Creating and Teaching Electives: What Works and What Doesn't

For the past seven years, I’ve been in the unique position of teaching elective courses alongside my regular English and Social Studies classes. Even more uniquely, I’ve been given (almost) complete freedom to design those electives.

Over the years, I’ve taught Psychology, Critical Writing, Journalism, Career Readiness & Life Skills, and one memorable attempt at a coding elective. To be clear: coding was not my idea, nor was it within my actual skill set. That experience was very much a one-and-done situation. See the “almost” in my previous comment about course design freedom.

Kasi has taught even more electives over the years, including Mythology, Pop Culture, Family Responsibilities & Consumer Sciences, Zoology, and Writer’s Ink (a calligraphy/lettering course, which included a super cool graffiti-style assignment).

After teaching so many different electives, we’ve learned a lot about what helps these classes thrive…and what can make them flop fast. If you’ve been asked to create an elective, refresh an existing one, or just survive teaching something wildly outside your comfort zone, here are a few things we’ve learned along the way.

What Works: Relevance

Electives work best when students feel like the content actually matters to them. Since many electives are choice-based classes, students tend to come in with at least some level of interest already present. Lean into that.

The electives that tend to go over best are the ones where students can clearly answer the question: “When would I actually use this?”

That can look different depending on the course:

Psychology students connecting concepts to real-life behavior
Journalism students covering school events and interviewing peers
Career readiness students practicing resumes, interviews, or budgeting
Mythology students comparing ancient stories to modern media and pop culture

Students are much more willing to engage when the content feels connected to their lives, interests, or future goals.

What Works: Variety

One of the fastest ways to lose momentum in an elective is to make every day feel exactly the same.

Electives are a great opportunity to mix things up:

Paper-based activities
Tech-based assignments
Creative projects
One-day tasks
Long-term projects
Partner work
Independent exploration

The flexibility is part of what makes electives fun to teach and fun to take.

Some of our best elective moments have come from giving students opportunities to create, present, explore niche interests, or try something unexpected. Those experiences tend to stick with students long after the class ends.

What Works: Independence

Electives are often one of the best places to build student independence. Since students usually have some intrinsic motivation for being there, you can give them a little more ownership than you might in a required core class.

That could mean:

Choice project topics
Self-paced assignments
Passion projects
Independent reading or research
Student-led presentations

Giving students room to explore their interests can lead to some genuinely impressive work. It also helps build real-world skills like time management, self-direction, and problem-solving.

What Doesn’t Work: Treating It Exactly Like a Core Class

Electives should absolutely have rigor and meaningful learning experiences. Students should still be challenged.

That said, electives usually benefit from a different feel than a traditional core academic course.

In many cases, loading electives with nightly homework, constant tests, or heavy lectures can drain the energy that makes them special in the first place. Students often look to electives as creative outlets within a school schedule that is otherwise largely out of their control. Let electives be that breath of fresh air.

Of course, every school context is different. Some programs require more formal elective structure, and sometimes you simply have to work within those expectations. But whenever possible, it helps to preserve some flexibility and creativity within the course structure.

What Doesn’t Work: Limiting Exploration

This one can be tough, especially for those of us who love a good scope and sequence document.

When students are genuinely interested in a topic, unexpected discussions and side paths naturally happen. Some of the best elective lessons we’ve ever had came from student questions or interests we didn’t originally plan for.

Giving students space to explore related topics, current events, niche interests, or creative extensions keeps the class feeling alive and responsive.

Sometimes the magic of electives comes from following the rabbit trail a little bit.

What Doesn’t Work: Making It Too Relaxed

On the flip side, electives still need structure.

Students may view electives as “easier” classes, but that doesn’t mean expectations disappear entirely. Classes still run more smoothly when there are:

Clear routines
Organized procedures
Meaningful assignments
Consistent expectations

Without those things, electives can quickly shift from fun and engaging to chaotic and unproductive.

The sweet spot is finding a balance between flexibility and structure. Students should feel freedom to explore while still understanding that learning is happening and expectations matter.

Final Thoughts

Teaching electives has been one of the most fun and creatively fulfilling parts of our careers. There’s something magical about having the freedom to dig deep into chosen topics, and there’s some extra magic in watching students follow suit.

If you’re creating or teaching an elective this year, our biggest advice is this: make it meaningful, keep it varied, allow room for exploration, and don’t be afraid to let the course take on a personality of its own.

You never know which class might end up being the one students remember fondly years later (…unless it’s the English teacher running a coding course. They might remember that one, but it won’t be fondly).