student voice – Page 8 – Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, collaboration, global, skype, student voice

Mind Your Skype Manners – Tips for Better Skype Calls

December 5, 2015 Pernille Ripp

For the past many years, my students have Skyped with classrooms around the world as we have tried to let others into our class. We have shared our love of books through the Global Read Aloud, we have guessed their location through Mystery Skype, and we have asked questions as we did market research for projects we are doing. Skype is a part of our classroom and I would not want it any other way. But every year I have to remind my students how to act while Skyping, to mind their Skype manners as we proceed. Not because they are poorly behaved but because for some, this is the first time they have worked with others in this way and there are things they may not be aware of.

So what follows are our tips for minding your Skype manners.

Make your purpose meaningful and clear. We not only discuss how we will be Skyping but why and what the expected outcome should be. This small discussion allows my students to see the potential of the experience they are about to have, rather than just roll with it and assume it will be great.

Have roles or questions prepared. For Mystery Skype, each of my students has a job that they have picked and are held accountable for, for other Skype calls they have prepared questions in advance. They write them on notecards and hand them to me and I hand them back when it is time to ask it, at the end we always leave time for extra questions to be asked that have popped up as we listened.

Have a way to introduce yourself. I usually give students this job and some time to prepare something about our class. This also serves as a reminder of what the purpose is of the call as they restate that.

Brief the audience on body language. I have a wide lens camera when we Skype which means a lot of the kids can be seen in the background. We therefore discuss what our body language should look like and also what is visible on camera. The students know that if their shoulders are slumped or head is down, even though it is just because they are realizing, it may send a message of disinterest to others.

Mind your tone. My 7th graders are pretty funny but sometimes their sense of humor does not translate well via Skype. We therefore always a have a discussion of tone and the words we choose before we Skype. A gentle reminder is often all that they need to be aware of how they sound and to speak in a way that suits our audience.

Introduce yourself always. The students always start out by saying their name and then maintaining eye contact throughout.

Stay while listening. Often the natural reaction of a student is to ask their questions and then sit down, however, we think it is important to stay and listen to the whole answer then thank the speaker.

Give them a task during besides just listening. I have had students doodle during a class, take notes, or even have a backchannel on Todaysmeet. This is not just to share our learning but to focus students in. Even the most exciting Skype call can wear a kid out, so having them do something while they are listening helps them stay engaged and will make the call more meaningful.

Debrief. After the call we tend to just move on, yet, part of the magic of Skype is discussing what you learned. After our Mystery Skypes the students debrief in an attempt to get better. Other calls can be debriefed via conversation, small group aggregation of information and then crowd sourcing information into a Padlet or Google doc. Do something after the call to acknowledge what just happened rather than just move on.

Finally, don’t be afraid to end a call. I have only had to end a call once in our years of Skyping but I am so glad I did. My students were trying to be funny but were really coming off as rude. I simply told the other teacher that due to their behavior we had to end the call. We then discussed as a class what to do better next time. It was a great lesson for the kids, particularly when the tables were turned a few weeks later and they felt the other class was being rude to them.

If you are looking for great Skype opportunities, join the Skype in the Classroom site or become a member of the Global Read Aloud Facebook page, you can post requests on both.

aha moment, being a teacher, student voice, writing

A Few Ideas for Better Writing Conferences

November 9, 2015November 10, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Thea, our oldest, missed her bus today which meant that I missed my morning prep as I drove her to school. Missing my prep is usually not a big deal, but this morning I was feeling rather sleep deprived (thanks to the amazing book An Ember in the Ashes which I just had to finish last night) and overall rather discombobulated. My very first instinct as I tried to get ready in the 4 minutes before the students showed up was to cancel the writing conferences I had planned with the kids, after all, I was not ready. I had not pre-read all of their drafts, made copious amounts of comments in them, nor had I carefully selected who I would meet with. Surely, I could not lead their conferences. Surely, they could would get anything out of it if I did.

Yet, a tiny voice inside me kept whispering that I had promised them a writing conference and I had to keep that promise. That perhaps this was my chance to not lead their conferences. To not have all of the answers, but instead be ready to listen and support. To let them tell me what they needed rather than vice versa. So I did, and it felt like I held my breath all day, but it worked. It worked! And I could not be happier with the outcome. So what did we do?

I had the students sign up to confer. Rather than me telling them to meet with me, I left it open for those who wanted to meet. This meant that those kids with burning desires to show their work got a chance to do so. In the one class where I didn’t have a lot of students sign up, I walked around and did mini-conferences as they wrote, only interrupting when there was a good moment to ask my questions. At the end of the day, I marked down whom I had conferred with so that I can keep track of who I still need to meet with and will plan accordingly in the days to come.

I asked them what our purpose was for the conference. Using the question, “What would you like me to look for?” really helped students narrow the focus of our conference. Often times, a student will tell me they just want my opinion, but through follow up questions, we were able to narrow it down. Some kids had an immediate idea of what they needed from me, others needed a little more prodding. Typical requests became wanting to see if they had too many details, if their flow was choppy, or other specific needs that were important to them. Because they had to describe what they needed, they had to reflect on their piece and purposefully weigh those needs. Rather than just having me read it for an opinion, they ended up with specific feedback that could support them as they continued writing.

I didn’t write suggestions. I purposefully did not add my thoughts to their document in front of them, nor will I for a while yet. I think with the advent of Google Docs our comments/suggestions/edits have become just another checklist for fixing their writing, rather than supporting them in becoming better writers. As my friend, Jess Lifshitz pointed out, “We need to teach students how to be writers, not just follow our directions to fix their writing.” (paraphrase) I couldn’t agree more.

We kept it short. Because I was only given one purpose, students and I spoke briefly and then they were off to work again. Because I was not editing their work, we quickly got to the point of their needs and they could continue working on their vision for their piece, rather than be tainted by my ideas.

I held my tongue. I have a wide variety of writers in our classroom, many who identify themselves as non-writers. I therefore knew that this very first writing conference would set the tone for the rest of the year and further fuel their relationship with writing for better or for worse. I therefore stopped myself from pointing out all of the things they could work on, all the mistakes that should be fixed, all of the things that should get attention. We will get to it later, right now they just need to write.

I didn’t give them my opinion. And not one asked for it either. Often our opinion is what students strive to hear, to get that seal of approval. Yet, I have seen what an honest opinion can do to a child that is still drafting their story. How even the most carefully wrapped sentence can totally stop a child from writing. Instead, I kept it to the chosen focus. I asked them their opinion, I asked them to speak about their piece. And they did. And I listened, and then they found their own path rather than attempting to walk on mine.

At the end of today, I was excited, not exhausted as I normally would have been. It was not me who had done most of the talking, it was the students. It was not me who had set the purpose, it was the students. Not once had a child asked me if their story was long enough. Not once had a child asked me whether their story was good enough. Instead they had told me how excited they were to write, how they could not wait for me to see the final version, how they might try a new story if this one doesn’t go as planned. Just as I had hoped. Just like it should be. Perhaps being discombobulated on a Monday was not such a bad thing after all.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. Also, if you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.

aha moment, assessment, assumptions, being a teacher, being me, conferences, connect, Passion, student voice

How Can I Make This Better For You?

November 4, 2015 Pernille Ripp

For the past three days my students have read. They have sat wherever they wanted, immersed in the book of their choice. They have book shopped. They have reflected, but mostly just read. Whispered about their books. Handed those in they have finished. And waited for me to call their name, knowing that soon it would be their turn.

I have sat at a table and spoken to them all, one by one, taken the time it takes. “How is English going…How can I be a better teacher for you….What is not working…” Armed with the survey they have takes as we finished our very first quarter, they have told me their truths. They have looked at me and then gladly told me everything I have needed to change. And I am so grateful. Think of the guts that it takes to look at your teacher to tell them that something is not working for you. Think of what that says about the community we have.

So for the past 3 days, I have listened. I have nodded and taken notes. I have asked for further explanation, and I have also asked for help. How can we make it better? How can we find more time? How can we make it easier? More engaging? More of what they need? How can we…

We read books to become better teachers. We ask colleagues for help. We meet with administrators. We reach out to parents. We connect and we ask and we ponder together. Yet, how often do we ask the very kids that we teach? How often do we stop what we are doing simply to conference with them? Not about their work but to uncover how things are going? What they need? How we can change? How often do we stop so we can learn from them? Not often enough, but that can change. It starts with us. And it starts with a simple question; how can I make this better for you?

aha moment, being a teacher, books, Literacy, Passion, student voice

Then It Just Doesn’t Matter

October 31, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I have some staunch book haters this year. Some kids who really hate reading. Some of them hate writing as well. And not just in a “7th grade trying to be cool” kind of way, but in a deep-seated notion that rules their decisions, their actions, and their days. They hate reading. And they are telling me loudly.

They are pushing me to think about what I do in our classroom. How I try to wrap them up in the excitement, how my own relentless quest to find that perfect book along with them is one that deserves the time it gets. That the very act of loving reading (or writing or math or science) is something that we must find the time to cultivate in our schools. Even when I feel the pressure of the year and the deadlines looming over me. Because when they hate reading (or insert whatever school related subject here) then it just doesn’t matter what strategies I try to teach them.

When they hate reading then it just doesn’t matter that I am trying to teach them how to think deeper about text.

It just doesn’t matter that I am trying to teach them to find the signposts.

It just doesn’t matter that I am trying to teach them how to write about their thoughts. How to access harder texts. How to understand text features or write a summary. How to analyze rather than paraphrase.

When they hate reading then that is all they can think about. They refuse to access the skills that they need to practice because everything we do is attached to something to something they hate.

And I get it, why would you want to do more with something you despise?

So when they hate reading we must attack that first. Not the strategies, not the skills, but the emotion that is attached to everything we are trying to do. We must dig and dig and dig to find out why. And we must ask, and we must talk, and we must give them a chance to change their mind, if even just in the slightest way, as we create classrooms that are run on a culture of love for our subject, rather than a need to cover curriculum.

We can assume that they hate it because it is hard. We can assume that they hate it because they find it boring. That they hate it because they have to sit still, because they cannot focus, because they would rather be doing so many other things. But we won’t know until we ask. We wont know until we acknowledge the hatred or whatever emotion they carry so that we can do something about it.

Too often we barrel on, hoping that within our teaching something magical will happen. Yet within our race to teach to the standards, to explore the strategies, to cover, cover, cover, we cannot forget to develop the love, develop the relationship that students need to have with what we teach so that can become invested, even if just a little bit.

So when they hate reading, or whatever other thing they loudly proclaim to hate, don’t just teach. Listen. Ask. And then do something about it. And not just by yourself, but with them.

Be the change, Passion, Personalized Learning, student driven, student voice

Some Ideas for Personalizing Learning in the Younger Grades

October 28, 2015 Pernille Ripp

“Mom, you have to see this…?”

Thea hands me her science project, her very first in in 1st grade, and she is so excited she has a hard time standing still.

“I have to do this thing and I get to choose and I know I want to do coyotes and a video so we need to learn stuff…”

I grab the paper from her hand and once again marvel at the ingenuity of her teacher and the district we both are in.

Personalizing learning in the younger grades has always been something I felt slightly clueless about. After all, most of the kids I have taught have been older than 9. Yet, by watching what Thea is experiencing in her 1st grade classroom, I have a few ideas for how learning can become more personalized in the younger grades in order to create more passionate learners.

Give scaffolded topic choice. While this seems like a no-brainer, I think giving choice looks a lot different in a 1st grade classroom versus a 4th grade. I know that 6 year olds often have many ideas, which can either lead to brilliance or indecisiveness, so I have seen how a limited amount of choice in specific areas can really help them get engaged. In Thea’s science project she was told to study a Wisconsin animal and was then given a suggested list to select from. She knew right away when we read the words “Coyotes” that they would be her choice, however, her teacher also left it wide open for any animals not on the list as long as they were found natively in our state. Having choice, but with limitations helped Thea get straight to work, and helped her get excited about her topic.

Have many ways to access information. Her teacher did not place a limit on how she should access the information but gave us ideas instead. We therefore watched real coyote videos on YouTube, checked out books, found a PBS kids show, and also found pictures online. Not being limited to one method of finding information meant that we could adapt it to what we had access to, as well as what would work for Thea in the moment.

Have various ways to show learning. While all the students had to do a fill-in-the-blank written report they also had to come up with a way to present their knowledge to the class. A few choices were given; diorama, poster, or a video, but again you could also come up with your own idea. Thea immediately wanted to do a video because she thought it would be fun. As we discussed it more in detail, she decided to act like a teacher because she wants to be one when she grows up. Again, having this choice in how she would present her information made the assignment even more meaningful to her because she got to express her knowledge in a way that made sense to her.

Have selective goal setting. The students all have several goals in each subject area, but the teacher lets them choose which one they want to pay special attention to. That goal gets a star next to it. When they have centers, one of their stations is for working on their selected goal, a clever way of tapping into what they think they need themselves.

Let them pick partners. Even if you think it is a bad idea. We assume more often than not that students will make a bad choice rather than a good one. Yet, Thea tells me proudly how often she selects a new partner for math because she wants to try working with them. This experience not only offers her a way to learn alongside someone else, she also gets to explore more kids who might be a great friend for her. What an awesome skill to work on.

Have them self-asses with smiley faces. Thea is just learning how to read and write, so having them self reflect through writing would take a very long time. A quick and easy way to self reflect is by using smiley/frowney faces as you go through their learning. Again, this allows students to take control of what they felt successful in and set goals for upcoming learning. Another idea is to have students do a video or voxer message where they self-reflect. This can then also be shared with parents to see how a child thinks.

Discourage parent over-involvement. When I first saw the science project, my heart sank a little because I thought of how much work this might be for Brandon and I. Yet, in the rubric itself, it said that to get a “4” or a “3” the work should not be parent produced but rather originate from the child with only minimal parent support. So that is exactly what we did. While we discussed with Thea what she wanted to do, we really wanted the ideas to come from her and then helped her as she needed. The end result; a kind of messy but pretty funny video (who knows if there is a king coyote anywhere?) that clearly shows her enthusiasm for the topic, as well as her knowledge.

I am amazed at the trust Thea’s teacher puts in her little learners and am also reminded in how often we underestimate kids. Personalizing learning is not something we should start when we think kids are old enough, they are never old enough. It is something we should start right away because that is what will create classrooms filled with curious students. That is what will create passionate learners.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. The 2nd edition and actual book-book (not just e-book!) just came out!

aha moment, assumptions, being a teacher, control, student voice

When I Finally Stopped Speaking

October 4, 2015October 6, 2015 Pernille Ripp

It struck me as hard as a hammer. 6th period Friday. The fourth time I was teaching this lesson. The fourth time I had students go through the discussion questions, do the turn and talk, and then come back together. It hit me so hard that I instantly cringed a little bit, because why in the world I hadn’t thought of this sooner? If only I had listened to that little nagging voice we all have inside, if only I had tuned in as it screamed, “Stop talking, Pernille. Stop interrupting their conversations. Stop rushing them through what you think they need to get through and let them speak to each other.”

And yet, after only a minute of talking, I felt the ticking time. I saw the hands moving as class slowly trailed away and so I kept interrupting them. Guiding them to the next thing that we had to do. Telling them to finish up So that we had the entire foundation laid. So that I could place a check mark in my planner and move on to the next thing, knowing that we had done everything we were supposed to and gotten to the end of the text. Yet, this is exactly what we should not be doing in our classrooms.

Too often, we rush. Too often, we hurry so that we can cover things. Too often we get through a lesson rather than realize that what we are doing in that moment is the lesson; is the point of school. We say we want students who speak up and exhibit deep thinking, yet then limit this very thing as we teach. We must slow down. We must stop our incessant teacher talk, our incessant interruptions as we guide and mold and let students think, then let them speak. And when they are done speaking let them sit in the silence for just a moment so they can be sure they are completely done speaking.

Teaching is not about getting through. Teaching is not about getting things done. Teaching is not about completing every single lesson we had planned so we can say that we did it, we followed the path and now we have taught. Now our students have learned. It is about the path we take to get there. The exploration we have along the way. The time we give to our students to speak so that we may listen.

So in that 6th hour on Friday, I finally stopped speaking. I finally stopped interrupting them and just let them speak. Those who ran out of words looked at me expectantly waiting for me to start again, but then saw how others were still going in their conversations and that spurred them on to keep speaking. I bounced from group to group, not interjecting, but listening instead. Nodding and smiling as I saw them start to become what I hope they will be; kids that have an opinion, kids that have a voice. After a few more minutes, a child asked a question so good that I knew we could discuss this as a class. And so we did. And I didn’t interrupt. I didn’t shape the conversation. I let them speak and they loved it. Because it was about them and not me. Their learning and not just my teaching. Just the way it is supposed to be.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. The 2nd edition and actual book-book (not just e-book!) just came out!