YES,
really! And the answer is… CHOICES!!
Whether
you are a parent, teacher or SLP, we all have the same long term goal: to help
the children in our lives to learn and grow up to be responsible, independent
adults. Nothing else helps them along
the way like being able to make choices.
NO
ONE gets to make choices all of the time, that is part of being responsible.
But, we all love to have some control and impact in our lives, which is where
making choices comes in. Imagine this scenario: Your students/children learn
their academics and get to college, having never had any practice making
choices.
Suddenly, there’s a myriad of choices: which friends to
make, what courses to take, showing up for class (or not), spending time
studying (or not), whether or not to go to that party. Imagine facing all of that, and more, for the
first time without ever having any practice! It could be like letting a child
loose in a toy store!
Of course, this is an extreme example, but did it get you thinking? Responsibility is knowing what you have to do, and then doing it. Making choices, and sometimes mistakes, gives students the real life practice they need to be able to know when they just need to do what they are told and when they can make their own responsible choices.
Of course, this is an extreme example, but did it get you thinking? Responsibility is knowing what you have to do, and then doing it. Making choices, and sometimes mistakes, gives students the real life practice they need to be able to know when they just need to do what they are told and when they can make their own responsible choices.
5 Tips for Teaching with Choices
As adults who are helping children to grow and learn, we can guide them along the way by giving them the experience of making choices, when appropriate. This covers a wide range:
Toddlers: Beginning choices are just based on having
two appropriate, responsible choices.
Would
you like this book or that one?
Which
kind of cookie do you want?
Would
you like to eat your fruit first or your cereal first?
Preschoolers: Present choices along with natural
consequences to help young ones start learning to think ahead and make the
responsible choice.
You
can play nicely with your toy and keep it, or you can bang it and break it.
Then you won’t have the toy.
You
can eat your dinner and have dessert, or you can throw it on the floor. Then
food is done for the night.
School
Age: For situations that can allow
choices, try brainstorming possible
choices and their effects, followed up by a discussion of possible consequences
(pros and cons.) It is important to model the methods for problem solving and
making responsible decisions to build those critical thinking skills.
Middle
School: Students at this age are going to make their own choices, often
regardless of what you think or whether a choice was being offered. Try to only offer possibilities after you know their plan for how to deal with a situation and see that they haven't thought it all the way through. Of course, students this age still need boundaries and consequences!
High
School:
By
now, you are hopefully reaping the rewards of years of teaching students to
make responsible choices. In the later teen years, the goal is to increase
decision making skills until the student
is able to function as independently and responsibly as possible. This means
that students need to be able to determine when they can make choices and solve
problems independently and when it is time to ask for help.
Next
week, I will be be sharing some more practical tips for how to use choices, focusing more on helping young children communicate I hope you’ll be joining me!
Do
you need some tips now? Check out my post:
5 Tips for a Tough Caseload.
