Student-centered – Page 16

Those bare walls beckon, calling out to us to fill them with motivational posters, rules, and most definitely lots and lots of colorful charts. Our counters are perfect for boxes of tools that may be useful: staplers, extra books, and perhaps even a cute pencil cup for all of those lost pencils. Every nook and cranny serves a purpose, every nook and cranny should be used. Behold; our brand new classroom awaits, and boy, does it have personality! Yours that is, and not so much that of your students. My first classroom I had panic attacks over the bareness of it all. I didn’t have enough stuff to make it look welcoming, to make it look useful, to just make it look great. So I created laminated rule posters, what if… posters, and even threw up a couple with frogs telling us to “Hang on” or “Work hard!” My desk was covered in Danish proverbs that I knew my kids would be inspired by and above my door hung a rather obscure quote from Shakespeare telling my students to persevere in failure. I loved that quote and spent hours getting it just so with my paper and my laminator. I hung it proudly thinking that it made my room look like a place for learning and that it was sure to inspire my kids every day. One day, my principal walked in and said the quote to a couple of my students, who instead of breaking out into knowing grins, stared at him blankly. They had no idea what he was referring to or even what it meant. After all, these 4th graders had not yet heard of that Shakespeare guy. I was mortified, and just a little surprised; what else did they not notice in my meticulously set up classroom?

I share that story so that new teachers can laugh at my mistakes and hopefully use it as a way to guide themselves in their classroom setup and organization. I made the mistake that many teachers make; I filled my room so that it looked cute. I filled it so that it looked used. I didn’t want to come off as the newbie in town that had nothing. Except, that is who I was and I should have embraced it, let my room develop over the years, and always edit everything, but I didn’t. Instead, I was afraid of looking new. So to steer you away from my mistakes, I offer some questions as you contemplate the organization of your own room.

Do you really need that paper copy? I hoard paper, most teachers do, yet I never use my paper files much. Whatever I need I find in my computer files or I google it if I can’t find it. So ask yourself whether you really need to make that many copies of that sheet of paper, or whether one is sufficient, or perhaps even just a bookmark on your computer to find it again will do.

Where does your stuff want to go? I always tell teachers to ask themselves this because often we subconsciously set things where we feel they belong. So if you are constantly setting down your books in a certain place, make that place their home. Make it purposeful rather than accidental. I started doing this several years ago and my intuition now rules where stuff goes and it means less time spent searching for things that I tried to corral somewhere else.

To desk or not to desk? Several years ago I gave up my desk because of what it did; it created a barrier between me and the students and I was constantly drawn behind it, even though I shouldn’t have been. So I got rid of, now I have a table for my computer and planner, it faces the wall in the corner and I can’t sit there without turning my back to the students. It forces me to stay present and not get pulled away from them. Perhaps that will work for you as well or perhaps you love your desk and that is okay as well.

Are you in the room? Is there anything personal of you in the room or will the room not give of a hint of your personality. Are there pictures or something that shows the kids just a little of what you are about. Be aware though, don’t have too much, which leads me to the next question…

Is there room for the kids? I don’t just mean spacewise, although the flow of your room is incredibly important, but did you leave things blank enough for the kids to take over the space and put their mark on it? Is there room to show their work or whatever tool you need at the moment? Are there places for them to work besides their tables? Can they spread out, can they meet at other tables, can they lie on the floor? Can they make the room their own, a safe place for exploration, or is it just your room and your rules?

How many unwritten rules do you have? Are you strict about where the supplies go or whether kids have access to them? Do they have to sign out to leave for the bathroom or can they just put a pass on their desk? Are there other places for them to work or is their desk their only option? Can they get a corner for themselves if they need it or will the rest of the class always be watching? Are there things labeled your things and some labeled their things? All of these ways to organize inadvertently create more rules for the students that may leave them feeling less welcome. Find the balance between your need for control and their need to take ownership of their learning space.

While many lists abound of great organizational tips, I find that sometimes they don’t speak to the deeper meaning of how we organize our classroom. The truth is that how you organize your classroom says so much about you and your teaching style. I hope you take the time it deserves to get it just right, and then take an outsiders perspective to to see what it signals about you and your teaching. We may think that our classroom is only the place we teach in, but often it is also the place that shows how we teach. So make it meaningful, much like you teaching probably will be.

A snapshot from my classroom on a regular day

Be the change, reflection, Student-centered

How To Give Your Students a Voice; Advice From Someone Who Tries

April 13, 2013 Pernille Ripp

image from icanread

I often find myself discussing “Giving students a voice” in the classroom with people who wonder what I exactly mean. Sure, giving someone a voice sounds great, but how do I know that I am doing that? What can I do to do that? What does it look like? I am not an expert but here is what it looks like to me.

Curriculum; give them ownership. Even within the strictest of dictated curriculum we can still give ownership to our students, meaning the right to create something that they want to. If the format is predetermined then give them choice over the topic. If the topic is predetermined then give them choice in the format. Presentation, collaboration, and how it will be assessed are also area where you can give students a voice. You just have to find the time to ask them.
Ask yourself: Do my students have a say in what they are doing right now?

Classroom Routine. I don’t make the rules of our classroom my students and I do. We discuss them at the beginning of the year and then we modify them as we go. They have a voice and a right to decide how their classroom will run. We have non-negotiables such as respecting others and then go from there. Every year is different because every group is different.

Ask yourself: Who set the rules of the classroom?

Classroom setup. This is vital to giving students a voice and often overlooked. We can dicate our agenda just as easily through our setup as through our words. Where is your desk located How is it faced? Where is the main area of the room? Where is the focal point? Can they manipulate the physical classroom? Can they move desks, tables, areas? Do they decide where they work? Do they decide how they work? All of this gives them a voice.

Ask yourself: Where do my students work? What is the vibe of the room?

Assessment. I do not believe in the power of a report card or in the power of grades. So students and I discuss what a well-done product should look like. Students self-reflect a lot and set goals. They discuss goals with me, with their parents, and with each other. We strive for accountability and also a deeper understanding of what it means to create.

Ask yourself: Who determines the grade? Who establishes the guidelines?

An outlet. Students must know that they have somewhere where they can always turn to speak to each other, to me, to the world. Our student blogs do that for us and I encourage them to speak freely. Many of them do and I always grow from what they post. So find an outlet for their voice so that they know someone is listening.

Ask yourself: Where do I hear my students voice? Where does the world?

Face to face. When my students speak, I listen. I stop whatever I am doing and I lok at them. I listen, I respond, and things sometimes are fixed or changed. We meet as a group every Friday to discuss achievements, share advice, or just check in. We speak in the morning before the day really gets going so that students know what to expect, know what their day looks like, and what our expectations are. Students know that I will take the time to listen to them, even if they have complaints, they know I will take it to heart, they know that they can tell me their honest opinion without negative repercussions. I never hold a grudge and my actions show that.

Ask yourself: What do I do when students speak to me? How do I react?

Caring and accountability. When my students speak in their myriad of ways; I listen. I am held accountable to their words and they often see the direct effect of their words on our classroom, on my teaching, on their daily school lives. That accountability and caring piece is the most important factor of giving students a voice, fore if we encourage them to speak up then we must also be ready to listen, to change, to act. Everything else does not matter if they do not believe we actually care about their voice.

Ask yourself: Which actions show that I care? What have I changed based on student feedback?

reflection, Student-centered

Explain to Me Again How the Flipped Classroom Is "Revolutionary?"

April 6, 2013 Pernille Ripp

The heading says it all. I get the giggles whenever another article or post or conversation or conference write up talks about the revolution of the Flipped Classroom. Depending on the information in the article, post, conversation etc sometimes I even start to roll my eyes. This is big time annoyance for someone who doesn’t like to criticize. So how come so many people, the public included, find the flipped learning model to be so revolutionary and game changing for schools? Can we tear it apart for just a second and then think about it?

I get that flipped learning isn’t just video outside of the classroom or not meant to be anyway, but it seems much of it is. Students watch a lecture taped outside of class time (homework) and then come to class ready to learn and discuss. Genius, except for the whole watching a lecture outside of class. At a high school level I can only imagine how many hours of video we could assign students as homework so that they finally were ready to learn in school. And don’t even get me started on the students that have no access to said videos

Some teachers then don’t assign the video outside of school time but instead show the video as the first part of their class time. Umm, isn’t that just the same as lecturing in front of the students for the first ten minutes? How is that revolutionary? What am I missing here? I would have a hard time telling my students, “Watch this video of me explaining the concept to you while I stand right here watching it with you.” My 5th graders would think I had gone off the deep end. Sure creating a video for access later to study or revisit, yeah, that’s great, but showing it during class time when you are standing right there? WHat am I missing as far as the point?

Yet, perhaps it is the discussion and exploration that is revolutionary and not the video part of the flipped learning. I already do that with my students, it is called project-based learning. It is called genius hour. It is called student choice. And I don’t need a video to facilitate that. In fact, most people who believe in student-led, project based, don’t lecture very much. We provide the framework the destination and then students get there somehow through research, collaboration, and creation. Yes, this is what I feel learning should always be, but it is not a flipped model.

Student engagement does go up whenever I turn to project-based, of course, it does. When we give students choice, and a voice, and a place where they can freely explore, they will invest their dedication. That has nothing to do with flipping the classroom.

So If we want to talk revolution, let’s hail the teachers that believe in student choice. Let’s hail the teachers that somehow manage to fit in their curriculum in the time they have the students in front of them and don’t see the need to also add homework, or video, or lecture time out side of class. Let’s hail those who time manage, who figure out how to fit it all in, and who get out of the way of their students.

Flipped classroom if done correctly is just another way to say student exploration and student led and thank goodness for the resurgence of that. But could we also agree that the flipped classroom model using video outside of school is another way to infringe on students’ private time. Another example how we, as teachers, sometimes end up overstepping our boundaries of how much time we make school take up. And I don’t find that to be revolutionary at all, just sad. Creating a video library of explanations, sure, great idea, but forcing students to watch you lecture outside of school, not so much. There are other ways to give the students time.

being a teacher, blogging, student blogging, Student-centered

What Does Student Blogging Exactly Do?

October 16, 2012 Pernille Ripp

As a proponent of student blogging I am often asked what it “does” for my students. The thing is, it does quite a bit.

Provides them with a voice. Education cannot be done to students anymore, they have to have a voice since it is their lives it effects the most; blogging gives them that.
Gives them an authentic writing audience. The product doesn’t end with me and a grade, it is out for the world to see and to continue to be developed.
Puts their place in the world in context. We think our students know how much in common they have with kids their age around the world, but they don’t usually. Blogging with those kids and connecting through projects such as the Global Read Aloud brings the world in.
Increases their global knowledge. Again, when you connect with others through your work and words, friendships develop and as does a mutual interest in the lives of one another This is the modern version of penpals.
Instills them with tech saviness and confidence. Blogging teaches my students yet another tool to use and we also use it to showcase other tools we have played around with. They feel confident in their skills as bloggers and it carries into their overall tech approach.
Instills safety rules and measures to be taken whilst online. We drill safety all year and the kids know the lessons by heart. It is our job to teach them how to be safe and the best way to do that is to work with them in situations that could be unsafe if treated the wrong way.
Teaches them how to give constructive feedback. We comment on each others posts but they have to be constructive comments. Blogging is a natural extension of the peer edit.
Teaches them how to have a meaningful written dialogue. When students don’t get comments on their posts, we often go back to see why not. Usually they realize it was not written in a manner that invited others to participate in their writing. Revision and reformulating follows.
Cements proofreading and spell check. We don’t want the world to see us as a poor spellers or grammatical buffoons.
Expands their geographical knowledge. We pushpin maps with the location of our connections, this sparks more questions, which lead to a deeper relationship between the students and those we connect with.
Furthers their empathy, as well as interest in others. Blogging should not be a solitary experience, but rather one that invites discussion. To have meaningful discussions one must care about others, which is shown through their questions.
Encourages them to view their own writing through a more critical lens. Because we have a portfolio of their writing from the beginning of the year to now, we can go back and see their development. Are they developing as a writer or what do they need to focus on? The stakes are raised because it is not just the teacher that sees their work.
Creates reflective students. Because students are given a mouthpiece to the world, I see them take more chances to reflect on themselves and their choices. It is remarkable to see a student reflect on what grades has taught them or what it means to be a student.
It creates opportunities for us to have fun.

being a teacher, hidden rules, listen, Student-centered

Sometimes We Have to Break Our Rules

September 29, 2012 Pernille Ripp

image from icanread

It’s 3:40 AM and Ida is inconsolable. My normally calm, happy baby just will not stop crying; she is clearly miserable. I have tried everything in the baby books; swaddling, ssshhing, feeding, rocking, singing, pacifier, but nothing, nothing works besides holding her in my arms. So I do what I had promised myself not to do this time around, fall asleep with her on my chest, and finally we both get some much needed rest.

Why do I share this story? Because sometimes doing the thing we had promised we would never do is exactly what we need to do in our classrooms to progress. Sometimes we have to go against what we have read, go against what we have thought we would do, and simply figure out how we can help a child. Because when that child clearly has needs we are not fulfilling and we stumble across some idea, or we realize that our procedures and policies simply do not work, well then, we have to break those rules.

In the end; helping all children succeed is what we were put into our classrooms for. Even if that means sometimes doing things we never thought we would do. And I am ok with that.

assessment, feedback, No grades, Student-centered

How Do You Assess Without Grades? 5 Tips to Ease the Transition

July 19, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Two great questions came my way yesterday in regard to assessing without grades and then communicating that information. We are so used to the ease of a letter grade that gets recorded in a book, averaged out and then translated into a letter, that moving away from that can be daunting and just a bit overwhelming. So two years into my process I thought I would share some tips I learned the hard way.

Discover your goal.

Whether they are based on district standards, common core, school outcomes, or even those listed in the curriculum, figure out what the goal is for each thing you teach. These can be large or small (don’t do too many small ones though, trust me) and then figure out what the outcome should be. Everything you do should have a learning goal because without that there is no point to the lesson.

Determine the product. What does it look like when students have accomplished the goal? What is finished? What is just another stepping stone? How will students show that they have mastered the goal? I love to have this discussion with my students, they have amazing ideas for this.
Determine assessment. Will it be written feedback? Will it be a rubric? Will it be a conversation – great tip; record these with a Livescribe pen and you have it for later! Once again, ask the students, what type of assessment will help them? How do they learn best?
Keep a record. This has been my biggest hurdle. I have had charts, Google Docs, grade book notes, relied on my faulty brain, and yikes. This year I am bringing my iPad in and using Evernote to keep track of it all. Students will each have a portfolio in Evernote with conversations, pictures of work, links to blog posts, as well as videotaped events. This way, everything will be at my fingertips when needed.
Communicate! Assessment is not helpful if kept to yourself so have the conversations with students, take the time, write things down, communicate with parents. All of these things need to be taken care of for this to work. The allure of letter grades is just that; the ease of communication, nevermind that they can mean a million different things. So when you step away from those make sure you replace that with communication. Give students ownership of their goals and have them write a status report home, send an email, make a phone call. Something. Everybody should know where they are at and where they are headed throughout the year.

My 5 biggest tips for today and something I continue to work on. Whatever your system is, take the time to reflect upon it, refine it, and make it work for you. Ultimately stepping away from letter grades should lead to a deeper form of assessment, not a larger headache, but for that you have to have systems in place.