Be the change, being a teacher, being me, motivation, reflection, Student-centered, students

Some Thoughts on Motivation

July 13, 2014 Pernille Ripp

When I moved this blog to WordPress some posts did not survive, so in an effort to move some of my favorite posts with me, I will be republishing them here. This post first appeared in May, 2011.

“Mrs. Ripp, this is so boring.” That sentiment greets me on semi-regular basis from one child. Most days he is passionate, funny, and involved, that is, if he likes what we happen to be during. Today is no different, he has been involved, engaged, and eager most of the day but now the fatigue has set in and the writing prompt just does not want to get done. This is a regular occurrence throughout America, passionate students that are mostly motivated at all times but sometimes hit slumps. This post is not about them.

Instead, this post is about those kids that put their head on their desks, that groan when we give directions, that could not care less about threats, rewards, punishment or motivating pep talks. Those are the kids we all meet; the truly unmotivated. Those students that do not see the relevance, the importance, or even the wisdom behind school. Those students that feel that this is just a temporary illness, something to be waited out for real life to begin. And yes, we have them even at the elementary level.

The other night, I shared on Twitter, “I always wonder if having unmotivated students just mean that what I am teaching is unmotivating, I think it does.” Lo and behold a man I admire greatly, Tom Whitby, was kind enough to engage me in my train of thoughts. As we discussed, my own thoughts became much clearer:

Motivation is linked to the teacher whether we we believe it should be or not.

If a student fails, the teacher is most often the first to be blamed before any outside factions are investigated. (Whether this is appropraite or not).

We have the most control over what happens within our classroom.

As part of this discussion, Tom Perran offered up this article discussing how teachers only have control over 10 of 16 motivating factors. And yet as teachers we do have to own up to our part in motivation. Last year, when I sat through another round of book report presentations I yawned often, stretched to stay awake, got droopy eyelids, and yet admonished the students for getting restless and unfocused Hmm, that doesn’t seem right.

As teachers, part of our job is to provide engaging lessons, but it is this definition of engaging that seems to mess us up. I used to think that by engagement it meant me lecturing for a while and then giving the students work time, as long as I kept the questions coming, the students were engaged, right? For some reason most of the time my results were less than stellar. I also used to think that as long as I provided some sort of choice then the students would find their motivation. And while our more self-reliant students did because they already have a sense of duty instilled by the teacher, some students didn’t. Enter in punishment and rewards. If a student didn’t turn in their work then recess was taken away, and if that didn’t work then a 0 was given. Ooh a failing grade. They even got their name on the board and were not offered a chance to enter the weekly drawing for the monthly pizza party, confused? So was I.

The problem with punishment and reward though is that it often only motivates in the short term. A student knows that as long as they hand something in, even if it is awful, then that counts as a finished product. As a teacher, I often lost sleep over what to do with these students. they seemed already by 4th grade to hate school, finding it a punishment for childhood, and worst of all, they knew how to work the system. So what to do? Again, I realized that the problem wasn’t the students, it was the curriculum and how I taught it, so really it was me. See, I am the biggest in school motivator there is. While I may not be the one that decides what to teach, I most certainly am the one that decided HOW to teach it. And if I thought that lecturing (which even put me to sleep in college) was going to capture the imaginations of 9 year olds’ then I was an idiot.

So after almost a year of changing things up, this is what I have realized as far as motivation:

Choice matters. When students choose not just what they will do for a project but also what they would like to learn about within a perimeter, you get buy-in. This continues to be one of the most exciting simple realizations I have come across.
Motivation is contagious. When one student gets excited and has an opportunity to share that enthusiasm, it catches. My students get to blog about projects, we have huddles where we share and we are a bit louder than we used to be. But guess what? Those loud noises are usually students super excited about something.
Eliminate punishment and rewards. This short-term motivator seemed more harmful than helpful to me. This year we have class parties when we feel we want one, I have lunch with all my students several times a month because they ask me to, and no one is excluded from anything. When homework doesn’t get done, I ask them how they plan to fix it, most students choose to do it at recess. Fine by me, they are free to go if they choose.
Be excited yourself. The fastest way for kids to lose interest is if you are bored. I realized that I hated some of the things and taught and how I taught them (goodbye grammar packets), so something had to change. Now my students joke about how I almost always introduce something new with “I am so excited to do this…”
Look at outside factors. Some students have a lot more on their plate than we could ever realize. Ask questions, get to know your students, and be a listening ear. When my husband lost his job, it was hard for me to be excited about things as well because I was too busy worrying.
Control what you can. We will never be able to control what our students go home to but we sure can control what happens in the room. All the teachers I know choose to create a caring environment where all students feel safe. This alone means students let their guards down and feel it is okay to work hard and have fun.

Loss of motivation doesn’t just happen overnight, I believe all students start out motivated and then life gets in the way. At some point during their school years they start to hate school feeling it is stagnant and irrelevant. I therefore do everything in my power to ensure that students leave my classroom still liking school, perhaps a small goal, but an incredible important one. If they like to be in your room, then it is up to you to figure out how to keep them engaged.

I am a passionate teacher in Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4, 5th, and 7th grade. 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 Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” can be pre-ordered from Corwin Press now. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, classroom management, punishment, reflection, Student-centered, students

Do We Really Need the Public Call Out?

July 13, 2014 Pernille Ripp

When I moved this blog to WordPress some posts did not survive, so in an effort to move some of my favorite posts with me, I will be republishing them here. This one was first written in April, 2011.

“Joe, you need to pay attention!”

“Sit up, Peter!”

“Lisa, what happened there?”

All day and every day, we use our students names when they are off task, when they are fiddling, sleeping, or simply not performing to the high standard we have set for them. We see something out of sorts, judge their action, find them guilty, and deliver the verdict all within a few seconds. As our lesson continues, we don’t always have the time to dig deep so we assume instead that we know why they are fiddling, why they are not paying attention, and so we correct, coerce, call out their names until they are with us again.

Their names. Something that is so intricately linked with who they are as a budding person. Their names so linked with their identities. And yet we use them to our advantage, without a second thought as a way to maintain control, as a way to punish.

This week I asked my students to finish the sentence: “Being a good teacher means…” and what Nathan wrote really made me think: “Don’t yell out the kids name that does something wrong.” At first, I scoffed at this notion, after all, what else are we supposed to do as teachers when our students are off task? Calling out their names is one of the most efficient ways to re-direct them quickly. And yet, as I thought about it more, I understood his thoughts. Calling out a student’s name in front of the whole class means that the whole class knows that the student is not doing what they ought to. Some teachers use it specifically for that purpose; the public enforcement of expectations. And yet, calling out a name means that what one student is doing (or not doing) becomes the focus of the entire class. Yes, you achieve your goal of attention redirection, but you are directing everyone elses’ attention to that child without fully knowing what is going on. So I make it my mission to reduce the public negative call out.

So what can I do instead, because we all know, there are times when even the most attentive student gets off-track and I would otherwise use their name to re-direct right away,

I could take a breath, hesitate, and see if another strategy can grant the same outcome. Can I redirect them silently? Can I signal them? Can I tap them on their shoulder, or pass by their work area? Do I need to shout out their name?

I could also re-evaluate, do a quick scan of the room, is this the only child off-task? Is the whole class really not interested anymore? Did I speak too long, do we need a break or to do something student-directed or hands-on?

Yet, sometimes, it is not me or the students that are the problem. I am reminded that my students live full lives that sometimes interfere with our school day. This is when I take the time to stop and talk and ask if everything is alright, is there anything I need to know? Sometimes they are just so excited about something happening that they cannot focus, other times it is lack of sleep, of food, or they are distracted by life situations. Sometimes, they will just tell you they are having an off day. That is alright too, after all, we all have off days.

This isn’t a perfect system, nor is it intended to be. It is rather one more step in learning how to be a better teacher, one that doesn’t cause embarrassment for the students because I don’t need to embarrass them into behaving. One that takes the time to figure out the real reason behind distractions and then works with the student rather than just dolling out punishment.

So once again, my students teach me how to be a better teacher. I should be using their names wisely, reserving the public call out for when it is truly necessary. Nathan taught me that and for that I am thankful. He had enough courage to tell his teacher the wrong of her ways, and lead me to deeper reflection. When we ask our students questions, we may not like the answer, but there is always a great reason for that answer. A reason that should not be taken lightly, but rather explored, reflected upon and then acted upon.

Be the change, Student-centered, writing

So How Do We Create Passionate Writers?

July 9, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I started my reading transformation 2 years ago, realizing that I needed to create a sense of urgency and passion regarding books in my classroom. I knew I should focus on writing, I knew I should dedicate more time to it, more energy to it, and yet… I just didn’t know where to begin. It wasn’t that I was a bad writing teacher, after all, my students write a lot and often, but my passion just wasn’t there, in the classroom to urge the student so push themselves further. To really find themselves as writers. Yet, here I sit, the author of two books, a blog that is read by a global audience, and barely was that transferring into my classroom. So where was the disconnect. Why did I not turn my students into passionate writers as well as readers?

I knew I had obstacles; a determined curriculum that had us on a breakneck pace. Students at such varying degrees of ability that there didn’t seem to be a middle ground. Things that had to be taught no matter what. And time, never forget time, and just how little we have of it. But still, there has to be a way, within our prescribed curriculums to create excitement and urgency in the craft of writing. There had to be others who had better ideas.

So I turned to Voxer, I have a group there with people I really respect, and they started sharing their ideas. So thank you group, here are some of the highlights for how we can create passionate writers:

Choice in process. We cannot underestimate the power of choice in our writing curriculum and what it means for students to be able to explore their own true writing style. Yet, within a prescribed curriculum, it can seem as if there is no choice. I have found though that I can give students choice of how they write, greater engagement occurs. Sure there is a process, but that process may look different from child to child based on what they prefer. Some will want to type right away, some will stick to a pencil. I have even had students dictate stories to others or to a Livescribe pen. Let them discover how they write best and accomodate as much as you can, then at least they can focus on the writing, not the process,

Choice in topic. Even within a curriculum that tells me what students should be creating, there are many ways to add choice in topic. If the area of focus is argumentative essay, don’t limit what the students can write about. Help them discover something they are passionate about and help them explore.

Choice in audience. This was a great point brought up by Chris Wejr and something I had not considered. I always assume that students want to share their work with as big of an audience as possible, but this may be far from the truth. Students may want to only share with me or a trusted friend. Students may want to publish it for the whole world to see. What we need to do as teachers is figure out what each child would like and then honor that. I would not have wanted the whole world to see my writing as a 13 year old, I bet I have students who don’t either.

Choice in partner. I often have students write together but when I pair kids up I can sometimes stop their writing process. Writing can be very personal, so I often think of what type of writing is occuring and match that to the relationship students need with their partner. Sometimes having your most trusted friend as your writing partner can be a very good thing.

Authentic purposes. Last year I was able to find more authentic purpose in our writing, so when we wrote our op eds, they were for the newspaper to be published, not just me. When we wrote a non-fiction picture book, they were for our 1st grade buddies. When students had a genuine audience and purpose for their writing, they felt more in control because they understood what the task at hand was. They knew they had to write succinctly for the newspaper to publish their words, they knew they had to find an accessible voice for their 1st graders.

Passion. Once again, we have to invest ourselves into writing, whether it be through modeling, discussion, or general excitement. Much like we share our passion for reading by thrusting books into the hands of students for them to have an incredible reading experience, what if we did the same with great writing emphasizing how spectacular it is? What is we start telling students that we thought of them when we read something because it reminded us of their writing?

Minimizing our critique. While I believe we have to teach students to be better writers, I think sometimes our eagerness to help can stymie the process. So figuring out what the best process is for each child to support their growth without killing them with corrections. Sometimes it is okay to just write for the sake of writing. Sometimes it is even ok to share uneditied writing just to show off our ideas. Not all writing has to be finished or polished.

Spontaneity. This great point was brought up by Ben Gilpin and I couldn’t agree more. We should look for the moments in our everyday where we are inspired to write and that does not just need to be within writing time. I get ideas to write all of the time and then try to find the time to actually jot down my thoughts. What if we created environments where journaling and small moment writing was a natural part of our day?

Sharing our writing life. I tell my students all the time about the things I write, but how often do I show them? How often do I write in front of them? How often do I stop and write in the middle of the day because inspiration strikes me? I think much like we showcase our books reads to create a reading community, we have to showcase our writing too.

What other ideas do you have? What did I miss?

I am a passionate teacher in Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4, 5th, and 7th grade. 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 Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” can be pre-ordered from Corwin Press now. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

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

Oh Yes, I Wrote Another Book…

June 28, 2014 Pernille Ripp

People often ask me where I find the time to do what I do, and honestly, it is not that I have a magic wand. I multi-task a lot, sometimes I am over-connected and need to find a better balance, sometimes it is late at night when I can’t sleep, and at one time it was sitting next to a little, tiny baby growing in the NICU.

My second book, published by Corwin, is coming out in September, and it was written in that little room, in the NICU at Meriter Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. I filled it with the hopes for Augustine and the type of school I wish for her when she gets to be 5. I filled it with the dreams I have for the schools I work at, for the teachers I learn with, for the students I teach. And so my second book is filled with empowerment. A plea to transform our schools from top-down decision machines, to environments where there are many leaders, many ideas, and staff, as well as students, that feel that they are in control of their educational journey.

Much like my first book, “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students,” this book is meant to be an idea book, a book that gives you things you can do right now to change your environment. A book that will give you hope, hopefully strengthen your vision of what a learning environment can look like, and re-ignite your feeling of power in education.

So this book, “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners,” will hopefully end up on your to-read list. It will hopefully change the way we do school, no longer relying on our old methods, but instead embracing all of the stakeholders, including the students, when we discuss what school should be like. I hope together we make that change, not just for ourselves, but for all the kids we work with. Just like Augustine at 6 months is realizing her own potential, we need to make sure that our schools support all students and all staff to leave their mark and change the world.

To pre-order your copy, please go here.

Be the change, being a teacher, books, reflection, Student-centered, students

A Second Book Cover Revealed…

June 16, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Some of you may know that I was lucky enough to be asked by Peter Dewitt and the amazing crew at Corwin Press to be a part of their Connected Educator book series. Peter asked me in the fall of 2013 and I thought I would have plenty of time to write the book, after all, doesn’t being pregnant afford you a lot of time to put your feet up? Well, Augustine arrived 10 weeks early so this book was finished watching her sleep and grow in the NICU, which only made me write more urgently for the need to change our schools and classrooms. So today,I am thrilled to be able to reveal the cover of my next book…

This book’s title really says it all. Another how-to book, just like “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students,” except this time focused on how to turn a whole school culture around, as well as within the classroom. Written for administrators and teachers, this book will give you many things to think about, easy ideas to implements, and tools to change your school culture right away.

The book is available for pre-order now and will be offered as both a print and an e-book, which makes me so excited! In fact, you should check out the whole series, I promise you it will be incredible!

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

Pick My Brain! (If You Want…)

June 16, 2014 Pernille Ripp

With the release of my book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” we thought it would be nice to have a chance to ask me questions, brainstorm ideas, and discuss anything and everything that has to do with how you are trying to implement change in your classroom or school. So please join me this Sunday, June 22, at 7 PM EDT for a webinar to do just that. No question is too big or little.

Here is the official information and how to join me.

Join us: Passionate Learners Live Webinar with author Pernille Ripp

Posted by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach on Jun 15, 2014 in PLPress | 0 comments

After several years of wondering why her own classroom didn’t match her vision of students driven by curiosity and passion, Pernille Ripp discovered that even the smallest changes can make monumental differences. Trusting yourself and your students and sharing the power of the classroom with them can lead to great teaching and learning even within the boundaries of our confining standards, testing obsessions and mandatory curriculums.

In her new book Passionate Learners, Pernille tells us what and how she changed—and how her students changed with her. We learn about the little and not-so-little things she did over the course of a transformational year, so that she could shift the responsibility for learning – the joy and wonder of it – to the kids themselves.

Now that this book has been out for a few weeks and hundreds of you have read her story, we want to give you the chance to ask your burning questions and discuss your own student-centered classrooms.

Passionate Learners Live Webinar

Join author Pernille Ripp, PLP CEO Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, and PLPress Managing Editor John Norton for a one-hour live webinar on June 22 at 7pm EDT. During this webinar, we’ll take a deeper look inside Pernille’s new book Passionate Learners: Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students.

Whether you are just beginning or well on your way in your teaching career, this webinar can inspire you to break rules, take risks, and eagerly pursue your journey toward a classroom filled with passionate learners. Register for the webinar and get entered in a prize drawing!

Get Webinar Ticket

I am a passionate (female) 7th 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 Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” can be pre-ordered from Corwin Press now. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.