Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Whole Brain Teaching Tuesday- Class/Yes Edition

Welcome to the first Whole Brain Teaching Tuesday here at The Polka-dot Kindergarten!

I'm just going to come out and say it…Whole Brain Teaching has saved my life in the classroom. I was never really good at following through with rules and consequences. My rules were never really clear to the students. AND to top it all off, there were these little things called loopholes!

I don't know where I first learned about Whole Brain Teaching (WBT), but wherever or whoever I got the first little clue I am so very thankful. I truly enjoy using WBT and I believe my kiddos have had fun with it, too.

Some of you might be asking, "What in the world is WBT?" Basically, it is a procedural system that deeply engages students and helps them retain more information. The goal of WBT is to use as much of the brain as possible. Did you know that there is not just one place in the brain to store memories? You memories are stored all over your brain. Have you ever smelled something particular and it reminded you of a memory? Or heard a song? Or tasted something specific? You have memories of those things stored in the part of your brain that has to do with smell, hearing, or taste. If you'd like to know more about Whole Brain Teaching click here.

Alrighty then, on to some of the WBT things I used in my classroom. So, first up is the response call of Class/Yes. It couldn't be simpler. When the teacher needs the class's attention, the teacher says "Class," and the class responds by saying "Yes." It's that simple, people! Really!

Of course, if you only said "Class" it would get boring, right? Well, just change it around a little. My go-to is "Classie, Classie" and the kiddos respond with "Yessie, Yessie." I know a teacher who says "Class-a-doodle-do," and her class responds with "Yes-a-doodle-do." You can really change it up and have fun with it. WBT really encourages teachers to change it up and have fun with it.

My favorite thing about Class/Yes is that it really does get everyone's attention; if not the first time, at least the second. I could get my class's attention even when the entire school was in the gym. If they could hear me say "Class," they responded with "Yes" and looked right at me. It is simply fabulous! I even had lots of mommies commenting on how awesome it was that it only took 2 seconds for me to get everyone's attention during field day. Field day, ya'll…the chaos…the insanity…my kiddos knew to give me all of their attention because I said 1 word! It's amazing! You should try it!!!!

For more information about Class/Yes, click here.

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