ABSTRACT
Teachers have to make decisions daily about the amount of autonomy, or self-direction, they will afford to students. Much theory-based research conducted in recent years supports the provision of autonomy in the classroom. Classroom teachers can provide many types of opportunities for their students to make choices during the school day. The idea of providing opportunities for students to make choices in the classroom is not as simple as it may seem. Certainly, allowing too many choices for students could create a situation where student work and behavior become too difficult to monitor and could be overwhelming for both students and the teacher. The chapter presents some issues that teachers must seriously consider when working to provide students with opportunities for autonomy. The gender breakdown of the classroom may have an influence on the types of decisions that students and teachers make.
