boy, and one who failed to give details. There was also a Year 7 boy who took part in both surveys but filled in multiple values, so was discounted. Five students did not take part at all, three Year 7 boys and two Year 8 boys. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Figures 1 – 10 show the results for each question. The highest correlation is where the choice rating is the same as the enjoyment rating and is highlighted by dark blue shading. Mid-blue shading indicates a high correlation as there was only one point difference in the ratings. There was a small correlation where there were two points difference, but I considered there to be no correlation where there was a positive rating with a negative one, for example, choice - 4, enjoyment - 2. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There were very few comments offered on the questionnaire: <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Term One: //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think that the school is about helping kids to learn and teachers should do everything to make learning fun. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student N //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think trusted students should be able to go to the library when it is available. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">– Student D //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think having a choice where you work will be good. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student E //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think you should go in small groups (2 – 3) and have the same timetable as the rest of your group, and you can choose your group. Only you can choose if (Teacher) approves of it and you can work alone as well. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student F //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think we should be able to choose when we do PE. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student G //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I didn’t really like the Treaty of Waitangi work or the waka groups. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student H //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">We could choose where we work, just not in a friend’s classroom. I didn’t enjoy working on the Treaty of Waitangi. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student I //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I like going to the library because it’s not noisy and there are computers there. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student M //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think we should have choice in where we want to work. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student P //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I think we should have more input on what the major topic is and it would be nice if we could choose our classmates at the start of the year. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student Q //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If we could book the COWs (Computers on Wheels) more so that we could do all the work in a week. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student V <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Term Two: //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">We should have more say in what we do //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">. – Student N //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">We get to choose where we work too already. //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> – Student M <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">DISCUSSION <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I was prepared to be challenged by the findings in the light of the preferences expressed by some students for structure, but there were very few surprises in the results, and they clearly show that more choice equates to greater enjoyment, and presumably, more engagement. Research by Wylie, Hodgen, Hipkins, and Vaughan (2009) found that student enjoyment is closely linked to engagement, which in turn is linked to levels of performance. There was a general increase in how much choice students perceived they were given in the second term compared to the first term, but I was a little surprised by how much choice they felt they had in Term One. The teacher explained that, even though we had identified the first term’s unit as prescriptive, there were some associated homework tasks that did allow choices, and in class, there were ample opportunities to work with other people of their choice. This teacher has provided options wherever possible, within the imposed constraints, and another influencing factor could be that the Year 8 students came from a more restrictive learning environment last year and considered their new class to be comparatively flexible. Some students objected to the lack of choices offered in the first term, and even though they had a reasonable amount of choice over who they worked with, some regretted the choices they made. This could explain the outliers in Figure 2. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It should not be assumed that the amount of choice given is determined solely by the teacher. When students are allowed to choose who they want to work with they may be subject to peer pressure in making their choices. Children are more likely to choose their workmates before deciding on their topic, so the topic is unlikely to be the first preference of all the group members, and peers may influence when they work on the topic and how to present it. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It is not surprising that in some instances there could be a high level of enjoyment with a low level of choice. Some students could easily be engaged by a topic that was imposed on them, either by peers or a teacher, or could have other decisions made for them that happen to suit their preferences or learning styles. Conversely, students may find that choices they made for themselves turn out to be unsuitable. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The variation in how differently children perceived the amount of choice they had during the same unit could be accounted for by different approaches the teacher had to take for individuals. The class had responded positively to the freedom to manage their own timetables in Term Two, but by the time the survey was administered, some students had had their choices restricted because they had not engaged independently with their inquiry. The teacher was becoming increasingly frustrated with the time being wasted by some students, especially by doing unrelated activities on the computer. This seems to be one of the negative effects of using ICT to support learning experienced by many teachers. Starnes and Paris (2000) warn that the concept of choice should not be seen as an ‘anything goes’ approach, as these students may have been interpreting it. They point out that decisions without boundaries, coaching, respect for the rights of others, effective learning and student progress are seriously impaired. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The teacher reported that issues of independence were more prevalent with boys and I was not surprised that significantly more girls chose to participate in the survey than boys. This typifies the reluctance of many boys to engage in classroom activities, and their teacher makes every effort to provide differentiated programmes that suit boys’ needs. He models Irwin’s (2009) recommendation to use such strategies as Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences to address the individuality of boys. An illustration provided by the teacher of individual learning styles was that during a conversation he had with four boys about their learning they were continually passing a ball to each other while talking, which he allowed to continue. He was amazed that they remained actively engaged throughout the ten minute conversation, which was a significant feat for these boys. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It is something of an enigma that we have regarded boys as the greater beneficiaries of personalised learning that recognises different intelligences, and yet boys are more likely to struggle with making choices. When Hopkins (2004, p. 6) says, ‘we need to be moulding schools to the learning needs of students, rather than moulding students to schools’ and that we need to open up the curriculum so that it is an ‘opportunity for choice but also a pathway for entitlement,’ I think we are reminded that choice does not always suit the learning needs of students all of the time. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In comparing the results of boys with those of the girls (Appendix 3) I considered that the discrepancy between choice and enjoyment should be more than one point to be worthy of consideration. This being so, there were no major gender differences. Boys were a little more satisfied with the people they worked with in Term Two, but the small number of boys surveyed may have affected results. The significant difference for both genders was the change from negative, to positive perceptions of choice from Term One to Term Two, for Questions 3 and 4 relating to topic and the times they could work on it. Boys in particular, felt that they were given far more choice in their topic and were much more satisfied. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Some students suggested that they should be given choices as to where they worked, probably because their teacher had discussed that possibility with them recently and had already allowed them to choose where in the classroom they worked. Some trusted students were allowed to work in other parts of the school, such as the library or hall. I would suggest that the students mentioned this simply because it had been recently brought up in class but hadn’t been included on the questionnaire. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> The teacher has been disappointed in how narrow the students’ choices are in presenting or using their findings, particularly when digital technologies are readily available in the classroom and offer so much potential. Students are still entrenched in the practices they are familiar with and need support to realise the opportunities that are there. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">CONCLUSIONS <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Most of the research on personalised learning and choice I have accessed has focused on student achievement rather than on engagement. Engagement does not necessarily mean that there will be an increase in achievement - some classroom programmes are appealing to students but have no meaningful impact on their learning. However, engagement is an essential ingredient for achievement. Dewey (as cited in Starnes and Paris, 2000) claims that interest is the first condition that must be met for school activities to be truly educative. This study made no attempt to assess the relationship between choice and achievement, and to do so would invite controversy as to what should be assessed and how. It should be noted that this teacher’s results last year from formal, standardised tests were very positive. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">One limitation of the survey was the lack of qualitative data obtained from the students in the discussion session, and little more was offered in the written comments. Had there not been time constraints I would have pursued this information by approaching students individually to ask specific questions to explain unexpected responses. The teacher confirmed that the class is reticent in discussing their learning in a class forum, but frequently engage in lively conversation informally with him, either individually or in small groups. I was also disappointed in the reluctance of some boys to participate, and if repeating the survey I would offer an incentive. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">To explore links between Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences more closely, I would be interested in identifying the students’ intelligences and looking for evidence that their choices actually reflect their learning styles. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">REFERENCES: <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Guskey, T. R., & Anderman, E. M. (2008). Students at Bat. //Educational Leadership, November 2008,// 8-14. <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hopkins, D. (2004). Press For Action. //Personalised Learning: Tailoring learning solutions for every pupil.// Retrieved May 22, 2009, from http://www.ncsl.org.uk/media-579-43-personalised-learning-ldr-supplement.pdf <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jenkins, J., & Keefe, J. (2002). Two Schools: Two Approaches To Personalized Learning. //Phi Delta Kappan//, //83//(6), 449. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from MasterFILE Premier database. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/delivery?vid=10&hid=9&sid=a36a5968-52f8-4cfb-972a-0862794a28a7%40SRCSM2 <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Smith, M. K. (2008). //Howard Gardner and multiple intelligences//. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Starnes, B. & Paris, C., (2000). Choosing to Learn. //Phi Delta Kappan,// //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">81 //<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(5), 392. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/ detail?vid=7&hid=101&sid=063844db-343f-418d-be18-b12396b17f13%40sessionmgr7&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXVybCxjb29raWUsdWlkJmxvZ2lucGFnZT1Mb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=f5h&AN=2706829#db=f5h&AN=2706829 <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">West-Burnham, J. (2008) //Leadership for personalising learning//. National College for School Leadership. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.ncsl.org.uk/pl-framework.pdf <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Wylie, C., Hodgen, E., Hipkins, R., & Vaughan, K. (2009). //Competent Children, Competent Learners.// (Research Project). Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2567/35076/35079/2
 * <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">Personalised Learning: Engaging Students by Providing Choice in the Classroom **