Book Study: 122 Amazing Games! Chapter 2

This chapter is a more in-depth review of "The Big Seven" of WBT.
1. Class-Yes! (Attention Getter)
2. Mirror Words (Engager)
3. Scoreboard (Motivator)
4. 5 +1 Rules (Unifier)
5. Teach-Okay (Activator)
6. Switch! (Involver)
7. Hands and Eyes (Focuser)

If you are new to WBT, or just still feel overwhelmed, these are the seven steps to master before you proceed to any other components!  You can read my original blog post about The Big Seven here. And, you can see how all these components integrate into a single lesson here.

The Big Take-Away for me from this chapter is that the "classroom management plan" we use in Whole Brain Teaching cannot be separated from the instruction we teach.  Coach says it best on page 9, "...thinking well is behaving well."  When we keep our students focused, motivated, involved, engaged, and active, there is NO ROOM for misbehaviors.  We have their WHOLE BRAINS developing reading or writing or math skills, and that, my friends, is a WONDERFUL place to be!

Another Big Take-Away for me was the description of the types of gestures used during Mirror Words.
     * Casual gestures - make lessons visual; match the story/instruction; can vary from teacher to teacher.
     * Memory gestures - linked to core concepts; should be the same for every WBT teacher in a school; (can find these in conjunction with Power Pix).

There have been some ahhhh-mazing updates and additions to the Scoreboard. Check out my original post here!

Five Rules; Plus on brand new, oh so shiny, new in the box... DIAMOND RULE!  The Diamond Rule is "Keep your eyes on the target."
     >Reading a book?  Page is the target.
     >Listening to teacher?   Teacher is the target.
     >A classmate is speaking?  Classmate is the target.

When it comes to teaching the 5 rules, Coach B has included some extra special 2-step lesson plans for teaching all 5 rules AND the diamond rule.  Rolling 10-finger WOOO, Coach!

Using the Switch! helps our most talkative kids to listen, and our most quiet kids to talk.  It forces each of those "learning styles" to embrace the opposite - thus, involving the WHOLE brain!

Use Hands and Eyes only SOMETIMES to make a very important point or call students to "laser" attention.

Next week we will be talking about the 10 most popular WBT games, and I will *hopefully* have some lesson plans to share with you that involve some-most of the games.

That's all for tonight, and remember that by adding these little sparks of funtricity into your classroom instruction, management will work itself in and you will be visiting Teacher Heaven on a permanent teach-cation.  Oh, sweet mama!!!!

Chapter 1: WBT Overview

I am BEYOND excited to read through Coach B.'s new book with y'all!  I've been reading and, honestly, the ideas he has compiled are nothing short of genius!  By utilizing even just a few of these 122 games, my classroom is going to be sizzling with funtricity and let's face it, we could ALL use a little more fun in our lives!

Let's get started with Chapter 1.  It's a really quick 4 page read, but it is the foundation for everything we are going to study.  If you haven't already read through the original text, I suggest you find it and really get a firm grasp on the foundations of WBT.  Chapter 1 in this book BRIEFLY reviews chapters 5-12 from Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids.

Major points from Chapter 1 include:

*The Big Seven*

       1. Class-Yes!  Everyone's favorite attention-getter to calm your class and focus their attention.  It has infinite entertainment possibilities, if you just use your imagination!  Make the call-outs seasonal, academic based, or just plain silly.

       2. The Five Classroom Rules + the all NEW Diamond Rule - a rule for EVERY scenario without posters and posters of lists.
            -Rule 1: Follow directions quickly.
            -Rule 2: Raise your hand for permission to speak.
            -Rule 3: Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.
            -Rule 4: Make smart choices.
            -Rule 5: Keep your dear teacher happy. (*More on this in a bit.)
            -Diamond Rule <> Keep your eyes on the target.

       3. Mirror words - activates all areas of the brain including speaking, listening, motor, visual, feelings, and critical thinking.  100% engagement?  Oh sweet mama, yeah!

       4. Scoreboard - with all new levels to game-ify your classroom so kids WANT to win the behavior "video game" you're in charge of!

       5. Teach-Okay - like think-pair-share, except FUN, focused, and energetic... activating all those neurons again!  No sit-and-get here!

       6. Hands and Eyes - use this sparingly to make REALLY BIG points, or in cases where complete attention is of the utmost importance.

       7. Switch - balancing our Chatty Cathy's with our Silent Susan's.

I promised more about Rule 5.  I've heard a lot of teachers say they get grief from parents over this one.  It's all in the explanation.  Notice that the rule is KEEP your teacher happy, not MAKE your teacher happy.  I tell the kids a whole spill about how no matter what happens at home I will come to the classroom happy.  Some mornings throughout the year, the kids even get to see me take deep breaths or sip my tea and get myself happy so we can begin our day.  Coach B. says that it is the no-loophole rule.  Even for those kids who can argue their way out of anything, or think they can anyway, you are the master of your own emotions.  They cannot argue with what you feel.  Also, Coach B. says that the one true thing that keeps him happy as a teacher is for students to learn.  Students learn?  Happy teacher!  I usually end up with parents creating this rule for their families at home, or at least buying-in to why this is important in the classroom.

Which WBT strategy are you most interested to learn more about?  If you have looked ahead (who hasn't sneaked a peek?!), which game do you want to know more about, or which chapter seems the most relevant to your curriculum and grade area?

I am so excited to begin this book study with you!  Don't forget to follow my blog so you will get updates, and SHARE!!!

You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @AddieKelley.

Chapter 4 Book Club Entry

Chapter 4: Charting Progress

Imagine next year is completed. Using the system described in Chapter 4, 

you've faithfully charted your own behavior, as an instructor and your students’ 

progress. Looking back, what did you learn?

Yay Yay Yay! I completed a WHOLE year of faithfully charting my own behavior as an instructor AND my students’ progress. Kudos on outstanding effort and growth! Looking back on a challenging but highly successful year, I have learned…

1. My primary goal in the classroom is not to “control” students. We use the term “manage” student behavior, but before I could be successful with managing others I had to learn to manage myself. By maintaining composure and consistently following my classroom management plan, I was able to make rational decisions all day about instruction AND how to handle each and every classroom behavior thrown my way.

2. By tracking my students’ individual behavior patterns, and analyzing classroom trends, I was able to see a correlation between my score as a teacher and their score as a citizen of our classroom. As my consistency increased, their misbehavior decreased, optimizing time on task and overall instructional time. Coach B has actually found the most precious gift any teacher can possibly have… more TIME!

3. Consequences, both positive and negative, are as natural in our world as Newton’s Laws of Motion, or Supply and Demand. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” As I tracked my behaviors and compared with the students’ behaviors, I began to realize that the students were learning, from my calm, consistent adherence to the management plan, that for every action they make, there is a reaction. When smart choices are made, rewards are given. When poor choices are made, they are provided the opportunity to practice a more acceptable behavior. During these “practices” (of only about 2 minutes) I was given an opportunity as well - - the opportunity to prepare my thoughts and respectfully approach each situation rationally. I had enough time to remind myself of the 7 common teaching mistakes so that I could avoid them during this interaction and prepare my body language and tone to communicate that the consequences were not personal, just the reaction caused by the student’s actions.

4. Finally, and most importantly, I came to realize that “grow or die” applies to our students as well. Based on my behavior in the classroom and my consistency, passion, and preparation I am encouraging, inspiring, and ultimately leading growth in my students, OR sadly, contributing slowly to their academic death. Which would I rather do? Grow my students through example and instruction. Or, kill them with inconsistent, ineffective teaching and management techniques that breed chaos. It is a choice that I must make with each decision, every day. Although it is seemingly a very daunting task, it is one that WBT helped me accomplish!

See the original post here!

Chapter 3 Book Club Entry

Chapter 3: Seven Common Teaching Mistakes

Pick two of the errors described in Chapter 3, pages 9-13, of 

"Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids" and write yourself a 

letter of advice about how you're going to avoid these mistakes in 

the coming year.  Include one or two useful quotes from the chapter.  

Dear Addie,

Since you are gearing up for the start of a new third grade year, I thought there were a few things you should know to prepare you for the road ahead.

First of all, remember to maintain your composure. Losing your temper with disruptive kids is completely ineffective. You have experienced this fact in the past. Losing your temper in the classroom decreases what little respect the kids actually have for you and raises your blood pressure, making it difficult to make rational decisions. Coach B reminds us that “if being addressed by screaming, out of control adults made our challenging kids better, then children from crazed homes would be our model pupils.” By remembering to control your temper and address each and every student with the respect he or she deserves, you can better manage the class. Consequences should be administered efficiently and logically, without yelling. Kids are disruptive for attention; it’s not personal. 

Secondly, remember to stay organized. Not just the students’ materials need to be organized, but your materials and the instructional time need to be organized. Remember what Coach B says about organization and structure, “…a place for everything in your classroom and everything in its place.” Every student should know exactly where every item goes on their desks, or in your classroom. In addition, lessons should be organized so that time is structured leaving no time to “wing-it” because that breeds more disruptive behavior. Being organized includes adhering to the classroom management plan in place, and following through with assignments and consequences calmly and consistently. No idle threats or spur of the moment, eventually unfinished, assignments. 

Be sure to remind yourself of these facts each and every day and remember Coach B’s advice. If you remember these two things, and apply the WBT mindset to every lesson every day, your classroom will run much more smoothly and you will be in TEACHER HEAVEN!!

Best of luck, 
Addie


See the original post here!

Chapters 1 & 2 Book Club Assignment

Chapters 1 & 2: Intro and Origin

Coach B says... "You've just been made principal of a charter school 
and you're about to address your staff for the first time. Select three 
points from chapters 1 and 2 that you are going to talk about describing 
key aspects of Whole Brain Teaching. Include one story about your 
teaching experience."

Whole Brain Teaching is a way of teaching that increases engagement and decreases common management problems. It isn’t a system, or a program. It’s a mindset!

First, students are “emotionally involved in lessons that require seeing, saying, hearing, and physically moving.” We’ve all learned that in order for students to be successful during a lesson, and retain the information taught, we have to move past lecture and basic discussion and toward the students teaching each other. WBT provides a structure for teachers to constantly engage their students and for students to retain information and solidify it as real learning rather than regurgitation.

Second, students CRAVE fun and excitement. It’s difficult as educators for us to compete with video games, iPods, and social media. WBT structures lessons in a way that encourages “orderly fun.” When students buy-in to the game format in a classroom, review becomes fun… challenging even. It helps us as educators move past surviving and into actually thriving in the classroom!

Finally, educational neurology is proving what we as educators have known for years… the more modalities a student uses, especially simultaneously, the higher their engagement and the more they learn and retain. Coach B adds, “If a student’s whole brain is involved in learning, there isn’t any mental area left over for challenging behavior.” By engaging students in sight, sound, speaking, doing, and teaching, all at the same time, we get 100% of them 100% focused on the lesson and there isn’t any time or energy left to contemplate and manipulate.

I have taught in two very distinctive classroom environments. In my first environment, the most challenging behaviors I experienced were students (yes plural, as in more than one) who brought knives to school to threaten me and actually toppling classroom furniture onto me. They were first graders. In the second environment, the most challenging behaviors I experienced were giggling and talking during my lessons. In both instances, WBT rescued my classroom from failure. When I switched from the first environment to the second, I believed I wouldn't need WBT because I wouldn't have kids physically trying to harm me. However, for our students to truly succeed in school (beyond a standardized test) and become productive, well-educated students, they need a classroom structure that encourages the highest level of cooperation and thinking—what is truly expected of them as adults.


See the original post here!!