ONE best thing
Starting with Choice: Primary Classroom Implementations
by Karen Lirenman Karen Lirenman's One Best Thing Book Starting with Choice: Primary Classroom Implementations details her innovative approach to developing decision making and problem solving in students of all ages. The book can be downloaded here.
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Teaching the skills to make choices
At first, the idea of giving young children, first graders, "choice" seems, on the surface, to be a very lax and permissive strategy. However, as Ms. Lirenman explains, the teacher is teaching more... not less. The teacher is teaching problem solving, consideration and those "good choices" we want our students to make. Choices are interwoven into lessons the students learn in Reading, Writing and Math, but lessons are also being taught simultaneously about working conditions, choosing the right tool, method or strategy to accomplish the objective.
At the same time the teacher is focused on the objectives and not on a rigid structure. The teacher does indeed have to have a strategy and classroom management techniques.
The strategy also works well and is enabled by technology, which by its nature encourages creative problem solving and choice. Students can decide which programs or applications work well (or choose not to use technology at all) and create those experiences to recall later down the road.
In summary, I think this is another strategy that I would like to implement in my classroom and I was grateful to Ms. Lirenman for her book. Below are her social media contacts and I encourage you to read the book.
At the same time the teacher is focused on the objectives and not on a rigid structure. The teacher does indeed have to have a strategy and classroom management techniques.
The strategy also works well and is enabled by technology, which by its nature encourages creative problem solving and choice. Students can decide which programs or applications work well (or choose not to use technology at all) and create those experiences to recall later down the road.
In summary, I think this is another strategy that I would like to implement in my classroom and I was grateful to Ms. Lirenman for her book. Below are her social media contacts and I encourage you to read the book.