Self-regulation is a struggle for everyone lately. All the distractions we face each day make finding time to reflect or focus feel almost impossible. And our students are no exception. Behaviors in our classrooms are getting worse, but we know that isn’t the only problem. What problems are we seeing our students struggle with the most?
- Staying motivated
- Focusing on what’s being taught
- Keeping their materials organized
- Making a plan to get work done
- Seeing plans through to completion
In other words, they don’t know how to self-regulate.
If we want to improve students’ behavior, focus, and ability to complete tasks, we need to begin explicitly teaching our students self-regulation skills. We Have Choices is a free, research-based program that helps 4th and 5th grade teachers do just that. And the results teachers are reporting are pretty encouraging.
Say hello to We Have Choices
We Have Choices, an innovative 4th and 5th grade program, is the focus of a study about teaching students self-management skills by giving teachers the following resources:
- A 9-week curriculum of quick, fun lessons to fit into your weekly schedule
- Videos, posters, and daily student trackers that reinforce self-regulation concepts
- Easy-to-follow instructions on how to teach the lessons
- Tools to help you monitor your students’ improvement
Why this program is good for you and your students
The program focuses on teaching students critical classroom skills like following expectations, focusing on tasks, managing feelings, asking for help, and doing their best work. If you think your 4th or 5th grade students would benefit from practice on any of these skills, this program is for you.
Here’s why teachers have signed up their classrooms:
How the lessons fit into your daily routine
The We Have Choices curriculum can be done at any point during the week, making it totally flexible for your schedule. It was designed with a teacher’s busy schedule in mind, often taking no more than 30 to 60 minutes a week. Video lessons present an entertaining game show that demonstrates skills and engages students. And the My Daily Tracker student booklets support self-management routines that are easily incorporated into regular classroom activities.
Take a look at how these teachers made the lessons work with their schedules:
Why students love these lessons
We know a program works best if students enjoy and look forward to the lessons and activities. We Have Choices is successful because it really helps students see how their actions affect their emotions and behaviors. It teaches them the tools they need to follow instructions and learn during the school day. As students learn to see the patterns in their own behaviors, they see for themselves how powerful self-regulation can be. By learning to check in with themselves each day, they begin to take responsibility for the way they act and behave in class and in their own lives.
What do students who’ve been through the program like the most?
Sounds great, but does it really work?
It can be scary to try out a new program when your schedule is already chock-full as is, but we know what we’re currently doing just isn’t working. Student behavior is getting worse and more and more students struggle with basic skills like organization and time management. We Have Choices is looking for solutions to these problems. By taking the time to explicitly teach our students these skills, we’re going to get that time back (and more!) when they are able to self-regulate more effectively during class time. Participating in research helps create new knowledge that can change the way we teach and help students learn. And creating that knowledge takes a community.
Here’s what teachers who completed the program observed in their own classrooms:
Here’s how to get started
If this program sounds like something that you might want to try out in your classroom, fill out the We Have Choices Research Study Inquiry form. You’ll hear back from our partners at the We Have Choices program within a day or two.
