Students at desk learning

Two Impactful Resources for Student Choice in Learning 



Student engagement makes teaching and learning joyful, sustainable, and successful! An effective means of increasing engagement is to allow students to pursue their interests and goals in rigorous classroom activities. This requires teachers to build relationships of trust and understanding, inviting students to share their passions and intentions as part of the process of planning and preparing for engaging learning activities. Use and share the following two resources to develop student-choice activities in your next class!  

Moreland Webinar 

Three Moreland University community members came together to discuss ways to honor students’ voices in the classroom through choice in learning. 

  • Charlyn Motley, M.Ed. is a graduate of Moreland University’s M.Ed. with Educational Research focus and teacher certification who lives in West Virginia. She began teaching in Montessori schools and Head Start before transitioning into public teaching in early elementary grades. She has also served as a Moreland faculty member and is passionate about mentoring teachers in alternative approaches to teaching and learning. 
  • Nick Santalucia earned his teaching certification through Moreland University’s online teacher preparation program in 2020 and is now a middle school ELA, writing, and social studies teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Before becoming a classroom teacher, Nick was a test-prep tutor and copywriter. He joined the Moreland alumni network because he believes that non-traditional teachers bring important value into the field of education.  
  • Joseph A. Pearson, M.S.Ed. is a faculty member and administrator at Moreland University who passionately equips, enables, and empowers the Moreland community. He began his career as a Spanish and English Language Development teacher and instructional coach in Washington, D.C. and San Diego, California. He  also began working as a teacher leader and advocate before transitioning to teacher development with Moreland.   

Free Student-Interest Inventory    

Download Moreland University’s student-interest inventory to learn students’ passions, goals, and personal motivations. Teachers who know their students and what drives them can develop responsive and relevant learning activities. Integrate students’ interests into instruction to increase excitement, engagement, and learning outcomes! 

Joseph A. Pearson, M.S.Ed.
Professional Development Officer, Moreland University

Additional Reading