Letting Students Decide the Curriculum in the Closing Weeks

As mentioned in a previous article, planning for instruction at the end of the school year can feel hopeless. One interruption after another can derail any attempt at maintaining the flow of instruction. Sometimes the scope and sequence of a curriculum will conclude before the year ends properly. Teachers might know they can’t move on with something new with what remains, but there might still remain several days or even weeks. Other times teachers simply cut their losses and give up rather than forging ahead with material they know they won’t be able to cover. So what is to be done with the remaining time?

Aside from reviewing course material and preparing for final exams, another possibility exists. Teachers might be able to have students pick topics to cover during the closing weeks. Students might have interests or curiosities that fall within the scope of a given subject area, but haven’t been part of the syllabus. They might have other interests that might stretch what can be considered curricular, but might serve as motivators if students are given the chance to explore them. This can be a worthwhile extension opportunity that might excite interest while making productive use of the remaining time.

Student choice is often a component of designing classroom management paradigms. Less often is it thought of as a vehicle for instructional design. Using it as such might aid in preventing behavioral issues, which might be of particular interest to teachers attempting to maintain order near the end of the year. Jonathan Erwin discusses the effect of choice on management in The Classroom of Choice. Commercial programs like the Genius Hour exploit the possibilities of having students pick topics and projects matching their individual interests. Simply allowing students to pick subject matter to cover after the curriculum runs dry might be more of a stopgap than a revolution in pedagogy, but it could have some merit.

Teachers looking to give students this opportunity will need to anticipate a few issues. To begin, this idea will need to clear administration in most schools. Administrators will vary in how accepting they will be of it. After getting the green light, teachers will need to allow ample time to prepare material. Depending on what students select, several days or even weeks of preparation might be needed. Polling students for what they want to do with those final days should happen well in advance of the actual end of the year. Finally, teachers might poll students only to find the students don’t have any ideas. Having a list of possible topics at the ready would be wise in case the students can’t generate their own.

Next is deciding how the students will select topics. This can be as informal as taking suggestions during a group discussion. If enough suggestions are given, the class can vote by show of hands on which two or three will be explored. Having students offer suggestions in writing could work, but teacher must have a way of whittling these down if too many are offered. Again, this can be put to a student vote. Getting a majority or even plurality could take multiple trials. The teacher-made topic sheet could save time and frustration, but should allow for students to write in any suggestions the teacher might have overlooked.

From here, the task is deciding how to deliver the content. Most teachers will want this closing unit to follow the protocol for how all other content throughout the year is delivered. However, some teachers might wish to stray from the script and might choose a different approach for the sake of novelty. The weight—if any— of the material on grades might dictate this choice. Considering the students are choosing the topics, a teacher might have them research the material and present mini-units. Doing this takes some of the responsibility off the teacher while giving the students ownership of the content. Teachers might choose to make these closing units ungraded in such cases.

Having students choose the topics for end-of-the-year instruction can liven up the waning days. It can work in most content areas. Trying this could be more than something to do when a teacher is out of ideas or energy. The experiment might yield some colorful and meaningful lessons that linger beyond the closing bell.

Written by Jeff Hartman