1st StepsFirst Steps
First Steps
Mirror is one of WBT’s simplest and most powerful techniques. You say “mirror” and your students respond “mirror.” They then pick up their hands ready to mimic your gestures.
As students imitate your motions, their motor cortex, the brain’s most reliable memory area, is automatically engaged. Use mirror when telling a story, giving directions, describing the steps in a procedure, demonstrating a process ... anytime you want your class locked in to what you are saying. In general, there are three kinds of gestures that you can use with mirror:
Jeff Battle, Director, North Carolina Power Teachers
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Whenever you want your students to pay close attention to an important point, say, "Hands and eyes!" Your students respond, "hands and eyes!," fold their hands and stare at you intensely. We have found that this command is also very effective if you have said, "Class!" and your kids are not entirely focused on you when they respond, "Yes!" Follow up with "hands and eyes!" and you'll be delighted at the quality of attention you receive.
When you are using Teach/Okay you'll notice that you have some students who are chronic talkers and some wo are chronic listeners. We want the talkers to learn to listen and the listeners to come out of their shells and talk! This is where the Switch command comes in handy.
Divide your class so that your top students are paired with your bottom students and your middle students with your middle students (of course, you don't reveal the basis for the pairing to your kids.) Next, count off your students in ones and twos. If you have an odd number of kids in your class, one group will have two ones.
Jeff Battle, Director, North Carolina Power Teachers
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Next you should use the most important of the Power Instruction's learning methods, Teach-OK.
When you are instructing your students about foundational concepts, it's time to step out from behind the worksheets! Open your students’ brains and give them a learning experience that is both effective, and fun.
Jeff Battle, Director, North Carolina Power Teachers
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For older learners there is a slightly different approach that works really well. Instead of smiley vs, frowny we go to a much more motivating contest- Teacher vs. Student!
Just like in the other version on one side of your board you are going to draw a grid. The grid will be divided into two columns. In the top box of one the word TEACHER, in the top box of the other STUDENTS.
Jeff Battle, Director, North Carolina Power Teachers
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Now it is time to learn about The Motivator. How do you get cooperation from your class? The Motivator. A reward system that your students will buy into, and participate in. Here we come to the Scoreboard Game.
Jeff Battle, Director, North Carolina Whole Brain Teachers
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The following are five classroom rules that will make your life amazingly easier. One of them is nuclear power in your hands!
If rules are only posted on your board they are not really a part of your class. You must have the rules running around in your students’ heads for them to be effective. It will also help you quiet extra talking in the class. Look for that as you read.
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Whole Brain Teaching contains methods that are amazingly effective in classroom management. For the first step let’s get their attention, shall we?
