You can negotiate curriculum with students.
Yes. I wrote that.
Student disengagement comes in many forms and for many reasons. Sometimes it is personal. Occasionally it is lacking the skill needed to begin. When asked, they will be honest—often brutally.
“I am just filling this out. It seems pointless.”
That is one of the most frustrating parts of education. I can’t compete with YouTube and TikTok. I don’t speak in reels and memes, but I can take something from those (and other) platforms.
Students will engage in what is challenging if they feel that they have a say. The sense of justice is strong in those with developing frontal lobes.
Mantra: “If I am doing the thinking, I am doing the learning. How can I redesign this so the students are doing the heavy lifting?”
But I have a prescribed curriculum? That is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
Do you have to start over? No.
Is it a remix, with the same goals, standards, and learning targets. New approach, same details. (Hang in there. Your kids have things that they can teach you, too.)
Why this approach works–
Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.
Ownership: When a student chooses the “how,” they are no longer doing work for the teacher; they are doing work for themselves.
Metacognition: By designing the experience rather than the answer, you force students to think about how they learn, which is a skill that outlasts any specific curriculum.
Authenticity: Real-world problems don’t come with a teacher’s manual. By experiencing “curriculum-as-design,” students practice the messy, iterative process of real-world success.
- Increased Engagement & Ownership: Students are more likely to be motivated when they feel their voice is heard. This begins the shift from compliance, “School is done to me,” to “I am a part of my own educational journey.”
- Collaborative Learning Environment: Co-creating classroom goals, breaking down standards into meaningful chunks, establishing behavioral norms, offering choices in engagement and assessment designs, and facilitating peer feedback.
- Peer/Teacher-Designed Assessment: Student voice enables input on how they are assessed, allowing for more authentic learning and assessment strategies.
- Improved Teacher-Student Relationships: Acting on student input fosters trust, making students feel valued for their perspectives.
- Cultural Relevance: By including diverse student perspectives, educators can develop a curriculum and instruction that is relevant and meaningful.
Let’s take a look backstage. Remember, the work you do behind the scenes will make the front of house run smoothly.
Ex. During the planning of our unit on heat transfer, we conferred as a class and decided that Goal 13 had the greatest connection to our studies.
Student-facing format to begin this conversation. We design, build, and assess together. This opens interdisciplinary opportunities and student-driven inquiry, crowdsourcing ideas from classes to collectively create.
How might this engage students?
Ways that Negotiated Curriculum Design fosters student voice in the classroom:
- Collecting Feedback: Have these conversations to gather feedback, then show students how their input shaped the class.
- Provide Choices: Offer choices in assignment topics, project formats, or classroom roles.
- Foster Decision-Making: Include students in setting classroom expectations and rules.
- Encourage Reflection: Ask students to reflect on their learning journey, such as through self-assessment or showcasing their work.
Curious? Let’s talk about how this approach can change student engagement and voice in your classroom.