Lesson 4: Learning Menus
Learning Menus What Are They:
Learning Menus outline a variety of instructional options targeted toward important learning goals. Students select and complete the assignment options that most appeal to them.
How They Work:
The teacher articulates learning goals and creates a "menu" of tasks which can consist of (appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and desserts based on identified learning goals and individual student levels. Learning menus can take place over a unit and also serve as a summative performance assessment with rubrics that contain criteria for every learning goal.
Here are some tips for designing learning menus:
- Decide on a purpose for using the learning menu
- Craft your learning goals for the menu in terms of what you want students to understand and know
- Design your appetizers as an engaging hook for the menu
- Create your entree by developing core tasks that you want all students to complete
- Design desserts that you know students will be motivated to complete
- For every course the teacher should tailor choices to different readiness levels
Here is a video for you to watch about learning menus.
Differentiating with Learning Menus [1]
Here is an example of a learning menu.
Navigation links:
References
Differentiating with Learning Menus. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2016, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/differentiating-instruction-strategy
Doubet, K., & Hockett, J. (2015). Differentiation in Middle & High School - Strategies to Engage All Learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
