punishment – Page 5 – Pernille Ripp

choices, classroom management, discipline, punishment, students

If We Would Just Stop Talking We Might Learn Something

April 20, 2012July 24, 2013 Pernille Ripp

Image from icanread

Note: After publishing this post today, its original title “If They Could Just Sit Still They Might Learn Something” didn’t seem to fit it anymore. After all, that title once again puts the blame on the students. Thus this new title which focuses on where the problem lies; within me.

You know the group of students; those impulsive, blurter-outers that poke each other during class and never quite seem to be listening to what you are doing. Those kids that are in every class who the more we yell, the less they do. Those kids I thought I had figured out until recently. Well those kids have been teaching me quite the lessons lately. Those kids have reminded me why I changed my teaching style in the first place and now I stand renewed, refocused, and definitely re-humbled.

First lesson; Don’t assume they don’t know something. After a few days lessons with some students I kept thinking that their gaps were huge, that their knowledge was lacking, that they had missed out on so much. Until I started to pay attention. Then instead of whole concepts missing, I realized there were small misconceptions that needed to be tweaked, things that needed to be defined, items that should be refreshed. It wasn’t that they were missing entire units, rather that some of their remembering was just a little off.

Second lesson; Talking more will not teach them more. I kept droning on trying to cover everything that I thought they had missed or needed reinforced; is it any wonder that they grew more and more restless? When raising my voice didn’t seem to change the situation, it dawned on me that I needed to stop talking. Let them work, switch up the task, and stop hogging the lime light. Have mini projects, get them moving, even use mini whiteboards, anything to make them active. Switch it up!

Third lesson; Give them time to think. I was so excited when one student knew the answer that I called on them to be more efficient. That way we could cover more material since all I was looking for was the answer anyway. When we take away students’ time to think though we rob them of the chance to explore their procedures, to gain confidence, and to learn something. It is not about the answer, it is about how you get there.

Fourth lesson; Bring back the fun. Often when faced with students who seem to be struggling with concepts we switch to drill and kill mode. We take away the “fun” projects because that wont teach them enough. Unfortunately those projects and hands-on activities are just what we need. These students have already been taught something the traditional way, now lets think of another way to explore it. Anything hands-on activity always seems better than just more and more practice.

Fifth lesson; Let them teach. When a student gets something, let them explain how they did it. Let them get the confidence they need to speak to a whole group of peers. Let them boast a little to build confidence. Don’t just tell them, “Good job,” let them have their moment because perhaps that hasn’t happened very often.

Sixth Lesson; Don’t punish. When students were blurting out and drowning me in side conversation, my brain immediately switched to consequence mode. Amazing how it still lurks below the surface, ingrained somewhere, even now after almost 2 years with no classroom punishment. Instead of punishing though, I came up with a solution; a simple post it on their desk. Now when they blurt out an answer or jab at each other they have to put down a tally mark. I just make a check motion with my finger and they know, it is between the student and I. Nothing is done with the amount of tallies, it is simply a way for them to see how much they blurt out. Several students have already told me after two days of this that they cannot believe they blurt out so much. Self-awareness beats punishment any day.

When students are loud, out of their seats or simply not focused, we tend to blame the student. We tend to think that something is wrong with their concentration rather than looking inward and wondering what can we change about ourselves? What can we change about our delivery? And while these lessons are not a fix all plan, they are helping me teach these students better. They are reminding me what it feels like to not understand something and still want to learn. They are reminding me that I can be boring and dry as a teacher and that it has a direct effect on the students. Once again, my students taught me something important and for that I am thankful.

being a teacher, discipline, punishment, rewards

Why I Oughta….

October 13, 2011 Pernille Ripp

“If you don’t hand this in tomorrow, I am taking away two recceses…”
“If you don’t quiet down and focus, I will give you extra homework…”
“If you don’t start doing your work, you will not go on the field trip….”

These statements all came from me my first 2 years of teaching. Always threatening to reach compliance, always promising the kids doom and gloom if they didn’t do exactly as I said. I thought I had control. I was wrong, what I had instead, was compliance. I didn’t have buy in or engagement. I didn’t have kids that were excited about the learning, I didn’t have kids that couldn’t wait to come to school.

So what changed? I did. I realized that the classroom I wanted to be a part of couldn’t be one of threats. It couldn’t be one where students felt they had to do something because the teacher said it and not because they found it interesting or worthwhile. I couldn’t have a classroom where the kids just went through the motions, worked within the system and just survived school. I didn’t want them to just survive, I wanted them to thrive. So I decided no more” if you don’t do this then this bad thing will happen.” No more “Why I oughta’s” out of me. No more fooling myself into believing that the kids automatically should respect me, I had to earn it from them.

So that next year I had the kids set the rules, they already knew them after all. We didn’t write them down or post them on our walls. We discussed and moved on. We changed the rules when we needed to. When a child didn’t finish their homework, which there was very little of anyway, they had to tell me in the morning and take responsibility. If they told me they had left it at home, I believed it. The kids would choose how to get their work done, they could stay in for recess if they needed help otherwise they knew it was expected the next day. I was honest with the kids, I sometimes forgot to do stuff as well or life got in the way. My kids didn’t become less compliant by me removing the threats, they started to work harder because the work was worth their time. They knew that if I asked them to do something it was because I had deemed the work worthy of their time.

It wasn’t perfect, but guess what; nothing ever is. But is is me and it is us and it works. Those kids, I respect them and I have earned their respect. I have set a healthy example for them that hopefully they can use outside of school. Don’t just demand but build a relationship, how them that you respect them as learners and as human beings. Show them they are worth it.

alfie kohn, being a teacher, being me, punishment, rewards, Student-centered

Why Have You Not Given Up Rewards Yet?

October 1, 2011 Pernille Ripp

I used to be the queen of the awesome board, the gold stickers, and definitely the special lunches and privileges. I thought my kids loved it, and sure some did, but after a huge hallelujah moment, I realized the harm I was doing to my classroom and I ended all individual rewards. So have you stopped handing out rewards in your classroom? If not here are some reasons why you should consider it.

Students don’t actually need rewards to work. Sure they work in the short-run but guess what after a while you have to up the ante and keep going up because it just isn’t going to be very effective for long. And yes, students will take rewards if you offer them, but they will actually also work without the perpetual carrot dangling in front of their noses. And you won’t believe me until you actually try it.
Rewards tend to go to the same kids over and over and over. We say that it is really up to the students to get the rewards but at the same time we can probably all list the kids that would have a hard time earning one. So then who are we fooling?
Rewards split the students. If you ever want to create a class of have and have not’s in your classroom just hand out rewards; the students will quickly figure out who the “smart” kids are and who are not. Or worse, who the teachers like and who they don’t.
Rewards devalue the learning. By attaching a reward to a learning task, you are telling a student that the task is not worth doing if it weren’t for the reward. That is not how learning should be. Learning should be fun, exciting, and curiosity driven, not mechanical and focused on the end point. When a reward becomes the end point, then that is the focus.
You keep giving rewards; the students won’t work without it. With rewards you create a culture of “what’s in it for me?” and the learning just isn’t enough. And yet the learning and experience should be enough for the child, provided it is meaningful and purposeful. So set them up from the beginning to earn rewards and soon there will be hardly any extra work or deeper digging into concepts. If the child knows that they “just” have to do whatever to get a reward, or an A for that matter, then that is what they will do. The learning stops wherever you dictate it to.
The students will argue with you. My first year students would get upset over which sticker I gave them because in their minds certain stickers were worth more. A sticker! Now equate that to extra recess, or books, or special lunches and think of the conflict it creates. You want to make sure your struggling learners keep feeling more disenfranchised; keep up the rewards.
Rewards become the measure of success. If you don’t reward a child then they don’t think they have succeeded. No more handing them back a project with great feedback; if that sticker or some recognition isn’t attached then it just isn’t enough. I had students collect stickers and notes to showcase to the other students, it became a competition of who could gather more. It wasn’t about what they had learned or how great a project was, it was only about that note.
Students lose their voice in the learning process. When a teacher is the only one deciding on success shown through rewards, the classroom does not belong to the students. That teacher is therefore the ultimate power within the room and the kids know it. If you want to create a student-centered classroom, you cannot have such a vast difference in learning authority. To build the kids confidence they have to have a voice.
But they all get rewarded…. Some schools run weekly recognitions of students for whatever reason, or some classrooms do. And while this may seem innocent enough, after all, there is nothing tangible tied to it, it still causes jealousy and anxiety. If a program calls for recognizing every single student for the same things, then why are we recognizing in a public way in the first place. Wouldn’t it be easier just to state the expectations and then tell the kids that we are happy they are all living up to it? There is no need to create weekly recognition if we are doing our jobs right as educators; making our students feel valued and respected as part of the learning community.
Rewards create more work for the teacher. I was so worried that everyone had been on my “Awesome board” that I kept track = more paperwork. I also had to make sure that I was eating lunch with all of my students = more paperwork. I also had to make sure I could justify to parents why one child got a certain privilege and another didn’t = more paperwork. Do you see where I am going? Rewards and trying to keep it “fair and balanced” creates more work for us without providing any long-term benefits.

So you may assume that my classroom is one stripped of rewards and recognition, yet it isn’t. My students have parties, except they get them after the fact, when we have something to celebrate. I don’t punish them if they are being rowdy, uncooperative or downright disrespectful, but we have circles where we discuss our behavior and how we perhaps need to adjust it. I have high expectations for my students to “represent” as much as they have for me. We strive to create a learning environment where we all feel comfortable messing up and trying again, because we know that the learning journey is the focus and not just the end result. So I recognize and I reward but I do it through the learning and the conversations. I don’t have a classroom where students expect things to do their jobs, I have a classroom of kids eager to learn, on some days more than others, but who are always willing to be a part of what we consider our second home; our classroom. All without the use of rewards.

education reform, No grades, no homework, punishment

We Say it is All About the Kids

July 3, 2011 Pernille Ripp

Time and time again I hear the statement, “I do it for the kids…” or “It’s all about the kids.” This before I hear any educational philosophy or methodology, but I have yet to meet a teacher that does not think it is all about the kids. So then what happens from that statement to our classrooms? Where does the disconnect start because how can you say it is all about the kids and then assign punishment or rewards? How can you say it is all about the kids and assign hours of homework even at an elementary level? How can it be all about the kids when there are no re-takes, no extra chances, no resources allowed on tests?

So if it is true that it is all about the kids, then perhaps we need to rethink what that means. The way a lot of educational systems are set up is apparently all about taking time away from the kids and making sure the teacher is in focus and in control. Do we not think that all about the kids could mean the kids had a say, were more in control and were even listened to? Because if inane classroom management, pointless homework, letter grades with no explanation, and test upon test is what is meant by being all about kids, then no, I am not all about the kids.

alfie kohn, behavior, Classroom, punishment, Teacher

So I Gave Up Punishment and the Kids Still Behaved

June 15, 2011 Pernille Ripp

This year I gave up my inane punishment plans. Out went the sticks, the cups, the posters, the pointed fingers and definitely the lost recesses. No more check-marks, or charts to explain what that check-mark meant, no more raised voice telling a child they better behave or else. Some thought I was crazy, I thought I was crazy, and yet, here I am ready to do it again next year. So what happened?

Well, a lot of conversations. If just one child was off that day, disruptive, disrespectful and so on, it was usually handled through a quiet conversation off to the side or in their ear. Sometimes we went in the hallway. I tried to limit the times I called out their names and I spoke to them as human beings. No more teacher from the top, I am going to get you if you don’t listen, but rather, “Do you see what your behavior is doing for your learning?” Believe it or not, framed in a way where they understood what the loss was = the learning, there was better behavior or at least an attempt to behave. And that was a central part of my plan; make the learning something they don’t want to miss. Most kids do not want to miss recess because they have a lot of fun and hang out with their friends, which is why it is such a favored punishment. Hit them where it hurst kind of thing. So I decided to make my classroom fun, exciting, and collaborative. That meant that students actually wanted to participate and not miss out.

Sometimes my whole class was off; jumpy, jiggly, or falling asleep. In the past I would have yelled, droned on, and probably lectured about the importance of school. No surprise there that usually didn’t work at all. So then I would just get mad, tighten the reins and exert my control. After all, I was the adult here and the one that should decide everything. Yeah, didn’t work so well. This year I instead changed my teaching and learning. While we may have had certain activities planned for that day they would be modified to require movement and discussion or totally changed if I could. The learning goals usually stayed the same, the method didn’t. Often this took care of a lot of behavior that would have led to a check-mark before. And I think that is central to this whole thing; bad behavior often comes from disengagement and boredom. So when we change our classrooms to give students more outlet for their energy, bad behavior reduces. My worst days were the days that I hadn’t considered my students needs enough, the days were there was too much sitting down and not enough choice.

In the beginning it was hard. I so instinctually wanted to say “Move your stick!” that I actually had to grind my teeth. With time it got easier. The students knew when they were misbehaving because we discussed it. If the whole class or a majority of students were off we had a class meeting. Sounds like a lot of time spent on talking? Yes, but I would have been spending the same time yelling at the kids and doling out punishment. The kids got used to it and many of them relished the fact that they were given a voice in their behavior and how to fix it, rather than a dictation from me. Kids started keeping each other in line as well, asking others to be quiet when need be or to work more focused. They knew what the expectations were for the different learning settings because we had set them together. This was our classroom, not mine.

So did it work? Absolutely, I would never go back. I didn’t take away recess but had it reserved to work with the kids that needed it, I made fewer phone calls home, and I sent a kid to the office twice the whole year for recess related stuff. I am sure there are tougher classes out there than mine, but this was your every day average American elementary class. We had the talkers, the interrupters, the disrespectful, the fighters, and the sleepers. And it worked for them as well. The kids felt part of something, something big, and they let me know on the last day of school just how much it meant to them. They relished the voice they had, even when it came to their own consequences. They relished that rewards were no longer personal but rather classroom-wide whenever I felt like it. Kids were not singled out for horrible behavior and so I didn’t have “that kid” that everyone knew would get in trouble. Instead we were all there as learners being rewarded through our community rather than punished. Yesterday while preparing form y switch from 4th to 5th, I put my old punishment cups to move your stick in into the lounge. I hope no one picks them up.

being a teacher, punishment, technology

How Not to Integrate Technology

April 29, 2011 Pernille Ripp

After reading this wacky post “Encouraging Teachers to use Technology” I had to respond with a hearty congratulations! After all, this article highlights many of the things we so diligently try to avoid when introducing anything unknown to people; rewards, punishment, fear. So let’s think about it for a moment; how could you make sure that no one wants to ever integrate technology:

Outdated equipment – with scrunched school budgets and schools falling into disrepair, this is a common culprit. Who wants to use technology when the computer looks like an extra from the original 90210? Well some people make do and even do great things but to get more people to truly integrate you may have to invest a little bit of money.
Listening sessions only on how to use it. Teachers love to talk and boy when explaining technology and how cool it is, we can get rather winded. How about letting people try it, after all, my 2 year old didn’t ask for a manual with my iPad, she simply pushed some buttons and now she is pretty adept and very eager.
Forcing people to use technology. Nothing like a good punishment session if you don’t integrate technology. I know how stubborn I am and even if something seems really amazing, if you tell me I have to put it in my classroom most of the time I will resent it. Call me stupid but this resistance may be part of human nature.
Telling people how cool it is that this one teacher is using technology. This is another variation on the forcing people to use it. Sure that teacher may be doing some really cool things with it, but that doesn’t mean others need to. In fact, I think the more you tell others about all the cool things, the more some people will resist. It is all in the delivery of the message.
Not asking the people. This happens all the time, there is extra money and someone smart spends it all on new technology without asking the people who are going to use it whether it is wanted or not. Surprise, here’s another thing you didn’t want. Often teachers would love more technology in their classroom, perhaps just not the same as what other people want. I for one don’t particularly want a Smartboard but waive some iPads in front of me and I will be forever grateful. Ask your recipients, give them ownership, and it will be much more welcomed.

So to not be to negative, here are my suggestions for how to encourage more technology use:

Lead the way through informal conversations. I love tech and I spend a lot of time searching out new things for my students and yet I don’t tell a lot of people about it. Why? Because they may not be interested, however, if someone shows a little bit of interest, I will gladly show, talk, and teach them about it. This way it is their choice to learn not me burdening them.
Give us time. More tech means more time needed to investigate and play. This year my school received 8 new Flip’s from the PTO and it wasn’t until we had time to play with them through a PD session that they started getting used. Don’t just tell people about it, show them and let them do the doing.
Have your students be teachers. My students are the best proof of good tech usage and they will gladly show you just how cool something is (vice versa they will tell me when something sucks). They have turned into the best ambassadors for why teachers should integrate tech into their classroom and for that I am ever grateful. Give them a voice and watch them find an audience.
Emphasize integration, not tech for tech’s sake. I don’t have student computers in my classroom so that my students can type their papers on them, that is just an added benefit. Rather these computers are our research stations, connection makers, and overall learning centrals. We use them when it feels natural or when it is necessary, not because we have to, but because they fit into what we are doing.

What am I missing? How does great tech integration get encouraged in your schools?