Pressure+and+Choice+Case+Study

**__INTRODUCTION__**
One of the core components of the personalised learning model that we follow is curriculum entitlement and choice. This involves individual students having choice in what and how they learn. At Ridgewood High School, we used a variety of research methods to look in to choice. Through focus groups with students, interviews with teachers and observations of a number of classes, we found slight evidence of choice within the classroom. Furthermore, we found that parents and college influence choice, and these two things also place a lot of pressure upon Ridgewood students.

**__CHOICE__**
On the surface there appears to be a lot of choice at Ridgewood High School. Ridgewood offers their students a vast range of subjects that they can study. However, because parents and college influence choice, there is not a lot of personal choice at Ridgewood below the surface.

Parents have a big influence on what students learn at Ridgewood. Many students mentioned that in the past their parents told them what subjects they are to learn. Students have agreed that parental involvement is important at the beginning of high school, but towards the end of high school parents should let their child have more independence.



Furthermore, the pressure of getting in to college seems to influence choice at Ridgewood. Students feel as though they should do a variety of classes, in particular AP courses, because it looks good on their college application. As a result, students may end up doing classes they feel like they should be doing, rather than what they want to be doing. The consequence of this means they may not get to try things they might be good at. Parents of students at Ridgewood do place a lot of importance on getting in to college. Ridgewood High School is a very college-focused school. This leaves little encouragement and opportunities for vocational learning. Students who are more vocationally minded than academically minded may be at a disadvantage in Ridgewood High School, and may not get the right support to try vocational learning. Teachers at Ridgewood appeared to allow their students to explore their own learning styles duirng class work. For example, a science teacher mentioned that in her class students have the flexibility to take notes in a way that is comfortable for them, and they can also research and present tasks how they like.

However, when it comes to AP courses, there is little scope for choice in what and how students learn. AP stands for Advanced Placement, which refers to classes that are taught at a university level, and designed to give students credit towards their future univeristy degree. Teachers of AP courses have to follow a very strict curriculum, which results in tremendous pressure on the teachers and little autonomy.

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Like previous Learning School groups, we noticed the large amounts of pressure that is put on students at Ridgewood High. Although pressure at Ridgewood is not an original observation, it is worthy of a mention because it was talked about on a daily basis by the group, and students and teachers alike. Furthermore, the amount of pressure at Ridgewood exceeds what was observed in the other schools we have visited so far.

Due to the socioeconomic status of the town in which Ridgewood High is situated, the vast majority of students come from upper and middle class backgrounds. Their families see the value and importance of education, and express a strong desire for their children to get in to college, especially the better-ranked ones. This places a lot of pressure on students to perform to their parents expectations.

In addition to this, colleges have high expectations of their applicants, in that a student should be able to show in their college applications good grades, a high amount of extracurricular activities, leadership work and volunteer work. Students therefore feel pressure to perform to the standard in which college expects.

From the research gathered, there was a general trend in how students felt about pressure at Ridgewood. Most students came to the conclusion that a little pressure is beneficial, but too much can be damaging. The reasoning behind this came from the following beliefs:
 * A little pressure makes the student do work.
 * Extreme modes of pressure can result in the desire to cheat to accomplish goals.
 * Students are innately driven to perform well academically, which is due to parents’ backgrounds.
 * A little pressure means we can handle pressure later on in the workforce.
 * Too much pressure can have the opposite effect and turn one off wanting to succeed in the workforce.
 * A little pressure results in self-motivation.
 * No pressure at all means students will not understand the value of education.

It is good that Ridgewood students are aware of the pressure within the school environment and at home, and can therefore see the benefits and disadvantages of being under pressure. To simplify the students’ thoughts on pressure, the following table is made:

More importantly, when students reflected on the pressure they feel at Ridgewood, they thought about how it affects them personally and what strategies they use to deal with pressure. It was therefore observed that students are learning to cope with pressure in a way that meets their specific needs, and thus are understanding more learning strategies that work for them personally.
 * Table 1.1 Pressure**

**__CONCLUSIONS__**
When looking at personalised learning in Ridgewood High, the greatest examples are seen in extracurricular activities. Choice of classes is influenced by parents and college, and choice within the class is minimal in AP classes. Although doing extracurricular activities is also influenced by parents and college, choice of which activities to take up is very often a personal decision. Furthermore, within the activities, students are given the opportunitiy to explore a variety of learning styles, and therefore can figure out which strategies work for them.

Looking back over our research in to choice at Ridgewood, it has been shown that although students are influenced and pressured by external factors, they feel that this is important at the beginning in order to become interested in learning and become self-motivated. So the question arises: should there even be much choice in what and how a student learns within the classroom? When students graduate and move on to the workforce, they will most likely come across situations where they have to complete a task in one specific way, with no room for variation. Therefore, it may be more beneficial for students to follow a strict curriculum in the classroom, and then be able to have autonomy outside the classroom in extracurricular activities.