Category: authentic learning

authentic learning, being a teacher, discussion, Student-centered

An Opportunity for Discussion

Pernille Ripp

Friday is Op.Ed. day in my room and I savor this chance to ask my students some of the questions I discuss with fellow teachers. Yesterday’s was “Should students have a say in what they have to learn about.” To see all of their answers, head over to our kidblog. After 15 minutes of writing I asked students to share and this is where the magic happened. Several students shared and then someone blurted out a question. Nervously, they glanced at me to see if I would stop or reprimand them. I kept quiet. Question was answered by another student, and a new one came. Again glances were shot my way; I remained quiet. Well, that really got them going.

For ten minutes I sat back and let my students discuss. The kids got out of their seats, used arm gestures to underscore points, and formed smaller clusters of talking groups. Their enthusiasm was contagious and a huge smile spread across my face. This is what we try to teach our students; how to discuss, how to form opinions, and how to respond properly in a conversation. I did not teach them this, I only gave them the opportunity to engage one another.

As a teacher, I have to equip my students with life skills and those include how to have a proper discussion. I stopped the class only because they went back into kid territory of getting upset with each other. This, though, was also a learning opportunity; how do you politely disagree? How do you carry on a large group discussion? My students quickly realized that one major rule was to not interrupt each other, something I have asked for all year. And yet now they got it. They figured out the why themselves and that will always be my favorite way for them to learn.

Sometimes it is not about what we teach but the opportunities we provide. The opportunities are what matter.

authentic learning, being a teacher, feedback, lessons learned, students

Hold Your Tongue – Why Feedback has to be Time Appropriate

Pernille Ripp
    Today, as we practiced writing our weekend webs, the students had to focus on writing a catchy first sentence.  It all ties in with our major writing goals of better word choice and yet was still met with groans and eye rolls.  “But that’s hard, Mrs. Ripp” was expressed repeatedly.  “Absolutely,” I said, “And that is why we have to practice it.”  
 
After the 15 minutes of writing were up, I had students share just their opening sentence with the rest of the class.  As we went through each sentence, I stayed quiet beside the occasional “Nice” that slipped out.  These sentences were not created equal by any means.  Some were catchy, exciting, inviting and others were just ho-hum.  In the past, I would have given my honest opinion at each sentence, and yet today I held my tongue.  Instead of sharing my opinion to each individual, I asked the students whether they heard a difference in sentence quality.  All of them agreed and some even ventured that there were certain stories they would love to read right away.  A discussion then broke out as to the purpose of that first sentence.  Was it to explain everything such as “This Saturday, I went to the carnival” or was it to entice the reader?  This discussion would not have happened had I greeted each sentence with a comment.  Instead, I would have had some deflated students, unsure of what their next step should be.
Public criticism disguised as feedback is always something I avoid.  Not because I feel students should not be aware of what their goals are, in fact, we discuss this quite often in my classroom, but rather the public part of it.  Of course, there are times when public discussion does happen such as addressing inappropriate behaviors, or when the whole class is trying to learn from each other in a more deliberate way.  Just stating though that student’s work isn’t their best, is simply not doing them any good.  In this instance, I would not have had time to properly discuss ways to change their sentence, and I knew that some students would figure out theirs was not as strong if they simply heard the other ones that were.  So I am learning to be quiet, to be more deliberate in my delivery of learning, and to sometimes forgo it all together.
Feedback is one of our strongest tools but can also be one of our more damaging ones if handled inappropriately.  While you can easily build a child up by publicly praising their work, one misplaced comment can undo months of confidence as a writer, reader or student.  This goes for disingenuous praise as well; children will see right through it if you don’t mean it.  So as I continue to grow alongside my students I try to keep it simple, earnest, and meaningful.  Saying “good job” might work at that specific moment in time but the students learn nothing from it.  Just as saying “That wasn’t a great sentence” delivers no learning opportunity, we must be willful and deliberate in our words.  How do you handle feedback in your classroom?  What are you stopping doing?  Am I the only one on this word choice journey?
authentic learning, being a teacher, goal, inspiration, students

Dear 4 1/2 Graders

Pernille Ripp

Dear 4 1/2 graders,
Boy, where has the year gone? This last week has given me some time to think about the goals, the learning, the excitement and the end of fourth grade. So as I prepare for our next units, knowing there is half a year left, knowing we have so much learning to do, knowing that we have so much growing to do, I get excited. The path we are on. this year is incredible, the learning journey eventful, and sometimes even a little bit magical. So as we inch closer to fifth grade, I hope we

Slow down to relish the everyday magic. It is ok to get excited when you solve something on your own or do that great work. Let’s share, let’s celebrate, after all, learning is meant to be wondrous.

Struggle together. Let’s look for answers, questions our assumptions, and even question each other (especially the teacher!).

Reach out. The world is our classroom so let’s invite others in and do our share to be global citizens. Think of how rich our lives a now because of our blogging and projects.

Believe! Let’s believe more in our own brains, creativity, problem solving skills, and most of all each other. Ask others for help when needed but don’t forget to ask yourself first.

Create. I am only a teacher, not the inventor of everything interesting. So create learning possibilities for yourself as well as we continue learning in our room.

Set goals – and then exceed them. We must continue to strive for better but also not be satisfied when we reach that goal. Push yourself when it makes sense.

Smile, laugh, giggle and have fun. School is meant to be somewhere fabulous where magical things happen, let’s continue to make learning fun.

I cannot wait to see you on Monday.

Love,
Mrs. Ripp