User Generated Education

Electives, as we all know, are classes that students choose to take. Electives are typically chosen based on interests, passions, a need to learn something new, and/or because of future goals. It is not clear to me why elementary students are rarely offered elective courses.

In addition to empowering practical skills, electives can help students find hidden talents or passions. In fact, several studies show that students are more likely to get a degree or major in a course they took as an elective. Electives offer options that allow individuals to seek out interests. Being able to choose a class is huge, and this tends to keep kids motivated to learn (Beyond the Classroom: Electives in school — essential or entertaining?).

Other benefits of electives include:

• They honor student voice and choice. Obviously, the act of allowing students to choose desirable electives gives them both voice and choice. Electives should also be designed so the types of activities offered to students embrace their voice and choice.
• Given that students select their electives, they become interest and passion driven.
• They are self-differentiating. First, the act of selecting electives of personal choice can be considered differentiation by interest. Second, within the electives themselves, students choose to work on personal projects that are often based on both their ability levels and interest levels.
• They are authentic and relevant. The types of elective offered should mimic the types of activities used by professionals in a related career field. Students will then see what they do during their electives as having real world applications.
• Electives assist students in seeing the big picture of the content being studied. By showing them the types of learning activities that will be part of the elective, they get to see more of the big picture of the elective; the smaller pieces of the bigger elective topic. I never understood why elementary students aren’t shown the bigger picture of a lesson, unit, or course. At least, college, and some high school, students are given a syllabus which tells them what they will learn during the course.
• Because elective classes offered to elementary students should be STEM/STEAM process based, they have the potential situate historically underserved and disenfranchised young people to be more competitive with more privileged youth in college. The types of electives offered to the students assist them in developing the “21st century” skills of creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration as well as the ability to persevere, iterate, ask for help, and see themselves as capable learners. It gives them the extra boost that many of the more privileged youth get through their extra-curricular activities.

I am a lifelong learner. I have a very strong need to learn new things. Summers give me the opportunity to learn new things that I can offer to my students during the following school year This summer was no exception. I learned about artificial intelligence, using Python to program micro:bits, integrating Podcasts in the classroom, and making games using Breakout Edu and Gimkit. Now, I can offer these new things as well as some others related interests and passions as electives this coming school year

I have the privilege of teaching gifted elementary students at a Title 1/bilingual school. I understand that I have more freedom than the classroom teacher to develop and teach my own curriculum. I see my students for a few 2-hour blocks during the week. They, in small groups can choose two to three electives per semester. The selection of electives is up to them. This year I modified, by including new activities and electives, the slideshow I prepared last year to show my students the electives from which they can choose. (Note: I know that teachers have to teach to so many standards and use district mandated curriculums. I still believe they can carve out some time during the week to offer electives AND still address content standards. I think students have a lot to gain to see their teachers teaching about their personal interests and passions. They get to see their teachers actually being lifelong learners and the benefits it entails.)

The electives I am offering during this 2023-24 school year are:

• Fun with Words
• Math Fun
• Gardening and Healthy Food Prep
• Sustainable Development Goals
• Sustainable City – Future City Competition
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Outdoor Education
• Civics
• Physical Computing with Microcontrollers
• Coding with Python
• Computer Science and Art
• Inventors’ Workshop
• Textile arts
• Toy Making and Hacking
• Gaming
• Artificial Intelligence
• Media Creation
• Science Experimentation
• Paper Engineering
• Things That Move
• Space

I select the activities for each elective but within those activities, there is still lots of student choice and voice. My slideshow includes those activities along with links to additional resources: