Student-centered – Page 14

Be the change, reflection, Student-centered

I Have Noticed…

October 5, 2013October 7, 2013 Pernille Ripp

As I sit in the stillness of my house I cannot help but reflect on the students I have and all the little things I have noticed in the past few weeks. So while I should have been planning my reading lesson, I instead took some time to write each of them a post-it that all started with, “I have noticed…”

On Monday, as they grab their morning work, I hope they will each get a little glimmer of how proud I am of them, how much I do notice how hard they are trying, and how thankful I am to be their teacher.

Sometimes the smallest moments have the biggest impact.

PS: If you wonder how the students reacted to the post-its, this may answer your question: As I walked into my classroom late this morning after a hospital appointment, this note was stuck to my computer…

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” will be released this fall from PLPress. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being me, reflection, Student-centered

What Do You Wish I Would Notice?

September 26, 2013January 15, 2016 Pernille Ripp

I wish Mrs. Ripp would notice how funny I am.

I wish Mrs. Ripp would notice how much I struggle with math.

I wish Mrs. Ripp would notice that I am running out of books to read.

I wish Mrs. Ripp would notice how hard I am working.

All statements taken from my September reflection sheet that I asked students to do today. All statements that made me pause and think, reflect, and know that although I feel I do notice these things, I am not communicating it well enough to students. See often I take note of many great things that they do every day but we get so busy with all that we need to do that I forget to tell them. I forget to show them. So I get home and I tell my husband about something and then realize that I didn’t say thanks, good job, or how can I help? I didn’t beam or praise, I just smiled and moved on.

So on this sheet today, what was meant to be a reflection for the students to share with their parents, once again turned into a reflection of how I am doing as a teacher. Even how I am doing as a person in their lives. And I know I can do more, I know I can do better, I only have to notice and then do something about it. Try it, ask you students the same question and let me know what you learn. I cannot wait to get back tomorrow and notice all of these things and more. I cannot wait to tell them I notice. I cannot wait to show them I notice. I cannot wait.

being me, reflection, Student-centered

In Which I Get to Discuss Transforming Your Classroom

September 26, 2013October 2, 2013 Pernille Ripp

Once in a while, I get asked to do a podcast to share some ideas. I hardly ever say no because I so enjoy having conversations with people and always feel like I have made a new connection in this great wide world. This podcast with Rob Smith from The Interactive Teacher was no different, am invigorating conversation that made me think of what in the world it is I really do, another chance for me to herald the virtues of my husband, to share the story of the Global Read Aloud, and also to ask teachers to trust their students more.

Thank you Rob for having me on and also for making me think! I am so looking forward to listening to all of your other interviews.

To listen to me babble, go here.

Be the change, classroom management, student voice, Student-centered

Why Don’t You Challenge Them Instead?

September 17, 2013 Pernille Ripp

I raise my hand, 5 fingers in the air and I wait. I wait for them to notice, I wait for them to focus, I wait for them to settle in and be ready to listen. I tell them, “Every night I go home and tell Brandon just how kind you are, how fun you are, how creative you are. Every morning, my team mates and I talk about how we love our groups, how we love the energy, how we love the dynamics and how proud we are of you. So today my heart sank a little bit…”

I now have 27 sets of eyes on me.

“I was told that this grade level is the rudest in the lunch line and the messiest in the lunchroom…”

The kids hold their breath waiting for me to yell. Waiting for me to punish. Waiting for me to tell them they know better and how dare they.

“My heart sank because I don’t think that’s who you are…”

Confused looks.

“So rather than try to figure out who did what. Rather than try to figure out who is being rude or how messy you are, I am going to ask you to prove these people wrong. I am going to ask you to leave this school as the 5th grade to beat, as the kids to be like, as the kids that everybody is sad to see go. Can we do that?

Head nods.

“Can you prove them wrong?”

Shouts of yes.

“Thank you…”

Sometimes when we think we need to punish or to rein in even tighter, we should challenge our kids instead. Challenge them to make us proud, challenge them to be better, challenge them to prove others wrong. These kids didn’t need more yelling, they needed someone to tell them they are good kids that can do better. I am proud of these kids and they need to know that even when they mess up, I still have their back. Even when others say that they are “those kids” again I see more than that. I see them for the kids they can be, the kids they are most of the time, not the kids they used to be.

blogging, student blogging, Student-centered

Paper Blogs: A Lesson in Commenting on Student Blogs

September 12, 2013October 2, 2013 Pernille Ripp

We have been hard at work on our paper blog as we prepare to unveil the actual blog experience this Friday. One of the essential things I do (and tweak) every year is the using paper blogs to get my 5th graders to think about how to comment, and more specifically how to start a conversation with their comments. While the idea is not mine, I borrowed it from McTeach, it has developed over the years into something I love doing and find essential as we prepare to blog and converse with the world.

The whole idea is very simple.

Creating the blogs:

Show students samples of previous years’ paper blogs to give them a visual of what to expect. I accidentally kept one class set a year so I have a great variety of blogs that I lay out on tables so they can see and read them. Otherwise, I take pictures of them year and after year and have those ready as well if needed.
There are a few rules here: It should showcase something the students are passionate about, it should include their name, and every paper blog should have a border. I also ask students to write their “post” in pencil first so that I may check their spelling. We want to emphasize spelling in their blog posts from the start.
Students are encouraged to be creative with their title, their layout, and what they write. We discuss what would make a great introductory post and how they can let their readers know what their blogs will be about. I have students choose all sorts of things they are passionate about: The Badgers, various sports, books, ribs, their family, dogs etc.
I tend to give them several class periods to work on these since it is a nice break in the hectic schedule of beginning of school and it allows me to see what pace students work at.

When blogs are done:

When most of the blogs are done, we get to the main point of the lesson: Commenting – this is why I do all of this.
Students are each given a pad of post-its and lay their paper blog out on their table. Then armed with post-its they walk around and read each others’ blogs. On a post-it they are asked to leave a comment and sign their name. This is in order to teach them that comments should never be anonymous, they need to stand behind their words.
We have discussed what makes a great comment in previous lessons so I only ask them to remind me.
I give the students 15 to 20 minutes to walk around and comment.

After the walk-around

Once time is up students return to their blogs. If they have comments with questions on them, they answer the question and pass the post-it back to the person who wrote it. This symbolizes the conversation that could take place.
I then ask for a student volunteer who helps me act out the conversations we will have based on post-its I have grabbed from the blogs.
I want the students to understand the difference between a “dead end” comment and a “highway” comment. Dead end ones end the conversations and may include the standard “I like your post” comments. Highway comments include comments that ask questions, share experiences, and link back to their own blog (here by leaving a name). Because we act these out, the students quickly get what makes for a better comment
We wrap up the whole experience by creating another reminder poster of what makes a great comment and students either bring their blogs home or I showcase them in the hallway.

I am a passionate 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” will be released this fall from PLPress. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, new year, Student-centered

My Students’ Classroom Vision

September 9, 2013September 9, 2013 Pernille Ripp

Every year I ask my students to come up with their vision for 5th grade. This year I wanted to somehow use the song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles since it not only has an incredible message to all of us but also a very catchy beat. Here is what my students came up with this year, I am so proud of them.