Narrative

 

Student Choice in the Classroom

July 9, 2025

Rhode Island College

CURR 501

Doctor Lesley Bogad

Student Choice in the Classroom

Narrative
My name is Annemarie and I am a first grade ESL teacher. I teach students who speak Spanish and Portuguese as their native languages, with many recently coming from other countries where teaching methods and strategies are different. One major focus I have for my students is supporting their choice. During one of the first days at my new job teaching, I realized that the curriculum the school utilizes is very strict. The curriculum wants students to show their work in a very specific way, and if they don’t, they lose points. I know that not all students learn best with one specific strategy, so I want to provide students with choice in how they show their understanding.
My idea aligns closely with my school experiences at Cumberland High School in Cumberland, Rhode Island. ChatGPT helped me explain my school experiences as a visual learner. “As a visual learner, I struggled in Algebra 2 because the way it was taught didn’t match how I learn best. The lessons were mostly focused on numbers, symbols, and formulas, with very little visual support. I learn better when I can see concepts through graphs, color-coded steps, pictures, or real-life examples. Algebra 2 is a very abstract subject, and without visual tools like diagrams or interactive graphs, I found it hard to understand and stay engaged. I believe I would have done much better if the instruction had included more visual explanations and hands-on tools to help me connect the math to something I could see and make sense of” (ChatGPT, 2025). Additionally, I had an IEP up until the middle of high school, which never helped. I ended up getting rid of it for that specific reason. Additionally, as a child who struggled immensely with certain subjects throughout my schooling even with extra help, I realized that I am a visual learner, and the school did not do much to support that for me.

My focus topic for the final project is allowing students the choice in how they show their work and their understanding of Wonders Writing Curriculum content. In kindergarten, drawing was allowed and encouraged often. A lot of the time in first grade, students are expected to use only writing and no visuals when engaging in Wonders Writing in their Reading Writing Companions. Many of my students this year did not have the foundational writing skills yet to do what is expected of them in the curriculum. Wonders also does not explicitly teach specific writing skills. Unfortunately, without foundational writing skills, students will not be able to compose a piece, and therefore will not be able to express their ideas. I do what I can by providing word banks, sentence starters, and allowing them to draw ideas on paper, but I want to support them even further. As a first grade ESL teacher using Wonders, I know that many students would benefit using visuals. I want to use Canva as my media template because it is user-friendly and allows one to make presentations, posters, and much more. Canva is a great tool to be creative with and utilize visuals.
To begin, I will show students a slideshow that shows them how to make the accounts. Once all students are logged in, they can utilize their accounts to follow along with the slidedeck lesson where I show them how to navigate the platform. I will explain that they will use one platform to show their work in Wonder Writing. The first writing prompt in Unit 1 is “Write a sentence about something you like to do at school. Make sure you focus on one topic. (Wonders, 2020, p. 35). I will begin by showing an example of a visual poster and slide presentation that answers the question with a sentence and visual details.
Once students understand the prompt and see the example, they will be encouraged to think about and choose tools that work best for them. If they are unsure, they can explore different interactive tools and templates to see what they might like. Students may decide to create visual posters or slide presentations like I did. It is up to them and what they feel confident using after navigating the different tools. Once students choose their strategy, I will allow them to explore it more in depth and I will encourage them to ask me or classmates questions if they need support. Here is a slidedeck that will explain to students the purpose of them using Canva.
My Tech Identity:
My tech identity aligns closely with techno-traditionalist. I utilize Docs, Lexia, Freckle, and sometimes Google Slides. I integrate technology into instruction whereas Techno-constructivists redefine instruction. McKenzie (2000) explains that Techno-constructivists “…are the teachers who integrate technology into the curriculum so that it not only complements instruction but redefines it” (online). At this time, I do not feel fully comfortable implementing a full range of technological tools. However, I already feel a bit more confident since taking this course and exploring different media platforms such as Canva, so next year I hope to continue learning to provide my students with more technological opportunities in the classroom.
My Why
As previously stated, I believe students learn best in a variety of ways. As an early childhood educator, I have students who show their understanding of concepts visually, kinesthetically, orally, and in written form. While I created the sample projects, I wrote a simple sentence and showed detail including why I enjoy what I do at school using visuals. Some students have a hard time showing detail in their work if they struggle to write, which many of my first grade MLL students this year did. I want my students next year to utilize visuals as a way to get their thoughts and ideas organized without being held back by writing struggles.

In the text Rethinking Popular Culture and Media, by Marshall & Sensoy (2009) there is a section titled Miles of Aisles of Sexism: Helping students investigate toy stores. It was written by a woman named Sudie Hoffman. Hoffman created a unit that focused on how students are the one’s in charge of how they learn. Hoffman stated, “I designed the unit to celebrate and highlight children’s ability to be in charge of their own learning as they create stories, invent problems, and evolve as powerful individuals. I wanted all students to know that pretend play is important and to practice making choices that involve imagining, pretending, and playing” (p. 32). My ideas about how students learn correlate with Hoffman’s ideas that students all learn in different ways. In her case, students learn through kinesthetics and playing.
Furthermore, the text Prensky Revisited: Is the Term “Digital Native” Still Applicable to Today’s Learner?, focused on how students learn and provides advice to teachers. She explained how “...educators must recognize that everyone still learns differently, even when considering the learning of technology. It is our job as educators to recognize this and present learning opportunities that vary to engage different technology users and offer opportunities for students to learn to use technology in ways they have not before” (Spiegel, 2021, p. 14). By using Canva with students, they will have opportunities to engage in technology in ways they have not before. Also, by allowing students to utilize different templates and tools on Canva, I will support their different learning styles.
New
This project helped me demonstrate something new that I could not have done or conceptualized before this course. I attempted to utilize Canva with some coworkers last year. The overwhelming colors, tools, templates, and areas quickly overwhelmed me. This experience occurred during a staff meeting, so I was already very focused on the meeting content at hand. After sitting down recently and navigating through the platform in a quiet and calm environment, I realized everything was laid out in a user-friendly way. I was not pressured by work to navigate it, so I felt more comfortable than I did in my previous experiences with the platform. I discovered how to create presentations and visual posters using Canva. By next year, I hope to implement Canva and other technologies I learned about through this course with my classroom students.

References

ChatGPT. (2025). Personal communication with ChatGPT, July 2025.

Marshall, E., & Sensoy, Ö. (2009). Rethinking popular culture and media. Rethinking Schools.

McKenzie, W. (2000). Are you a techno-constructivist? Education World. https://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech005.shtml

Spiegel, J. (2021). Prensky revisited: Is the term “digital native” still applicable to today’s learner? International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education, 10(2), 13–15. https://doi.org/10.20533/ijtie.2047.0533.2021.0018

Wonders. (2020). Reading/writing companion, Grade 1, Unit 1, Week 1, p. 35. McGraw-Hill Education.

Presentation

 https://www.canva.com/design/DAGsnK7h5mo/Py55TpCB7wttNurJs_iKHA/edit

Here is the link to my presentation about supporting student choice. Press autoplay!

Why We Banned Legos

Chapter Summary

A group of eight out of the 25 students in an afterschool program began a project called Legotown. Students wanted to build a large city, which meant space and materials became scarce. The eight students began excluding other students from building with them. Students who took part in the Legotown project began negotiating ideas on what they would build and who owns what pieces. Students began engaging in conflict. Students were portraying the ideas of how power and social status work in their building experiences and how they ran Legotown.

One day, a group of students knocked over Legotown, which brought about lots of emotion such as shock. The teachers decided to talk to the students about what happened, and the topic of ownership and power came to light. The staff later decided they were going to ban Legos in the afterschool program. They wanted to promote collectivity, collaboration, resource sharing, and full participation.

When students found out about the news, students had a lot of ideas to share. One student pointed out how two students held power over others. The students became very defensive, denying their power. This brought to light the topics of fairness and equity.

A few days later, the staff focused on the meaning of power. Staff asked students to draw pictures of power, and collected them so that at their meeting they could discuss. A student provided an explanation that encompassed “raw truth”. He explained that he likes to be in power because he feels free, and that most people like to do it and that it feels good to tell people what to do.

From there, staff decided to create a skewed point system for using Legos. The system was meant to make it difficult for students to gain a lot of points. The one rule was that students had to get as many points as possible, and the person with the most points would create the rules for the rest of the game. The goal here was for students to receive power through luck. Staff hoped that the game could help them look at the major Legotown issues from a clean perspective.

During this game, students experienced frustration, anger, and hopelessness when they were not in a position of power. These reactions and feelings helped staff realize that the issues were related to power, privilege, and authority.

Staff decided to look at ownership through a variety of lenses. Students came up with different ideas on how ownership is defined. One student said if her name is on it, she must own it. Another student explained that the pillow she made is hers because she did not buy it at the store.

Staff eventually allowed students to use Legos again. Students worked in small teams and collaborated to build. Throughout this project, students began to leave notes for each other explaining their work and coming up with potential next steps.

Finally, staff met with students after the project and drew conclusions from conversations. Staff found that children thought collectivity and working together was a positive. They also found that being able to express themselves through the Lego characters was important. They realized that each student should have their own Lego character. Another conclusion related to shared power. Students found it important to have the same amount of power when working as a collaborative team. Finally, the children proved it is crucial to aim for moderation and equal recourse access. 

Finally, students narrowed down their beliefs into three agreements. They believed that all structures are public structures. Students said that everyone is allowed to use the structures, but the builder and people who have permission are allowed to change the structure. The next agreement they created was that Lego people can be saved by a group, not by an individual. The last agreement the students made stated that students will not build structures that are a lot bigger than standard size.

ChatGPT concluded for me by adjusting my wording:

As an adult, I often see “power” portrayed in workplace settings, such as who holds leadership roles or makes decisions. I view ownership in terms of who owns tangible items like a house or a car. This chapter helped me see power, ownership, and collaboration from a new perspective. Observing how young children experience these concepts through play gave me insight into the social dynamics of my students. It reminded me that even at a young age, children are learning about fairness, control, and teamwork. This understanding will help me better support my students and guide them as they navigate these important topics.

References

ChatGPT, personal communication, July 7, 2025

Pelo, A. (Ed.). (2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Rethinking Schools.

How to Use Canva

 

1. Introduction

• Purpose of the tutorial:
  This is a tutorial on how to utilize Canva.

• Brief overview of the tool or concept:
  Canva is a user-friendly platform that can be used to make presentations, posters, videos, storyboards, and much more. Canva focuses a lot on visuals.

Step 1: Create an account using your school email (free for k-12 teachers).

Step 2: From the home page, you can see Your Designs, Templates to use, and Canva AI. On the left side, there is a Create.

Step 3: Click create to start a project

Step 4: Choose a template and click on it.

Step 5: Use the elements tab on the left to add visuals

Step 6: Utilize other tools on the left side (apps, quick actions, tools, text, etc.)

Finally, HAVE FUN and explore different tools, templates, and ideas!

I chose a specific template for tutorial purposes:

1     2                               3                                        4

5 6

To-Do List

I decided to hop on the AI bandwagon to help me create a to-do list for my project. I will eventually edit this list to fit what I feel is needed for my grade level and content.

🎨 PROJECT CREATION (Using Canva for Student Choice)

✅ Clarify the classroom issue: Rigid curriculum limits how students can show understanding
✅ Define your goal: Allow students to choose how they show what they know
🔲 Choose & prepare 3–4 format options in Canva (that are first grade-friendly):

• 🔲 📸 Storyboard (draw or select images to retell a story/concept)

• 🔲 🎙️ Podcast (simple audio explanation with teacher support)

• 🔲 🎥 Video (recorded explanation or performance)

• 🔲 📊 Presentation or poster (using visuals and short sentences)
  🔲 Create a short video lesson that introduces the concept and choices
  🔲 Design a choice board (visual menu) for students to select their format
  🔲 Create visual step-by-step instructions for each option
  🔲 Make a simple rubric or checklist students can understand (e.g. Did you include a beginning, middle, and end?)
  ✅ Plan supports for ESL students: visuals, sentence frames, partner work, modeling

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📝 WRITTEN REFLECTION (For Blog, ~1500 words)

✅ Explain the origin of your project idea: personal story + classroom experience
✅ Describe the importance of student choice, especially for ESL students
✅ Explain how Canva supports creativity and accessibility at the first grade level
🔲 Define your technology identity (likely techno-constructivist)
🔲 Connect to at least 3 course texts or concepts (e.g., digital media, student agency, critical pedagogy)
🔲 Show what is new for you (e.g., using Canva in this way, giving tech-based choice, assessment flexibility)
🔲 Include 5+ hyperlinks (Canva help, research on student choice, ESL learning strategies, etc.)
🔲 Proofread for clear, engaging writing
🔲 Post it on your blog by July 14

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📽️ PECHA KUCHA PRESENTATION (20 slides x 20 seconds)

🔲 Make 20 slides that visually tell your story (with minimal text)
🔲 Write a 40–50 word script for each slide (total ~6m40s)
🔲 Include slides that cover:

• ✅ Your teaching context

• ✅ The problem (rigid expectations)

• ✅ Your beliefs about how young kids learn

• ✅ Why student choice matters

• ✅ How Canva will be used

• 🔲 Examples of student options

• 🔲 Supports for ESL students

• 🔲 Rubric and assessment

• 🔲 What you learned in this course

• 🔲 Final reflection
  🔲 Practice timing and flow
  🔲 Be ready to screen share on Zoom July 9

I know that all I needed to do for this blog post was create my checklist

for the project; however, I would like to reflect on my use of Artificial Intelligence here, as today's class (July 3) focused heavily on the benefits of AI. I decided to use AI to help me get my thoughts together. With a large project like this, there are many parts and sections to consider. I thought AI could benefit me by giving me a precise layout of what I have already done and what I still need to do. I enjoyed this experience because it also helped me realize where I was lacking on giving AI prompts. My first prompt was "help me make a to-do list to help with my project what do i still need to do. Here is the project The Project:...". I then used control a and control v to copy and paste the project expectations and I included what I have already completed. The AI provided me a response, which I did not use. It added a time-line that went until mid to late July. At this point, our class will be over. I prompted "no time line please and just a list based off of what I have to do from the outline i put". After AI gave me a response, I realized the content was a bit too advanced for my grade level, so I prompted again. I told ChatGPT to recreate it but for first grade. Then I also asked it to check off what I have already completed. I am hoping to improve my prompting and utilize AI more often to support my students and my teaching.

Here is my APA reference to the conversation I had with ChatGPT: 

OpenAI. (2025, July 3). Final project planning and hyperlinks [Large language model]. ChatGPT. https://chat.openai.com

Crazy for Canva: Giving Students Choice and Autonomy By Using Canva

 A major issue that is important to me in educational settings is student choice. Student choice is so incredibly important to me because I know that all students learn in different ways. As a child who struggled immensely with certain subjects throughout my schooling, I realized that specific methods of solving and showing my understanding of content worked best for me.

One day during one of the first days at my new job teaching, I realized that the curriculum the school utilizes is very strict. The curriculum wants students to show their work in a very specific way, and if they don’t, they lose points. I know that not all students learn best with one specific strategy.

My focus topic for the final project is allowing students the choice in how they show their work and their understanding of content. I know that I want to use Canva as my media template. Canva is user-friendly and allows one to make presentations, posters, videos, storyboards, and much more. As an ESL teacher, I know that many students rely on visuals, especially at the first grade level! Canva is a great tool to be creative with and utilize visuals.

I hope to be able to provide students with a video to watch that briefly introduces the strategies. I also plan to allow students to explore and choose one of the multiple interactive tools on the site as ways to show their work and understanding. Students may decide to create podcasts, storyboards, presentations, or videos to explain and show their understanding of topics. Once students choose their strategy, I will allow them to explore it and I will encourage them to ask questions to me or classmates if they need support. I am hoping that in this class, I can receive feedback and support from classmates on my ideas, and possibly even additional ideas for my project!

Barbie Bashing: The Problematic Dolls

 I used to play with Barbie and Bratz dolls as a child. I always had a view of Barbie and Bratz dolls as “beautiful” and “pretty.” I never realized how “problematic” Barbie’s could be as a young child. As I grew up, I realized that these dolls were created to appear “attractive” according to a specific set of media standards. In class on Monday, we discussed how women have power when they are tall and thin. Another beauty standard that is common in media and in the portrayal of dolls is having long, straight hair. Looking back on my childhood dolls, all of them were thin, had long legs, and had long straight hair. 

These standards of beauty can have detrimental effects on children’s mental and physical health. Depression, self-esteem issues, and eating disorders do occur in children who do not feel they fit the standards of beauty. I have witnessed students being bullied and being named “big backs”, which is a common slang used by children today to call others fat. Nobody should be ashamed of how they look, even if it goes against the mainstream “beauty standards”, especially young children.

I always had self-esteem issues, and always wanted to look a specific way. I realize now that maybe I drew my ideas of beauty from these media standards of beauty. In the textbook Rethinking Popular Culture and Media by Marshall and Sensoy, students noted that Barbie does not look like the women they know in real life. The Barbie dolls they saw were white, thin, had long legs, and the Barbie’s that were depicted as being of color had pin-straight hair. This textbook further validates my views that the media has portrayed Barbie in a way that focuses on specific beauty standards. While dolls today have become more diverse (skin color, size), more needs to be done to address the issues surrounding beauty standards.