What is a Choice Board?

Choice boards are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities. Choice boards are a type of graphic organizer comprised of different squares and each square represents an activity that allows students to choose how they will learn a concept or demonstrate mastery at the end of a unit. Typically, a choice might be to answer a question or complete an activity. Choice boards are visual supports that include objects, photos, pictures, line drawings, or text which can be used by students to communicate what activity, item, or task they would like. Choice boards are usually set up in a grid and should present a minimum of 2 choices to students at one time for them to make a choice. In addition, teachers can require students to complete items from the choice board in a specific way, such as choosing three choices in a row, or students can choose at random. The level of difficulty of the activities can vary or stay consistent.

Why Use a Choice Board?

Teachers use choice boards to increase students' motivation by providing them with a choice over which activity comes next or what they would like to work on. Providing this choice may give students a sense of control over their lives and environment and therefore increase their level of participation. Even though teachers are the ones offering choice, teachers are also the ones controlling the options.

Top reason to use choice boards:

Differentiation
- Choice board activities can be differentiated for students based on their learning styles, such as visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic, and needs by allowing them to make a choice between a preferred and non-preferred item/activity.
Flexible
- Choice boards can give students flexibility and freedom in how they learn.
Adaptable
- Choice boards can be adapted for all students and concepts.
Motivation
- Choice boards can help promote learning, as well as stimulate student motivation and engagement as they provide students with the power to choose “how” to learn a particular subject or concept. This freedom encourages students to be more responsible, accountable, and independent in their learning. Teachers can identify and use student interests and preferences to stimulate active learning and student engagement.

Examples for Use in Canvas

Examples of how teachers can use exit tickets Canvas:

Canvas Assignments
- Assignment with images in a table of the choices and each one is linked to a different activity (assignments, discussion, or quiz).
Canvas Discussions
- Discussion with a choice board that includes images, articles, and resources to be used for the discussion.
Canvas Pages
- Choice boards can be created for weekly tasks, homework, projects, and even assessments. Detailed instructions and requirements can be given for each task. An extra credit slot can be included to encourage students to better their learning.

Teachers can also search the Canvas Commons for Choice Board templates.