Education IT Reporter

By Al Kingsley, CEO, NetSupport.

Teachers know that giving students more freedom — by enabling greater choice and agency — unlocks engagement and better outcomes. Decades of research backs this idea up. Still, there’s value to structure in a classroom.

How then, can teachers balance maintaining a level of control that steers productive learning with giving students the freedom they need to thrive? Setting clear boundaries and leveraging technology effectively are the keys. 

The Value of Limiting Choice

Technology is often thought of as a tool that can help open more choice for students. Whether it’s choosing research topics that fit their interests, providing options to engage in educational content to meet different learning styles, or even giving students ways to master topics at their own pace.

Research on choice, however, shows that too many options can be counterproductive. People are more likely to make decisions, and avoid “analysis paralysis,” when there are fewer options. The magic number, the reports say, is to offer less than six choices. 

As teachers continue to embrace allowing students more classroom freedom, using technology to offer a set of choices rather than limitless options can be effective. 

Adding Alternatives for Answering Questions

Class participation is an easy way to add greater freedom for students without overwhelming them with choices, especially by using technology. For example, if teachers want all students to participate in a classroom discussion they can ask for responses to questions using a computer-based poll and then ask students who feel comfortable to share their answers out loud.

An alternative option is to adopt a platform with a classroom chat feature. Teachers who use classroom.cloud report that using the solution’s chat feature allows students who might be more self-conscious or shy to speak up. By typing their response, or even discreetly asking a question, students can engage more fully in classroom activities. 

Adding Guardrails to Set Students Up for Success

Many approaches that grant students greater freedoms are based on self-directed learning. Students might be able to choose the final format of a project or decide between learning about a topic by reading or watching a video about it.

Likewise, offer a game like a web-based scavenger hunt. Such activities require students to use computers and tablets with internet access, opening the door to a variety of explorations, as well as distractions. 

Just as teachers can use technology to increase options for learning, they can also use it to add guardrails that size down the vast world of the internet to something not quite so overwhelming (or tempting).

Determining the websites and applications students can access by creating a list of “allowed” and “restricted” content ensures students only access relevant and appropriate resources during class. This way, they will stay on task and work more efficiently. 

IT directors who have adopted classroom.cloud ease the burden of managing such a list off teachers’ plates. Instead of taking up teachers’ time to create and manage the lists, IT leaders work with educators to identify sites and apps and then set the restrictions and allowances. Other control options needed include different permissions for specific school buildings within a district. 

Tools that enable simultaneous screen sharing as well as a lock screen feature can also help in setting up appropriate guardrails.

When teachers can manage students’ screens with a single click, it becomes easier to bring everyone together after a period of working independently or redirect students who may have gone off track. 

Provide Support Anytime, Anywhere

Many classrooms have continued to embrace learn anytime, anywhere environments. Students are learning remotely, in person and in hybrid classrooms. No matter where kids are learning, they deserve the same level of help.

The right technology can enable students to maintain freedom in where and how they learn while still getting the support they need. This goes beyond live-streamed instruction or watching videos asynchronously. Teachers can use technology, like classroom.cloud, to support and engage with students in the very moment they are learning.

When teachers use technology they have an immense opportunity to continue fostering classroom environments that are engaging and anchored in choice. By considering how the same tools can create structure, educators can strike the balance to help students avoid feeling overwhelmed and keep them focused on growing and learning.