End of Year Reflection

The Whole Brain Teaching strategies have made a huge difference in my students this year. Engagement has been the biggest difference I have noticed because my students have actively participated in their own management instead of  just listening to the me bark out commands.

The scoreboard has been a great tool and I plan to use it again next year with some modifications. I am working on adding incentives that do not require me to spend money everytime. Also, I have added levels of incentives and tied the levels to total points earned so that when I do spend my money it is on something that has been earned.

I am also goiing to focus on the teach okay stragegy and come up with a system to assign 1's and 2's. Sometimes I like for my students to choose their own seats so I may just number the seats with 1's and 2's so they will automatically know who to turn to for the teach okay time. It is important to use this strategy quickly and not take time to organize the teams.

My students have laughed as we have used the Class-Yes, Mighty Groan and Oh Yeah! At the end of the year a student asked me why we didn't use that Whole Brain stuff anymore. I laughed and said that they had taken over their own behavior management and we didn't need some of the strategies anymore! That is the best testimony to the effectiveness of WBT!!

February 5, 2011

As I reflect on my WBT journey so far, I can see the  framework has become embedded in the workings of my classes. Most of my students don't need to be reminded of the rules and procedures anymore. They earn scoreboard points and look forward to Prize Day. I rarely have to go back and echo the procedures for practice. I am amazed at how WBT works!! The "Class Yes" works great for refocusing and I rarely need to say it more than once or twice during a class.

I think that they key to successful implementation is taking the time at the begininng of the year to "plant the seeds" for WBT.  This time is well spent in the long run, because less time is needed for management issues.

I still need use more "Teach Okay" moments in my classes and I am going to make that a priority. I also plan to incorporate some of the games. I especially like the reading game.

I am very happy with this framework and feel it is impacting my students in a very positive way!

December 28, 2010

WBT is still alive and well in my classroom even though it's been a while since I have blogged.  A new granddaughter arrived right before Thanksgiving so I am devoting as much of my time as possible to being a grandmother(GIGI)

As I head into the New Year, I am going to focus on several of the WBT components. My students are good witht the rules, Class Yes, No Guff, and the Scoreboard. We have used the Teach Okay, but I plan to empahsize this strategy in the New Year. I also want to implement some of the games, especially the reading game. I also plan to spend some time on the WBT website so I can see what's new.

On the first day back, I am going to review everything we have done with WBT in all of my classes. I think this is important because students need repetition and reinforcement. This will also emphsize that this framework is an important part of our classroom environment.

Happy New Year to everyone!!

Thursday, November 5, 2010

My students are responding well to the WBT strategies. They constantly remind me of why they should get points and their "one second" parties are getting more enthusiastic.  The "No Guff" strategy is really working. One of the main "Guffers" has now started telling others to "Stop!" Some of the Prizes for "Prize Day" that I have tried are: Bingo, Chip Trading, Free computer time, and checking out some cool art and drawing sites. I am trying to come up with lots of different ideas.

My favorite rule is "Follow Directions Quickly." I find that Middle School students constantly "drag their feet" and try all kinds of tricks to avoid following directions. Adding the word "quickly" has definitely made a difference in their response time. I have always had Follow Directions as one of my rules, but never added "quickly" until now. I am working to keep a fast paced framework for my class and this rule helps!

Monday October 25,2010

I am continuing to be amazed with the results of the Whole Brain Teaching Strategies. So far they are all working well with my students. The Guff counter has really surprised me. I wasn't sure how the students would react to this strategy. However, lately they have started saying "stop" to anyone who is off task. It's gone beyond just "Guff."

I am not using the Teach Okay strategy enough and plan to focus on that more.

Wednesday October 13, 2010

The WBT stragegies really took a turn in my classroom this week when I added the "Guff Counter." In one of my classes, there was a student who was constantly "guffing" so I introduced the Guff Counter. Everyone just looked at me like, "oh yeah, what's next?" However on the second day it was in effect, the "Guffer" started "guffing" and one of the leaders in the classroom said, "stop!" The total atmosphere changed. Since then the Guff Counter is really working and I have started it in another class. The students have started telling the guffers to stop before I can say "that sounds like guff to me!"

I have been in the classroom about 30 years and the WBT strategies are the best I have seen for behavior management and reinforcing content! Give it a try!

Reflection About First Month

Overall, I have been pleased with the results so far using the Whole Brain Teaching Strategies. I am slowly adding the components, as Chris Bifel  suggests, and most of my students are accepting this framework for the classroom.

I have had two "Scoreboard Prize" sessions and they went well. Since my classes come to me every other day, we count up minutes on the Friday when they are in class and they are given extra time for something special. So far they have been given extra computer time and we have played Bingo with an online caller. Even though several complained about Bingo, they enjoyed playing and likde the online caller.

Currently, there is one class that is not "buying into" WBT and I am getting a lot of "Guff" from them. I am going to begin the "Guff Counter" on Monday. We will see how that goes.....

Next, I am going to add the "Reading Game." I used that last year and I liked the results. The WBT website is full of resources and ideas! I can't believe it's free! If you haven't taken a look at WBT, I encourage you to do so!!