I am so excited to be trying out Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom this year! I love it, love it, LOVE it.
Whole Brain Teaching (formerly Power Teaching) incorporates all aspects of the brain when teaching lessons. Students hear, see, speak and "do" the learning.
My first graders picked up right away and responded very well to WBT. I hope to take a short video soon to show some of our routines and our rules!
The WBT approach teaches 5 basic rules. Since I started using this about one and a half weeks into school and had my own rules...I figured out how to mesh them together. It turned out AWESOME~
Rule #1 Be Safe: Walk or sit, don't push or hit
Rule #2 Be Respectful: Raise your hand, Wait your turn, Make your dear teacher happy so we all can learn
Rule #3 Be Responsible: Follow directions quickly, Do your best, Make smart choices for all the rest.
I created my own set of picture cards for the rules, along with the basic commands and responses used in the WBT classroom.
If you know anything about WBT you will recognize the scoreboard and command signs going around my board. I created motions for my own rules and put them to rhyme. The kids learned them right away! I also keep a team scoreboard (but with tally marks, not smileys and frowneys). They work together to earn a team reward on Mondays (usually eating lunch with a friend--we eat in our room). The little trail sign is our "Wrong Way Trail". This is where cards are placed when a student needs more "practice" time. They repeat the rule they were breaking, along with the motions, over and over at recess (within earshot of me) for about 2 minutes.
Please leave a comment if you have questions or are using WBT in your classroom. I'd love to share ideas.
