Whole Brained Teaching

Whole Brained Teaching (WBT) is a concept that connects students with interactive learning. This is a new concept to me and something that I learned this week in my studies.

Cool, huh?

Several teachers at the school I am working in use this method for classroom management. I had the opportunity to observe a lesson in action using this model. Many of the students in her room are students that I teach earlier in the day and the behavior between the two classrooms is currently significantly different. This teacher I observed has a few years under her belt and is a real professional; whereas I am new to the game, and I feel that I should give myself some credit for at least trying. Her students follow directions quickly and quietly whereas I feel my students are slow to get on the bandwagon. At the same time her students respect her and she is able to educate at the high level that her students need and I am behind in my lessons. After observing her I was baffled at the difference and I thought that, "this is something that I would like to adopt for my own classroom". How can I make this happen? Research and observation are my answers. This is exactly what I have done ever since I was introduced to this concept a few short days ago and I will continue to do so until I understand the concept completely.

How Does Whole Brained Teaching Begin?

The Rules

There are five rules which accompany the whole brained model. They are as follow:

1. Follow directions quickly.

2. Raise your hand for permission to speak.

3. Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.

4. Make smart choices.

5. Keep your dear teacher happy.

Thoughts on the rules:

So many times when a direction is given in class the students take as much time as possible to complete the task. I found that as much as five to ten minutes can be wasted in a lesson due to directions not being followed quickly. This really hit home for me because I tend to pack my lesson times full. Why? Due to where my students are at in ability level I need to do as much work as possible to get them back up to grade level benchmarks. The downfall to having so much to do? A problem has arose that I did not know how to fix. My lessons were being cut short and we were falling behind from where I need to be on the pacing chart. Having students be quick to follow directions will give me the extra time that I need.

I have been taught mixed ideas on raising hands in class in order to answer questions. The method that I have decided on using for my classroom is to have students "raise your hand when you know". That way everyone in involved and the same two students are not answering every time. What I discovered with the WBT approach is to not answer students who speak without permission. The appropriate response is to say, "I will be happy to answer your question, but please raise your hand."

Ninety minutes is a long time for anyone to stay seated, especially younger grades. Many times students in my class will get up and wander from his or her seat. Rule number three will be a great one to add to our class rules. This will take a lot of practice on my part to be consistent with the students. By using this model however, a lot of hardship will be eliminated from management at the end of the year because students will be on task. At the same time I must continue to learn and refine lessons to include student interaction. Interaction means more time of keeping minds on task.

Making smart choices is probably my favorite rule from the five. Why? This rule is to be enforced for more than just the time spent in the classroom. Students need to learn to take responsibility for their actions. Making a smart choice means that we aim to be a better human being.

Finally, keep your dear teacher happy. In my few short weeks of teaching I have found that being the disciplinarian drains on my soul. However, when a class has gone smoothly I feel full of energy and cannot wait until the next time my students and I have class together. What determines the difference between a smooth class and a wild class? A smooth class begins with me being organized and having clear expectations as a basis, but the biggest component in the classroom is my attitude. If I welcome students with a warm smile and am excited for what we are learning today, my students are reciprocal of my actions. When I am tired and students can read this in my face, I lose them and they become disinterested. Keeping the dear teacher happy relies on me.

Is it too late to start using this model?

The answer is NO! It is never too late to start using this model. Chris Biffle writes in his book, Whole Brained Teaching for Challenging Kids:

"Rebel students love to tear new teaching techniques to shreds..... Say the following, "Usually, about this time of year I go to a more advanced teaching technique. It's used in college... but I think you are ready for it." -Pretend that you have been planning on using this technique all year long." I was so relieved to have found the answer to this question and how to begin reteaching and reshaping the behavior of my students. I feel that with more research on the implementation of WBT my class will indeed become the super stars that I want them to be at the end of the year.

The Supreme Ruler

Initial Thoughts On the First Week

Classroom Management

It has quickly come to my attention that classroom management is the supreme ruler of the classroom. Lessons can be put together in the most detailed fashion but may fall apart due to an unruly student. A fun and exciting lesson may be turned from complete attention and engagement to the teacher working on correct behavior. The philosophy of my classroom is that we create a community in which all students are able to learn, excel, and achieve greatness. Sounds nice in theory, right? Oh goodness. How do we get to this point?

This week I decided to try a couple ideas and see if it would help correct behavior issues in my reading class. So far this has worked quite well and has been supported by my colleges.

1. The Card System

This system was one I had picked up during an observation of a classroom and it worked wonders. I labeled the names of the students and placed each name in a chart. Each student has four cards; green, yellow, red, and blue. Green means, "I am well behaved". Yellow, "I need to think about my actions". Red, "Recess, or a phone call home, will help remind me of proper behavior". Last we have blue, and blue means that, "I am a super star today". Students start on green each day, but if a misbehavior continues he or she will be asked to move down to yellow. If that student rectifies the behavior, he or she may be asked to move back to green. So far I have noticed two things about the card system: 1. The student takes responsibility for his or her actions and may choose to correct the behavior. 2. This chart motivates students to earn the blue "super star" title. A tweak that may come to the cards later next week. If a student moves to blue, he or she may be rewarded with a "WOW" sticker on a sticker chart. This seems to be an intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for students. I do not believe in rewarding students with candy, but a gold star is something a student may be proud to own. Perhaps if a student collects enough stickers he or she may earn a certificate.

2. A Morning Message

Once upon a time, not long ago, I had an instructor teach the novel idea of a morning message. At the time this did not seem to be an important factor for the classroom; to me the morning message was just a cute idea for the little kiddos. By golly Miss Molly, my thinking was way off the chart on this escapade! It has always been my impression that children love structured activities. Knowing what is expected and what is to come are very important points for children. This made sense to me after three days of students wandering into the classroom and creating chaos, all due to the fact they did not know what to do! In the midst of frantically scheming of what to do to correct the situation, a light turned on inside my muddled mind. A morning message! Ah ha! So, how did this all go down? Students entered the room, sat in front of the board, and we began our day talking about what would happen during our class-time. We began by reading what our goal would be for the day ( Today, I will be a good listener). Students now knew what behavior was expected because it was written on the board. Next we talked about the agenda. What would happen first, second, and third? It was a clear message of expectations. Both the students and I knew what we needed to accomplish for the day. The chaos level went from a 6, on a scale of one to ten, to a 2. Eventually, with practice, the chaos will be at a zero. ( I can hardly wait for that day!)

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Okay, so we have two essential ideas in the classroom of how management is reinforced and how management is put into play. However, we are missing a key component in this crazy game of school. How do students move from knowing the theory of correct behavior to actually carrying out correct behavior? The answer is to teach the correct behavior and then practice, practice, practice. I found this week that practice is something students need, and practice needs to be done for all aspects in the lives of students. In my classroom we practice what correct behavior looks like and what it sounds like. We practice correct behavior until it is picture perfect. Do the students like it? No. Is that what matters? No. What is important is the fact that it is my prerogative to teach students more than just content, students need to know what behavior is acceptable. Before I began my lessons this week, we practiced correct behavior. For the time being it feels as though we are not making progress but I know that we will reach our goal. The goal of creating a classroom community.

4. Lunch Dates

Building relationships with students is a critical part of teaching. This week I began having lunch dates with my students. I watched one girl in particular go from being quite withdrawn to outgoing in the classroom. Why? She now felt comfortable enough that learning and speaking with me were not stressful situations! This simple act of taking an extra ten minutes from my day will help great rapport with my students.

Extra Thoughts

1. I heard rumor that at the beginning of the school year it is important to be very firm with students. My dilemma is this: how can I be firm with my students, earn respect from them, and keep a positive attitude in the classroom? With practice and time the answer will emit, but for the time being I feel at a loss.

2. Stepping away from the age-old worksheet is something my cooperating teacher feels strongly about for her lessons. I feel that worksheets can be overkill at times. How can I gauge student learning without some type of concrete feedback?

3. Building relationships with colleges. There are many fabulous teachers in my building but there are not enough hours in a day to connect with each person! This is another aspect of my career that will come with time, but the weight of wanting to appease everyone feels heavy on my shoulders.

It Begins!

As an educator, I have come to the conclusion about two specific things in teaching. 1.) Teaching is truly an art-form that takes years to craft; and 2.) there is no possible way to be a "good" teacher alone. So many good ideas are created in the classroom, but are left behind the closed door at the end of the day. It is my goal to put an end to the closed door and do my part to join those who share ideas, pedagogy, and tricks-of-the-trade online.

So, I call myself "The New Kid". I must make two confessions to make before we begin this journey:

One is that I am new to this whole gig as a teacher. What do I, a fresh out of college kid, have to offer the world of education (apart from my amazing skills in teaching kiddos "the facts")? Sure, I know that I have been given all the tools to make a successful year, but how can I take this a step further? Besides all that jazz, I am working as a student teacher for the semester. I am not even being paid for this craziness!

Second, the world of blogging has always mystified me and I am not sure what goes into a "stellar blog". In my mind The Scientific Teacher has a great blog. He has been a great model in how to get started in this journey. The road may be rough, but I have faith that the end will be worth all the hard work.

What is the point of all this nonsense and blogging? My answer is simple. I plan on using this blog to reflect on my teaching. Any ideas I am struck with during the week, lesson plans that went well (or not so well), funny incidents that happened in the classroom, or a time when I am enlightened by something that happened during class, all will be shared in this blog.