Self-regulation has never been more important (or more challenging) for students. With constant distractions from technology, social pressures, and even lingering post-pandemic stress, it’s tough for students to stay focused and motivated. Teachers across the country report that classroom behaviors are more difficult to manage than ever, and students are struggling with more than just academics. The problems we’re seeing our students struggle with the most include:
- Staying motivated
- Managing screen time
- 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 program for 4th and 5th grades, 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
- A $400 teacher stipend (paid in two $200 intervals throughout the program) for your participation
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 for the We Have Choices program:
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?
Trying out something new can feel overwhelming when your schedule is already packed, but the truth is that what we’re doing now 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 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.
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