I used to think that teaching students to become great readers meant that I showed them as many reading strategies as I could and then we would practice each one until they could do it practically in their sleep. Connections – check. Predictions – check. Inferring, visualizing, character changes – check, check, check. We had our strategies under control.
I used to think that providing my students with as much time as possible to discuss reading would make them stronger readers. After all, through the talking they would be able to dig deeper into their own process and mimic others.
I used to think that my students constantly had to stop and jot so they could record and prove their thinking on little post-its. That the more post-its they had in a book, the better of a reader they were becoming. I used them for proof that they were growing. I used them for proof that they understood the steps.
I used to think that reading was all about talking. I used to think reading was all about taking it apart. I used to think reading was all about proof.
Now I know that reading should be about reading. That in all of that talking there was very little reading. In all of that jotting there was no room for flow or getting in the zone. That in trying to give the teacher proof that they were reading, they were losing valuable reading time. We stopped all of the time. We lost independent reading minutes because we had to make sure we had something written down.
For students to become better readers, they need time to read. We know that, I know that. Yes, they need strategies, yes, they need to speak about reading, yes they need to think and grow, but what they need most of all is time to read. Every day, any chance, and it needs to be uninterrupted. So now as I plan my days, my sacred 45 minutes I get with every class, 10 of that is dedicated to no-talking, uninterrupted, choice based reading. 10 minutes of quiet in the zone reading where no one tells them what to do. I wish it was more, the students wish it was more, but it is a start. It is their chance to read, everything else comes after. Everything else is less important.
What do you do in your room to preserve independent reading time?
I was exhausted to say the least. Voice raw, thoughts muddled, and a lead brain. I felt like I had worked days without sleep as I dragged myself home. All day Thursday, I conferred with almost all of my students. 100+ kids and I sat down, one on one, and spoke about scores, grades, goals, growth and most importantly what they are proud of. And I was exhausted.
I hadn’t intended to have a day of conferring. I had thought we would have a read-in party, I would hand them back their grade slips with my grades for them, the ones they had first decided and I then had added my input to. After all, most of us agreed on the letter grade that somehow would define their progress in English. Yet, as I looked at the slips of paper in my hand, I realized that this was not a paper conversation. That every child deserved to have a moment, even if only for a few minutes, to discuss why that grade somehow represented them and more importantly a moment to carve their own path forward.
So one by one I called them up, showed them their slip of paper and then we talked. What did I notice, what did they know? How had they been doing? How had they felt about being in English? What could change? What were my hopes as we moved forward? What did they hope for? What did they need? The conversations changed depending on the student, yet every single one ended with; what are you proud of?
What came from them were almost never their scores. Nor the grade they were getting. Instead, child upon child told me how they were actually reading now. How they had become better readers. How some didn’t hate writing as much. How English was getting easier for them. How they felt they had something to say. They spoke of insecurities. They spoke of being unsure. They spoke of trying. Of growing. Of wanting to become better people. Every child opened up and spke of their journey and together we spoke of the future.
One child summed up the day perfectly for me when he said; “I am not sure what I am most proud of. I have grown, I don’t know how, but I am now better.” And I thought, so am I. I am better teacher because I know my students better. I am a better teacher because I cannot wait to see what they do next. I am a better teacher because the students are starting to really trust me. I am a better teacher because my students push me forward every day, and I let them.
I did not intend to spend a day speaking to my students and doing nothing else, but now I know; it was the best way I could have spent a day. It was the best way to help my students know that they are more than a grade. More than a score. More than a letter.
I had meticulously made my lists. I had thoughts of habits, tastes, personalities, reading preferences, pace and yes, even their assessment data. I had scoured the book room, gone book shopping spending my own money and used most of my Scholastic points. More than 50 choices awaited my students, I couldn’t wait to start book clubs.
So when I announced that today was the day they would know their book club groups, I had not planned for the groan of disapproval that met me. The disgusted stares and the change in body language; slumped shoulders, heads down. Clearly, they were not as excited as I was. And so I did what I always do; I asked why. Or more specifically, I mimicked what a student said, which was that book clubs suck, and I asked “Tell me all of the reason why book clubs suck…”
And boy did they ever.
“We hate being forced to read certain books. Sometimes we have read them before, sometimes they are boring, sometimes we cannot relate to them no matter how hard we try. We want choice, we want things that we want to read, we can decide by ourselves.
We hate being told when to read, how many pages, and what we should discuss. Sometimes we want to read only a few pages because we know we are busy, other times we want to read a lot. We want to come up with our own questions and we don’t want a teacher to facilitate. Let us try to navigate it ourselves. Let us try to lead the conversations. Help us when we need it but don’t assume we need it all of the time.
We hate having a book take weeks and weeks to finish. Sometimes we just want to read because it is so good, and what is wrong with that. When it drags on we lose interest. When it drags on we forget what is happening.
We hate being stuck with a book even if we chose it. We hate being placed in groups with students we have nothing in common with. We hate having to keep logs, write reports, and do group work when all we want to do is read and discuss. Don’t you see, we hate book clubs.”
So I listened, and I answered their questions whether they wanted me to or not. Carefully explained my vision for the next few weeks and why. Would there be writing – no, just the thoughts they felt they needed to jot down to facilitate a discussion. Would there be choice – of course, the books were waiting patiently for them and if they found none here then we have a library to go to. They kept asking and I kept explaining, and as we went on their faces changed and the shoulders came back up.
Every class I taught that day went through the same process. I didn’t expect to have those conversation 5 times in a row but that is exactly what happened. Every time I mentioned book clubs, the groan came at me like a wave. And yet, as we discussed I once again learned more about my students and their reading habits. I learned how they want to be independent readers and thinkers, how they want to be able to have choice in everything so that they can invest themselves fully. How it is okay that I put them into groups as long as I explain why those groups were made and that it wasn’t just based on one thing.
I could have ignored their groans, a few years ago I would have, I would have told them to “Suck it up, deal with it and make the best of it.” Yet, I know from experience that if we want book clubs or anything that has to do with reading to work then we have to have these hard conversations. We have to discuss, tear apart, and work through the demons that students carry, those preconceived notions of what is going to happen in the next few weeks, before we ever get an authentic buy-in; a reading experience that matters.
The day after the conversation, I had them book shop. Every group went from choice to choice and debated the merits of the books laid out before them. Every group weighed their options, and only one group out of about 30 needed my guidance in book choice. Yesterday, as I revealed the books they were going to read, most groups cheered. Some kids asked if they could start right away? Please, because the book looks really good and we are so excited.
Had I not stopped and listened to my students. Had I not stopped the plan of what I was going to do. Had I forged ahead, gone on with our day, there would have been few cheers and instead the next few weeks would have been filled with the passive resignation that middle schoolers do so well. Yeah book clubs suck, but they don’t have to. We have to find a way to talk about it and change the way they are done. And the first place we start is by asking out students why they suck or any other word that may describe their feelings toward them.
We have been deep in grade discussion today as throughout the day I have asked students to define the letter grades that I have to give this semester. I wasn’t surprised at the in-depth discussions this prompted, but more at the harshness with which the students defined certain grades. Each class got a letter to define and then the other classes added their input. Tomorrow, students will select their grade and then provide reasoning on a sheet for why they belong in that category. I will then meet with each student to debate the grade with them and we will set goals for the future.
So how did the students define their letter grades? Behavior seemed to play a large role which lead to many interesting conversations, since we grade behavior separate from part of understanding. These are their thoughts….
To get an “A” in English, a student is:
Participating on topic (large group, small group) even if not called upon
An active listener (engaged, awake, doing what they are supposed to be doing)
Consistently trying to go above and beyond and shows interest in topics
Getting consistent 3’s or 4’s (even with re-takes)
Turning work in on time and completed (95%)
Consistently puts in effort
(Works well with others/respects others/teacher/classroom/materials – nice attitude)
Reads at least 6 out of 7 days 20 minutes or more outside of English
Furthers the understanding in the classroom through written or spoken work
Showing a deep level of understanding of content covered
To get a “B” in English, a student is:
Getting scores that are consistently 3’s with a few 2.5’s mixed in
Reading 5 out of the 7 nights outside of English class
Interested most days, as well as engaged in class
Putting in best effort
Doing required work but not always going for 4
Most of the time working well with others/showing respect and helping the class move forward in learning
Participating
Completing almost all work, as well as handing it in on time
Showing a thorough understanding of content covered
To get a “C” in English, a student is:
Getting mostly 2’s or 2.5’s
Reading 3-4 days a week outside of English class
Mostly turning in work on time and work is mostly completed
Mostly engaged but only some participation (large/small group)
Homework is almost always complete and mostly turned in on time (2 or more lates)
Group effort may depend on students in group
Effort depends on topic/subject
Mostly prepared for class but does forget items at times (book, pencil, notebook etc) leading to inability to complete tasks
Not always spending time in a in productive manner
To get a “D” in English, a student is:
Getting mostly 2’s
Reading 2-3 times a week outside of English class
Not always on topic and often distracts others
Not always prepared for class
Shows little engagement/time not spent productively
Has little participation even in small group
More than 3 missing assignments
Students shows little effort
Does few re-takes
Shows little understanding and does little to improve it
Choices made can harm the learning environment of others
To get a “F” in English, a student is:
Missing more than 5 assignments (summative and formative)
Getting 1.5’s or IE’s
Only reading one night or none outside of English class
Putting in little to no effort in class
Distracting students and teacher resulting in wasted learning time for self and others
Often not on topic
Has little to no participation
Does not do any re-takes
Is never prepared
Has selective listening that results in many misunderstandings
Have you asked your students to define their grades before they are given? If yes, how did it go? If no, why not?
I have had a problem with letters grades for a few years now. I used to write about it all of the time, and then stopped because I felt like all of the words had been written. But now, I am back facing having to give letter grades for the semester as my district transitions from them to standards based grades. All of those old thoughts of why letter grades say so little about a students knowledge, effort, and accomplishment have been hounding me throughout my days as the deadline for giving them nears. But then I remembered; I need to ask the students what grades they should get.
It is rather simple process. As a class we discuss what makes an “A?” What should a child be able to do in class and out of it to get that elusive top grade? What does “A” thinking, writing, reading, discussion, and doing overall look and sound like? We go through each letter grade this way as a class and determine our definitions. We publish them to our website so parents can see. The standards based scores they have received are also part of it but they are not averaged and they are not the only component.
Once the students have created a group definition, they evaluate themselves. On a small sheet of paper they are asked which grade they feel they deserve and why. The why is important here as I need to see their thinking.
Once they have completed the sheet, we meet. We have to have a face to face discussion of what grade they think they should receive, what my thoughts are, as well as the path forward. Often I find I agree with a child, but if there is disagreement whether the grade should be lower or higher, it is of utmost importance to have a face to face discussion.
For too long students have felt they have little say over how they are assessed. They feel that grades are done to them, rather than something they determine. While we as teachers may think that students understand that their grade is a reflection of their effort, time and time again students have told me they don’t understand the relationship.
So if you have to give letter grades, or even just scores, I implore you to please involve your students. Don’t just rely on an average. Don’t just rely on your gut feeling. Don’t just rely on tests, homework, or whatever other assignment that you have given. Bring the students in. Give them power over their learning, give them voice in how they are assessed. They will thank you for it, or at the very least start to understand how they ended up with that B….
I didn’t know I was doing personalized learning when I first changed the way I taught. It wasn’t until I wrote about it in a blog post and someone gave me the name and description that it clicked. It made sense really; I wanted students to have a voice, have choice, and to be re-ignited passionate learners within my classroom, all tenets of the personalized learning philosophy. For me it was a no brainer; why not teach in a such a way that students would want to be part of the learning? Why not teach in such a way that students became experts and have a place alongside the teacher? Yet, wherever I go resistance remains for personalized learning. In fact, some educators or districts are quite against it, but for many different reasons. I cannot be alone in seeing this resistance, so I thought a discussion of what those barriers may be and how you can approach a discussion to work around them would be in order.
Barrier: It’s one more thing to do. We are faced with seemingly more tasks every single year as teachers, from major ones forced upon us to the little ones we cannot wait to do because we were inspired. When will we ever find the time to do personalized learning as well?
Discussion Point: Personalized Learning should not be an add-on but a replacement. So if you are already doing something, change it with a lens of personalized learning. Can you add choice into a pre-existing project? Can students show mastery in a multitude of ways? Embrace personalized learning as a way to become a better educator by sharing more control with the students, keep it manageable for you and integrate in a natural way to alleviate the feeling of one more thing being added to the to-do list.
Barrier: It is overwhelming. It is easy to see why personalized learning can be viewed as overwhelming. Often those who discuss its merits have been doing it for years and has framed their whole classroom around it. Their personalized learning initiatives is a long list of to-done’s.
Discussion Point: One small step at a time. When discussing personalized learning focus on how to start, what to do in the beginning, and the small changes that can make a big difference. Certainly keep the end-point in mind, but don’t worry about it yet. Worry about where you are right now and how you will start your journey, not when you are going to get to the end.
Barrier: It will be chaotic. We often envision chaos when we stop doing a one path to the learning format for students and that when students are given choice they will not know what to do.
Discussion Point: Personalized learning does not mean giving up control, but rather that control is shared with the students. It also means multiple paths to mastery, but these are planned out either by yourself or in conjunction with your students. Yet, you know yourself best; what can you give up control of and what can you not. You are also a member of this learning community so if there are certain things that need to stay in order, such as an assignment being done a certain way, or students sitting in a particular way, it is okay to hold onto that. Find the things that you can let go of, invite student input into the process, and grow together.
Barrier: My subject matter won’t work. Personalized learning means hands-on and project based; how do you do that in English, Spanish or any other class?
Discussion Point: Personalized learning can be implemented into any classroom, the lens just has to switch. I had a lot easier time giving choice in social studies and science because a lot of our learning was hands-on, project based. So when I switched to just teaching English, I had to change my way of thinking. Personalized Learning in my English class means students have choice in how they show mastery (different project choices), when they show mastery (timeline), and often how they work within the classroom (classroom setup/management).
Barrier: It will be replaced with another idea soon. Education is a long list of new ideas and change is the one constant we have.
Discussion Point:Personalized Learning really just means great teaching and great teaching will not be replaced with a new idea. So while new initiatives are bound to come, the ideas of personalized learning helping you be a better teacher remain because it speaks to student autonomy and re-igniting a passion for learning.
Barrier: I don’t want to integrate more technology or don’t have access. Technology inequity is a real problem. So is technology fear. Some teachers want to feel comfortable with the technology they bring in before students use it, and others will never be able to get the things they wish they could.
Discussion Point: Personalized learning is not about the technology. Personalized learning is about creating an education process that takes into account the needs and desires of each child, while still working through the set curriculum. Technology is a tool that can be used in this process but not a central tenet. I started out with 4 computers in my room for 26 students. We naturally did not incorporate a lot of technology and we didn’t need to. Choices involved the things we did have and students bringing in things from home if they wanted to. We made it work with what we had.
Barrier: I won’t be a good teacher. It is hard to change the way we teach because we may already be teaching really well.
Discussion Point: Change is hard for all of us, but modeling risks for students is instrumental in their learning journey. I am uncomfortable every time I make a big decision about the way I teach or something we will do, but I think the discomfort makes me a more thoughtful practitioner. By sharing and modeling this for students, I am showing them that I take risks and that sometimes those risks pay off and other times they don’t. We have to grow to evolve and sometimes that means even leaving behind things that were just fine. Besides, our students change every year, so should we.
Barrier: I have to do the same as all the other teachers in my subject or grade level. We don’t want students to be a part of an educational lottery where the quality of their education hinges on which teacher they get, so sometimes uniformity and in turn, conformity, is preached above all else.
Discussion Point: Have what other teachers do as one of the choices for students. This brilliant idea was shared at the task force meeting I was a part of in my district. Instead of dismissing what other teachers are doing, simply make it on e of the paths that students can take. That way you are also catering to the myriad of ways that students learn. You may learn best in a hands-on project based environment, whereas others may learn best with a read/reflect/discuss with a test at the end pathway. make room for all of your learners and include the ways of other teachers in your room.
Barrier: Parents/administrators/community will be upset. When we are faced with unknowns our first instinct may be to revolt.
Discussion Point: School should look different than when we were students. Yet communication, understanding and examples are vital when integrating more personalized learning into your classroom our school. Any change is hard for parents who want to try to help their children, so make sure you are communicating the why and the how behind your changes whatever they may be. If administration is wary bring them in to see the change, show them other classrooms, and explain your motivation. Tell them you will do a trial period and you can discuss and evaluate. Just like you are asking others to be open to change, be open to frank discussion yourself.
Moving toward personalized learning has been one of the most significant changes I ever did in my educational journey, but it wasn’t always smooth. I have faced many of these barrier myself but now love being in a district that has it as part of its vision. Wherever you are in your journey, or even if you haven’t started, don’t be discouraged by the barriers that may face you. Reach out, connect with others who are on the same journey, and find the support you need to be successful. I am here to help if you need it.
If you want to see 6 things you can change to start your personalized learning journey, read this.
Pernille Ripp 