---
title: "VIDEO: Student Voice and Choice at Work in Chicago's Ashburn Elementary"
description: The best teachers have always known that when a student feels heard and is provided options for their learning, the sky is the limit.
---

[Blog | ThinkCERCA ](https://blog.thinkcerca.com)

# [VIDEO: Student Voice and Choice at Work in Chicago's Ashburn Elementary](https://blog.thinkcerca.com/video-student-voice-and-choice-at-work-in-chicagos-ashburn-elementary)

 Written by [Elizabeth Riley Boyer](https://blog.thinkcerca.com/author/elizabeth-riley-boyer) | May 17, 2017

## *The sky is the limit when students take ownership over their learning.*

 

 

 

 

"I always give my students choice," says Barbara Wade, a teacher at Ashburn Community Elementary School in Chicago.

According to [UDL principles](http://www.cast.org/our-work/publications/2014/universal-design-learning-theory-practice-udl-meyer.html#.WRyugVPysl4), giving students choices can increase their enthusiasm for the learning process. The best teachers have always known that when a student feels heard and is provided options for their learning, the sky is the limit.

In this video, Wade brings the concept of student voice and choice to life by giving her students the opportunity to choose what ThinkCERCA lesson to work on. After studying the Constitution and the Fourth Amendment, Wade's students chose to engage in the [Supreme Court Decisions: Free Speech](https://learn.thinkcerca.com/teacher/lesson_library/units/237). Watch to see how this practice leads to increased engagement, collaboration, and idea sharing among students.

[View full post](https://blog.thinkcerca.com/video-student-voice-and-choice-at-work-in-chicagos-ashburn-elementary)

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