Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids: (and the rest of your class, too!)

This book got me through some college teaching courses that I was having a hard time understanding and this book also gave me other perspectives. 100 out of 100

I stumbled upon the Whole Brain Teaching videos on YouTube while I was looking for ideas for brain breaks about 6 years ago. The WBT methods have been a game changer for me. I love looking out on 25 energetic, excited, and engaged students while I am teaching using the methods. I've adapted many and made them my own. For those that think that this is a rigid way to teach, that is not so. You get to read, watch others in action online, and practice the techniques in the privacy of your own classroom as presented. Then, see what matches your own teaching style. From my own experience, WBT has made a huge impact on my teaching. I've gone from "sage on the stage" teaching to engaging students in short micro-lectures, having them practice paraphrasing what I've said, checking for understanding, then having students apply what they've learned. The thing that I've enjoyed the most is the classroom management parts. I'm free to teach and I'm not constantly managing behavior.After a few years of just using the management pieces, I began using the oral writing. WOW! I've never had such strong writing since I began teaching 21 years ago. The conventions of writing are taught using "brainies" ... These are gestures that go along with the rules of writing (capitalization, punctuation, end marks, quotation marks, apostrophes, indenting, etc.). The class practices orally first, then we write. As I'm walking around helping individuals, all I have to do when I see something missing is make the gesture with the accompanying sound and the student knows what to fix. It's brilliant!I have also incorporated several other "games" such as the Super Improver Wall (works on individual improvement in anything from behavior issues to academic success), the Super Speed Reading (works on sight words), Super Speed Grammar (works on grammar rules), Smoothy Bumper Planet (works on the 17 tricky numbers 1-100 ... esp. the teens), and Mind Soccer (a high energy review game).This book covers mainly the classroom management side of things. Once you realize how well your class can run using these methods, you will want more. For that, check out the new book: 122 Amazing Games and the website. There are endless resources out there for WBT and, other than the books, they are all FREE!!!

I can't say enough about Chris Biffle or this awesome book. I first learned about Whole Brain Teaching in 2002 when it was known as Power Teaching. I was in my second year of teaching in a very tough urban neighborhood. Our school was adjacent to the projects and the area had graffiti, vandalization, gangs, illicit drugs, domestic violence, etc.My colleague was a past student of his and dragged me to out to his free Saturday morning classes sponsored by our district. He also came to our school and demonstrated strategies in my own classroom. I am forever grateful for all the strategies I've learned as without them I wouldn't have survived teaching. Eventually I came to present on Power Teaching a few times at Charter School Conferences and once with Mr. Biffle himself in a break out session for third grade teachers, all because I wanted to help spread the word.My current school uses many of his techniques with success. Class, class is used an attention getter in all classrooms, assemblies, and in our after school program. Many teachers also use the happy/sad points as I do. I've had great success with all the strategies for challenging students including independent scoreboard, rehearsing rules, and the Bulls Eye Game. I also use SuperSpeed reading games to increase fluency and Concept Pixs for a review of standards using Jeopardy and a hanging chart. I just began incorporating the Super Improvers board I learned at the last Whole Brain Teaching presented by Co-Founder Chris Rekstad and I blog about it here.As as a mentor teacher to new teachers I've also imparted the wisdom of his ways to them and it has saved some struggling teachers from either quitting or getting canned for poor classroom management. Whenever I'm able to head back to my hometown area and catch another Whole Brain Teaching free workshop I gather up more teacher friends to go with me, and we come away with even more great strategies.

I heard about this on a chat line and decided to investigate! The book is such an amazing resource and a wonderful staring point to this program. It is backed up by a raft of videos and printables that make implementing the ideas easier in a busy teachers life. I found a group of like minded Australians with whom I could share the ideas raised in the book and discuss the forms and againsts.The wording of the last rule was inappropriate for my situation so I adjusted it, the energy level is high so not recommended that you read this when you are feeling frazzled.Read over the longest of your holidays and you will be inspired, I guarantee it!