Pernille Ripp

achievement, being a teacher, students, testing

So This Is How A Teacher Breakdown Starts

April 25, 2012 Pernille Ripp

My students are doing their spring assessments as we prepare to wrap up the year and send them on their way. An innocent computer check-in that takes less than an hour, nothing to be worried abot really. The kids know it is not a big deal, to do their best, that this is only a snapshot of their skills on that particular day, at that particular time.

And yet….the dread is rising in me. How will they do? How will they feel about the test? Will the test know that they are excited about the talent show results? That they are hungry? That they have had a high intensity day and their brains may be just a little zonked? Of course it won’t, and why should it, the test doesn’t care one iota about my students.

But I do and that is my problem. With every point they gain or lose, my anxiety soars. How will it affect me as a teacher if a child lost 4 points, whatever that means. What did I do wrong since they didn’t make momentous gains on this test while in class they have blown me away with their increased participation, their inferences, and their overall depth of knowledge? Why can’t the test understand that all of these kids have grown, whether they wanted to or not? Why can’t the test prove that?

So I take a deep breath and let the results stand. The tests are done, the points have been given and I am trying to piece together what I need to change. What I need to salvage, what I need to challenge myself in. And I breathe a little more, realizing that much like I told my students, I also need to believe that this is just a snapshot. This is just a moment in their life, this moment in time where they are performing at this set level. That this does not determine their future success, their future growth, or even their future. Perhaps it will determine mine, but that I need to worry about another day.

assumptions, students, technology

Some Say They Are Too Young, I Say, "Trust Them…"

April 24, 2012July 24, 2013 Pernille Ripp

My kids being kids

Even though my fifth graders may beg to differ, they are just kids. Wonderful, young, impressionable things, eager to change the world, kids that have lived a little and still have much to learn. They are young, indeed, but passionate, open, and never ever afraid of a challenge. And yet most just see their age, their made by date, and definitely their grade level. So should I be surprised when critics claim they are too young for more advanced technology? That serious use of technology shouldn’t really start until middle school, that fifth grade is just too early?

I suppose I could be upset at statements that try to limit what my students are capable of. I suppose I should fire back with witty sarcasm or scathing words. I suppose I should bring that anger home and fume over peoples’ assumptions. But I don’t, at least not anymore. Instead I plot and plan, I reach out to those who have great ideas and I get really really stubborn. We shall show them after all.

So when some think Prezi is too hard for ten year olds we prove it is not. Or when people are not sure that my students should blog because what could they possibly have to share, we become role models for others. Flip video cameras may have been killed off but in our classroom the students grab them whenever they get a chance to document their learning. PowerPoint becomes an entry point into creation with other possibilities beckoning us further.

They may be young my students, but they are not afraid. So tell us we cannot do something, or even better, tell us that we are really too young to figure it out, and I will show you 22 students that disagree. I will show you 22 students that cannot wait to prove you wrong, after all, you wouldn’t be the first.

assumptions, no homework, summer, teachers

You Don’t Own Their Summer

April 22, 2012July 24, 2013 Pernille Ripp

Thea enjoying her vacation

Summer vacation is starting to sneak into our school minds as stealthily as the first signs of a cold. A mention of a vacation planned here, some raised trepidation about next year, begging for me to transfer to 6th grade. And so while we plow on through all of our projects, still staying focused, I think of the things the students could be doing during that break; math facts, reading, fixing mistakes in their brain so that they start fresh the following year, perhaps even a little bit ahead, ready to conquer the world of 6th grade. And then I am reminded; I don’t own their summer.

Already we have been given gentle recommendations to assign math games over summer. Some students know they will be expected to finish a math book, others to read a classic book or two. And my outrage starts to bubble. We don’t own their summer, we don’t own their summer, we don’t own their summer.

Summer vacation in America may be too long for some kids. It may lead to the infamous summer slide, loss of knowledge, skill setbacks that will lead to worse test results, but we don’t own their summer. Their summer is for them to explore, to renew, to breathe, to invest in whatever catches their interest. Perhaps their summer will have nothing to do with school and yet everything to do with learning. Perhaps their summer will be spent reading book after book, perhaps just being at a pool. Whatever they choose to do with their time is none of our business.

And sure, of course those that assign homework for a class that starts after summer, they have the best interest of their students in mind. Yet the truth is, you have no right to that time. You have no power over whether they do it or not. You cannot expect them to come having read 2 books, or written a paper, or done a packet of math problems. You can ask them to, but you cannot demand it. You may say that the summer work is like preparing for a job, but guess what, even jobs give you time off. You may say that summer work is in the best interest of the students, to keep them out of trouble, well, let them make that decision. You may say that if they don’t work over the summer you will never get through everything you have to cover; that is a time management problem not something you can push onto the students.

You can hope that their summer is spent learning. That their summer is spent finding new interests. That their summer wasn’t just a big break from anything strenuous, but you cannot decide what they should do. You cannot decide what constitutes summer learning or not, because, yes, that’s right, you don’t own their summer.

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.

challenge, Science

The Super Tube Challenge

April 20, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Again, another great idea adapted from Bill Ferriter; The Super Tube Challenge!

Goal: Strengthen a toilet paper tube to hold as many social studies book as possible when it stands vertically.

Materials:

As many different paper tubes as you can collect – we collected for almost 2 months.
Unlimited masking tape
25 small popsicle sticks – purposely set a limit because I did not want popsicle stick structures.
One standard toilet paper tube per group

Rules:

Only the original toilet paper tube may touch the table.
It may not be taped to the table.
You may not stack tubes next to each other on the table, anything that is taped onto the original toilet paper tube may not touch the table.
You may not steal supplies from each other.
They get exactly one hour from start to finish.
They may use books throughout the challenge to test strength of their design.
You may not interact with other groups during the challenge.

Process before the challenge:

Either have students pick or assign teams of 3
Show them a regular toilet paper tube and stack as many heavy books on one until it collapses. In our case it was 3 social studies books.
Tell them the challenge.
Show them materials they will be building with.
Have them plan for at least 10 minutes the first day. I did this challenge over 3 different times, 2 10 minute chunks and then big 60 minute time.
Explain the rules and discuss them. Students will probably have questions.
Give them time to manipulate the tube and start a plan with group – we spent 10 minutes doing this.
Another day give them another 10 minutes to discuss whether they need to have modifications to their design or not. They also need to assign one person to be the “scavenger.” This will be the only person who can gather materials.
Have them decide on a plan of attack for the challenge.

The Challenge:

Have 25 popsicle sticks and original paper tube ready for each team.
Set a timer for 60 minutes (or whatever time you decide).
Start timer – scavenger may get 10 tubes for their team – free for all.
Throughout the challenge , like 15 min in I let the students scavenge one more time but usually just 2 tubes at a time.
Film the challenge!
At some point, inform them that you are taking away their masking tape. This added challenge forces them to rethink their supplies as well as their original design, great on their feet thinking needed.
I did shout out minutes left throughout challenge.
At 60 minutes all building stops, hands off and the designs rest for a minute. Then I place the books to see who has the strongest tube design.

Learning Goals:
Students will work on:

Teamwork
Perseverance
Creative problem solving
Engineering for structural strength
Time management
Controlling variables
Planning
Using standard materials in a non-standard fashion.

New Adventure, Student-centered, technology, video

Well Hello Adobe and Thank You For Coming To Our Room!

April 18, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Being a teacher with pretty tech savvy 5th graders means I am constantly on the look out for ideas of how to integrate technology into our lessons. And while I do love technology, I never want to integrate it just for the sake of the tool, but rather to ensure a deeper level of exploration and inquiry for my students. We use Flip video cameras quite a bit in our room whether to record our learning, create video projects, or even make presentations for other students. Yet whenever we had recorded footage we always ran into a major obstacle; no editing software other than Flipshare or Windows Movie Maker. And sure these programs work alright, they just are not that kid friendly and definitely not up to what our students want to create. So when Adobe contacted me and wanted to know if I would be interested in trying out some of their software for them and then review it, I jumped at the chance. Maybe, just maybe, their Premier Elements software is exactly what we have been looking for.

So I told my students about this opportunity and they got as excited as I did. I am in constant awe of their fearlessness of new technology. Talk about a huge lesson we as teachers should learn! Yesterday the software was finally installed on my computer at school thanks to my awesome tech integrator Linda and I cannot wait to have the students use it. So far the first project we will use the software for will be creating 5th grade survival videos for the incoming 4th graders as a way of working on our script writing and fluency/expression. I cannot wait to share our honest opinion about the Adobe software and how it worked in the hands of my talented 5th graders.

So from time to time, you may see a post about Adobe and as always it will feature my unbiased opinion – or even better, that of my students. I am as curious as many other elementary educators whether Adobe software can be used at our level, so there will be no holds barred when it comes to reviews. For now, if you already have access to Adobe software at your school, do check out the Adobe Education Exchange; super great resource for ways to integrate their technology created by other teachers. I have been exploring it and finding it easy to access and search for grade specific resources.