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Identify one or two ways you can, as Dr. Black says, “build a structure [in your classroom] that also has a level of flexibility.”
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When I assign summer reading, I always like to give my students a range of choice for their presentation. The activities are varied with some requiring artistic skill, some requiring analytical skills, and some requiring strong writing skills. This gives students an opportunity for ownership over their presentation, but still requires that they fulfill specific standards.
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You can create your lesson plan but also have some activities that can be changed in order to accommodate how students comprehend the concepts.
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Making sure that I am constantly differentiating assessments and letting students show their skills in places where they thrive.
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You can do this by having a certain structure (order or way of doing things) in your classroom while also giving students options in regard to due dates, assessments, types of in-course activities, etc. I really enjoy giving students assessments where they are required to demonstrate certain standards while also giving them the freedom to express their individual creativity. This works really well in my middle school computer course.
I also like to start off the year with a survey of what kind of activities students would like to see throughout the year as well as what their own learning type/style is. This helps me tailor-make assessments, activities, and even my teaching methods to the students I have in each specific course.
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Open-ended lab activities in which the student can branch off and explore related concepts as they are discovered.
