June 30, 2014

WBT's Classroom-Transforming Rules

What do you know about Whole Brain Teaching (WBT)? Until a few months ago, I didn't have a clue, although I had seen the term several times. Then I started noticing that every time someone on my Facebook page asked a question about classroom management, at least a dozen people would respond with "Check out Whole Brain Teaching!"

I was intrigued, so one day I decided to pose my own question - "Who can tell me about Whole Brain Teaching?" Holy Cow! Hundreds of teachers responded with glowing reviews of the program! I started looking into it myself, and began to see why everyone loved it. WBT strategies are exciting and engaging, and they address the needs of teachers with challenging students. Best of all, the the WBT website is full of amazing resources that are absolutely free! Even their national conference every June is free!

I decided to reach out to Chris Biffle, the director and mastermind behind Whole Brain Teaching, to ask him if he would be interested in writing a guest blog post for Corkboard Connections to help spread the word. Imagine how thrilled I was when he offered to write a SERIES of blog posts on the topic!

You might still be wondering, but what IS Whole Brain Teaching? In Chris's words, "With over 4,000,000 views on YouTube and 100,000 registered members, Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) is one of America's largest education reform movements. Based upon thousands of hours of classroom research over the last 15 years, WBT recognizes that students learn the most when they are engaged in lessons that involve seeing, hearing, doing, speaking, feeling ... and substantial quantities of educational tomfoolery."

Classroom-Transforming Rules Blog Post Series
An important component of Whole Brain Teaching is the Five Classroom Rules, so Chris will be writing a series of posts to explain each rule and how to introduce them to your students. These posts will be published about once a week with the last one ending in mid-August. As each post goes live, I'll update this one with a link to the article. Here's what you can look forward to in the coming weeks:
Rule 1:  The Secret to Lightning Fast Classroom Transitions
Rules 2 and 3:  Taming Blurters and Wanderers
Rule 4:  The Ancient Secret for Wise Decisions
Rule 5:  Halting Back Talkers in their Tracks!
These rules are so important that I decided to create a free set of colorful posters that you can print and display in your classroom. They are available in my TpT store by clicking my store link or the image above.

Whole Brain Teaching Resources
If you want to learn about these rules right now, you can purchase Chris's book Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids in which he explains everything you need to know about WBT. The book is easy to read, and once you get started, you won't want to stop! In addition to learning about the five rules, you'll learn the rationale for WBT and how the strategies activate different areas of the brain. You'll discover step-by-step directions for implementing all of the strategies shared in the book. Click the image on the right to find it on Amazon.com.

You can also find a wealth of free resources on the Whole Brain Teaching website including 18 helpful videos. To access all of the content, you'll have to register for the site, but the good news is that registration is free! Registering for the site will also allow you to participate in the online forum where you can share ideas with other fans of WBT.

Remember to check back tomorrow to read the first of Chris's four blog posts on the five Classroom-Transforming Rules. His posts are fun and full of the "educational tomfoolery" that's a hallmark of Whole Brain Teaching!


14 comments:

  1. Thank you so much Laura for inviting Coach B (Chris Biffle) to share the wealth of Whole Brain Teaching with all your Followers! It is an amazing program that not only highly engages students in your classroom instruction, but raises the bar on Critical Thinking to whole new levels!! Ten Finger Wooooo with Sizzles to you!!!
    Nancy
    Mrs. Stoltenberg's Second Grade Class

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  2. I am SO excited to check back!! I am going into my 3rd year with WBT and I KNOW next year will be the best yet!!

    Chelsea
    Kickin It Whole Brain In Texas

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  3. This will be my 2nd year using WBT. I can't wait to use it even more this upcoming year. It's amazing!

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  4. Thank you so much for including Coach B on your awesome blog! Your followers will be inspired by his wisdom regarding classroom management and student engagement. WBT transformed the way I teach and I now have eager, enthusiastic, and engaged students! I'm so EXCITED to check back tomorrow!!! A rolling 10 finger woo to you!!!!!!!!!

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  5. Whole Brain Teaching has completely changed my MIDDLE SCHOOL classroom. After 13 years of teaching, I finally have the classroom management, engagement, and critical thinking that I've always wanted! But more importantly, both my students and I have fun every day. We laugh and play all day, while at the same time engaging in high level curricular tasks. WBT fills your front and back pockets with so many techniques that you can last all year with the same amount of energy and focus from every student- from July through June. And it's all free. How could it possibly get any better??

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  6. Thanks for everyone's comments this evening! I'm very excited and honored that Coach B will be sharing this information with my followers.

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  7. I have been teaching for 40 years and never been so excited to return and work with my Kinders on all the techniques in WBT. I have just returned from an amazing two days with Coach B. in So. Florida. The children laugh and learn, what could be better than that! Thank you Coach B. from the bottom of my heart!

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  8. I've been using the Whole Brain Teaching rules and scoreboard in my classroom to great effect for the last three years! Love them!

    -Nick
    Sweet Rhyme – Pure Reason
    Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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  9. I found Whole Brain Teaching last year during the middle of the year. i think it was very effective. I'm excited to read more.
    Kelly
    I'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher

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  10. WBT transformed my remedial classes!! This program is not just a behavior program BECAUSE Coach provides tools that enable us to present academic materials in such a fun, engaging manner.

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  11. Your rule posters are fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
    The Whole Brain Teaching rules are so powerful. While out on a field trip, some of my students began reciting the rules--spontaneously--for fun--when I was not even around! (Another teacher let me know.) Teacher Heaven! The best news is that the five rules are just the beginning; there is SO MUCH MORE!

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  12. Thanks for sharing this! My 5th graders LOVE Whole Brain Teaching! It isn't just about classroom management, there is a wealth of content information (for free) in his wonderful eBooks as well!

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  13. I am about to enter my third full year of Whole Brain Teaching, and I attended my first WBT National Conference in June! I am a FIRM believer in Whole Brain Teaching! I found it during student teaching. My Master Teacher would spend her time in the library watching Whole Brain videos during my classroom takeover. We would discuss what she learned after school, and then we began implementing the techniques together. I love it so much that I have presented it during an Impacting Student Learning conference at my University as well as hosting get-togethers at my house for anyone interested in learning more or practicing together before the year begins. I also got my best friend, who had been teaching almost ten years, to begin using WBT. She now loves it and as a Mentor Teacher at her school, also shares it with her Mentees each year. I am excited to begin using Brainies and oral writing this year! I will be at a new school and cannot wait to see what happens! :)

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  14. Also, I was privileged enough to get my picture taken with Chris Biffle at the conference, and it will probably remain on my FB page forever! I am not obsessed with Hollywood celebs, but I was texting my BFF, who was unable to attend the conference this summer with me, telling her all of the WBT celebs I saw! I am that nerd! I can't help it! :)

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