Passionate Learners, 3rd Edition: How to Engage and Empower Your Students

by Pernille Ripp

Would you want to be a student in your own classroom? In this bestselling book, Pernille Ripp invites both novice and seasoned teachers to cocreate a positive, interactive learning environment with students.

Based on honest reflections on her own teaching experience, Pernille offers a wide variety of ideas for sharing control, developing your intuition, learning how to fail, giving yourself grace, building community and trust, creating more choice, allowing time for student expertise, and letting go of the punish, behave, and reward cycle so that intrinsic motivation can thrive. This fully enhanced new edition is chock full of additional strategies and tools on topics such as centering students' identities, overcoming barriers when creating student-centered lessons to emphasize ownership of the learning cycle, shoring up your boundaries to manage your time and stop the intense prep work, changing your homework habits to reduce your load and give students more time, deemphasizing grades, and much more.

With Pernille's heartfelt stories and practical strategies, you'll feel inspired to give your classroom back to your students and foster a community of truly passionate learners!

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Nonfiction, Adult, Teachers, Parenting

Audible Audio

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Since Pernille Ripp was a child growing up in Denmark, she knew she wanted to work with kids. She has loved being a 4th, 5th, and then 7th-grade teacher in the American public school system, as well as a literacy coach for adults. In her co-created teaching spaces, students’ identities are at the center of the explorations that they do, as well as considering how to fight for change.

Recently, Pernille moved home to Denmark where she is expanding her knowledge about children’s development and needs through her work in early childhood education.
She is an international speaker and educator developer, working with educators in need to better learning conditions, literacy instruction, and overall school experiences for children and adults on a global plane. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud which has connected millions of students in more than 85 countries. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be than standing alongside children and educators fighting for change in the world.

You can find her across social media platforms easily.

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pernille's teaching philosophy deeply reflects my own. The section about grades was one of my favorites. This year, a co-worker and I changed our grading practice and focused on feedback and conversations as opposed to numeric grades. Thank you, Pernille Ripp, for your books about passionate learning, teaching, and (soon!) reading.

[Pernille Ripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author, it would be odd if I didn't give it 5 stars, yet I do feel that this is a good book. It is practical, inspiring (hopefully) and will help teachers create the type of classroom they have dreamed about.

[Adam Włodarczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka ideowo piękna. Jak dla mnie wyidealizowana. Treść super, ale mało konkretnych przykładów i narzędzi. Zasygnalizowała problem i jeżeli tylko o to chodziło to jak najbardziej polecam, bo zmiany w polskiej szkole są potrzebne. Jednak spodziewałem się zdecydowanie więcej konkretów.

[Pernille Ripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote my heart out and hope that it offers tangible ideas for building more sustainable practices in our classrooms. My many students have so much wisdom and I am grateful that it gets to be shared on a larger stage, but your students do too. What questions should you be asking? What can we do to share the power and control with the kids in our spaces so that they can feel safe, valued, and given tools to navigate a complex world?

[Jordan Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reads like a personal diary where Pernillle bravely reflects on how her teaching practice changed as she increasingly trusted herself as a teacher. It is laid out in a very straightforward manner with each chapter divided into Then, Now and Next. Rather than create a book that promotes a program or management routine, Pernille instead promotes a shift in the way we think of our role as teachers and shares with us how she has approached that shift in her classroom. It goes against her own advice in this very book but this is a MUST read for all teachers, new and veteran alike.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. I'm really glad to find other educators who see how broken our system is and how it kills students' to learn, and who are willing to take risks and do something different for the sake of reigniting that spark of curiosity. I highly recommend this book. The author's format is extremely helpful; she shares how she used to think, how she thinks now, and how a teacher can take steps to implement changes.

[Mr. Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing life changing, but some nice reminders that I'm not completely terrible at this job thing.

[Jeremiah Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I read it. I supposed I would find more typical advice to running a classroom. Boy, was this book was far from that idea! Pernille's book RIPPED me apart as an educator! Her book was filled with hard questions, and even harder truth. I was forced (in the best way) to really examine my classroom and my practice to ultimately create a thriving learning environment to create passionate learners in my school and classroom. At the end of the book, I was sewn up and filled with new ideas and the inspiration to be a better teacher. Thank you Pernille for this absolute amazing book. I am even more excited to start my second year of teaching thanks to your refreshing and empowering words. ❤️ "Bring the focus back on the kids, improve teaching conditions, and keep our students passionate and curious."

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a time when much of education is dictated by curriculum standards and mandated behavior management programs, Pernille offers a fresh perspective on what learning is like from the student perspective. From her asking the question, "would you like being a student in your own classroom?" to her ideas about grading and homework, she offers a vision of truly student-centered education. She does not offer a method or a step-by-step guide to changing one's teaching. Instead, she empowers teachers to reflect on their experiences, on research, and on their current level of comfort with innovation. After this reflection, teachers are ready to use Pernille's ideas as a springboard to transform their own classrooms into ones that are truly student-centered.

[Barbara Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pernille Ripp grabbed my heart strings right from the beginning. She shared her own story which is probably so many other teachers stories about realizing they needed to change their teaching practice. The power of this book are the stories with examples of what she did to change one step at a time. Not only did I fall in love with this book, we (Kathleen McClaskey and myself) included examples from her own stories in our new book, How to Personalize Learning that is coming out October 2016.

I know Pernille and have listened to her stories sharing examples from her classroom. This book takes you along on her journey. Don't miss it. I highly recommend jumping into this book. I know you will enjoy it as much as I have.

[Jessie Krefting · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! Pernille shares many of the same views as other passionate educators like George Couros, Dave Burgess and the late Joe Bower. Her ideas will make every educator stop and consider not only what we are teaching but also the why. She gives educators permission to take a step back and listen to the needs and voices of their students and provides many wonderful ideas of how to give students more voice and choice in our classrooms! I would highly recommend this book to any educator or educational leader who wants to make some changes in their teaching practice in order to do what is in the best interest of kids!!!

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have followed Mrs. Ripp's blog for about a year. I believe we share many of the same philosophies when it comes to education and children. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It would be a great book for first year teachers and mentors. Pernille has shown great courage by writing a book that asks teachers to give up control of their classrooms and encourage their students to direct their own learning. I am so glad I read this before school started this year because it was full of fresh ideas and hope for a successful school year. Thank you Mrs. Ripp.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with concrete ideas on how to change your classroom. I just finished my 11th year of teaching and every couple of years I have gotten the itch to try something new, take a new approach to my classroom, and there are so many great ideas that I plan to implement this year.

[Pernille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I'm the author so my rating doesn't count, but I hope that this book will help other teachers bring more joy into their classrooms. I hope you love it.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pernille's honesty is a breath of fresh air. Her ideas on how we can approach teaching with a different lens are realistic. Highly recommend!

[Todd Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring book that helped give me the confidence to follow my gut even if I am stepping outside of the norm/expected. Should be handed and mandatory for every teacher.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pernille Ripp is an inspiration to me - I have participated in the Global Read-Aloud for the past five years, I read Pernille's blog, and I have now read her first book (and am working on the 2nd).

Passionate Learners is a book that, as I read it, I wished I had read much earlier in my career, though 1) it wasn't published yet, and 2) I probably needed to learn many of the lessons described in it for myself. As it turns out, this book was a huge validation for me. Now in the 30th year of my career, I still find myself as one who challenges the status quo. Many of the topics addressed in the book -- rewards/punishment, rigid teacher control in the classroom, teacher-centered vs. student-centered classrooms and learning, are ones that I have often found myself standing on the opposite side of from some colleagues.

Instinctively and intuitively, I have always felt that my greatest success with students has been when I built relationships with them instead of trying to control them. Much of this book addresses the heart of teaching. It validates that caring about your students, considering THEM, their backgrounds, their interests, and their needs is most often an effective way of teaching. So many education courses, workshops, and books try to narrow things down to a method or set of steps. None of those worked well for me, and it appears they didn't exactly work for Pernille Ripp either. This book is a great one for validating teachers who look to the students first, and for helping teachers who want to do so to become more effective.

[Kate Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERY first-year teacher should read this book. Not only first-year teachers but starting with them. I've been teaching for 16 years, but my experience goes way back to volunteering as a high school student to work in the summer program of a local homeless shelter, working as a teacher's assistant in a daycare after school, and subbing while getting my master's degree. This captured the exact process of what it takes to be a skilled educator. I feel very validated after reading this book. Those considering the profession, and wanting to become a teacher that doesn't just deliver instruction but touches the lives of those in their class, should read this book. The piece of education that many never figure out is, it doesn't matter how you teach, what matters is how your learners feel about school, learning, and growing. I've always said, enthusiasm for learning is contagious. You can beg a reader to read. You can suggest books, make them read "at their level", and make them get parent signatures on reading logs, but you won't make even a quarter of the progress you WOULD make if you shared your enthusiasm for reading, talked about books like they are the latest drama series, and allowed them to be part of the classroom library. This book is perfect for those wanting to know how to turn "your classroom" into "their learning environment". Must read for all passionate educators.

[Denise Del gianni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had been in a pile waiting for me to get to it for too long. I had read Passionate Readers, loved it and quickly ordered her follow up book. Instead of waiting for time to be able to add a non-textbook into my reading rotation, I opted for Audible so I could get the information. Once again Pernille inspires me to become a better teacher by sharing her personal journey and the insight of her students. The narrator on Audible was fantastic and made me feel as though it was the author speaking as she read Passionate Learners as if it were her own experience. Now I can go back and use the text as my resource for doing better by students. As a new teacher, Pernille’s identification of mistakes she’d made on her path to becoming a student-centered teacher really resonated with me. Her honesty through reflection is making a positive difference for every educator who reads her books.

[Deborah Nied · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beacon of guidance and insight

Pernille Ripp’s latest book is a must read for teachers, coaches, and anyone interested in creating meaningful and impactful learning experiences for all students. As soon as I got this book, I wanted to devour every word of Pernille’s wisdom. Each chapter is truly a gift of reflection, insight, and next steps. From hearing how Pernille grew into the educator she is today to building authentic relationships with students to the importance of work/life balance to equitable grading practices, I left each chapter with invaluable take-aways to implement. When I read Pernille’s work, I feel understood, seen, hopeful, and tremendously excited to reflect on my own practice as I continue to grow in being a student-centered teacher.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to a new teacher over others. I did not have the same enthusiastic response for this book as I did Passionate Readers and would say if you had to choose between the two- to pick Passionate Readers. However, both are practical and adjustable to meet your population or environment. Bottom line of both- listen to kids and do what is best for them as well as be flexible.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some good tidbits in here, so it's worth digging through as an evaluative tool or honing tool for experienced teachers. For new teachers or semi-new teachers looking to re-invent, I'm sure it's even better. But it is very much a fairytale-type book. The author saw a better way and changed... and here's how she did it. Cool and idealistic. Tougher in practice... and not all of the things are for everyone.

[Sondra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the book for me. This book is for those type A teachers who every do things by the rules and need an explanation why you can be more free and creative in your classroom. I actually need the opposite type of book. Additionally the chapters are a bit repetitive and style is very stream of consciousness. I give 2 stars because I found a few ideas.

[Alicia Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just what I needed! Pernille's book ignited my spark and reminded my why I love teaching so much. Easy to read. Feels like a conversation between colleagues. I wish I had this book in my FIRST year of teaching but still thankful I have it in my 20th year! Thank you for your honest take on education Pernille.

[Chloe Cervetto · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t feel like I got a whole lot out of this and the advice and tips felt vague. Also many of her ideas are not relevant to those in large public school districts who have rules to follow when it comes to grades and PBIS expectations

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encouraging and inspiring. If you want to teach with compassion at the front, you have a tribe. Read this, connect online, and together we can make a difference.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting my summer vacation and #bookaday by finishing this on the train!

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that should be included in all new-teacher inductions and pre-service teacher education courses. Pernille encourages teachers to reflect on their process and shares her lessons learned.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pernille continues to inspire me to be the best I can be!

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for teachers to reflect on their practices with ideas of how to change things to make a student want to be in their classroom. Would be good for a book study or PLC.