Would you want to be a student in your own classroom? In Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students, author Pernille Ripp challenges both novice and seasoned teachers to create a positive, interactive learning environment where students drive their own academic achievement. You'll discover how to make fundamental changes to your classroom so learning becomes an exciting challenge rather than a frustrating ordeal. Based on the author's personal experience of transforming her approach to teaching, this book outlines how to: *Build a working relationship with your students based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation. *Be attentive to your students' needs and share ownership of the classroom with them. *Break out of the vicious cycle of punishment and reward to control student behaviour. *Use innovative and creative lesson plans to get your students to become more engaged and intellectually-invested learners, while still meeting your state standards. *Limit homework and abandon traditional grading so that your students can make the most of their learning experiences without unnecessary stress. *And much more! New to the second edition, you'll find practical tools, such as teacher and student reflection sheets, parent questionnaires, and parent conference tools--available in the book and as eResources on our website (http://www.routledge.com/9781138916920)--to help you build your own classroom of passionate learners.