The first full week of school is over and WBT is in full swing. This week my students were introduced to the five classroom rules which they have mastered very quickly! We practice several times a day, as well as when the students need a reminder to redirect their behaviors.
Next, we learned about Class-yes, hands-eyes, and teach-okay. The students respond immediately to class-yes and hands-eyes. My class this year is a very quiet, laidback class. Teach-okay will be a work in progress, as my students are not comfortable being loud! I will be modeling, modeling, modeling, and modeling some more, so that eventually my students will feel comfortable with this strategy. I am also going to show a few of the YouTube videos, so they can see teach-okay in action.
Lastly this week, my class practiced triple repeat with line-line-line. I explained the procedure and then we practiced. At first, my students were taking 10 plus seconds to line up. After a few practice times, we lined up and the class made it in 5 seconds. So, the record on the board is 5 seconds for the week.
My entire grade level is on board and using WBT in their classrooms. This is going to be an exciting school year with WBT spreading throughout our building to every grade level! Please visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/ for more information.
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
2011-2012 school year..the journey begins with WBT
Last week began the new school year and the students arrived on Thursday. I have to say that the first day of school is my absolute favorite day! The students arrive with a BIG smile on their face, all their new supplies, dressed in their brand new clothes and shoes, and are ready to explore the new classroom they have been placed in for the year. Some students arrive and believe that this classroom will be like previous classrooms, but that belief changes drastically as they are introduced to Whole Brain Teaching routines.
I have to laugh alittle because on the first day of school, I wanted to walk in to my classroom full of students and immediately say "class, class, class!" and of course hear "yes, yes, yes!" then I remembered they don't know this yet! Our day began with introducing the parts of the brain with my students and how their brain works when using Whole Brain Teaching compared to the traditional classroom. The students found this to be intriguing! Next, we learned the five rules/hands-eyes/mirror/teach-okay with gestures and practiced them several times throughout the day. The scoreboard was introduced, along with mighty OH YEAH and mighty GROAN.
This grade level has many challenging behaviors and our goal is to use WBT to eliminate as many of those behaviors as possible. We are excited for the new year, WBT, and the new learning that will be taking place everyday! For additional information, visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
I have to laugh alittle because on the first day of school, I wanted to walk in to my classroom full of students and immediately say "class, class, class!" and of course hear "yes, yes, yes!" then I remembered they don't know this yet! Our day began with introducing the parts of the brain with my students and how their brain works when using Whole Brain Teaching compared to the traditional classroom. The students found this to be intriguing! Next, we learned the five rules/hands-eyes/mirror/teach-okay with gestures and practiced them several times throughout the day. The scoreboard was introduced, along with mighty OH YEAH and mighty GROAN.
This grade level has many challenging behaviors and our goal is to use WBT to eliminate as many of those behaviors as possible. We are excited for the new year, WBT, and the new learning that will be taking place everyday! For additional information, visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Ready.....Set.....Read!
Hello! I have one week until the new school year starts and I am re-re-reading the eBooks again! I am also re-reviewing all the notes from the National Conference in Louisiana. I am reviewing new information from my teammates who attended the West Plains, MO conference! Every single time I re-read, I always come away with something new every time! I also feel re-energized and the whole body excitement that I feel using WBT returns! I am super ready for the new year, the new students, and the new learning that will be soaring to new heights in my classroom!
My classroom spaces are being reorganized! I am still in the process of deciding how to display the Power Pix and the Genius Ladder!
Have fun getting your classroom geared up for the new year!! Make sure one of your teacher tools is http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/! The website is an invaluable resource for new and veteran teachers, as well as, administrators and parents.
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Friday, July 29, 2011
Back to School letter arrives...
Yesterday, the mailman brought me the 2011-2012 Back to School letter! Summer is coming to a close and the new school year is almost ready to be in full swing. Where does the time go? I am excited for the new school year and all the new WBT strategies that my students will be using everyday!
As I head to my classroom this weekend, I will be printing off the new Designing your Whole Brain Teaching Model Classroom eBook, so I can get busy creating my model classroom! The biggest problem to solve is where to put my Power Pix, since my classroom does not have huge ,empty wall spaces and only one bulletin board.
As you begin to think about the new school year, visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/ to download your FREE eBook and begin creating your model classroom!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
As I head to my classroom this weekend, I will be printing off the new Designing your Whole Brain Teaching Model Classroom eBook, so I can get busy creating my model classroom! The biggest problem to solve is where to put my Power Pix, since my classroom does not have huge ,empty wall spaces and only one bulletin board.
As you begin to think about the new school year, visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/ to download your FREE eBook and begin creating your model classroom!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Monday, July 18, 2011
Summer Conference (West Plains, MO) tidbit: Prove It!
I was unable to attend the Midwest Conference in West Plains, MO, but I did have three of my team members who attended the conference, and were more than willing to fill me in on what they came away from the conference eager to use in their classrooms!
School districts across the USA give mandatory state assessments each year, whether we like it or not! Teachers are always looking for ways to incorporate daily review and master test taking strategies, instead of cramming the last few weeks prior to testing. I am excited to share with you, WBT has just that strategy, which of course will be highly motivating, engaging, and take your students to the next level in their learning! What is it called you ask? It is called.......Prove It!!
Prove It is a review strategy that students will play for 20 minutes each day! They will spend 10 minutes for math and 10 minutes for language arts. Teachers will provide students with sample test questions (multiple choice) and students will need to prove why the correct answer is correct, as well as, why the other answer choices are wrong. This strategy allows the teacher to guide instruction and correct any misconceptions that the students may have about the problems and answers. Students are also sharing answers within their groups, so peer leaders are being utilized as well.
What a great way to have fun learning and reviewing each and every day! For more information on Prove It! download FREE the eBook: Designing Your Whole Brain Teaching Model Classroom at http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
School districts across the USA give mandatory state assessments each year, whether we like it or not! Teachers are always looking for ways to incorporate daily review and master test taking strategies, instead of cramming the last few weeks prior to testing. I am excited to share with you, WBT has just that strategy, which of course will be highly motivating, engaging, and take your students to the next level in their learning! What is it called you ask? It is called.......Prove It!!
Prove It is a review strategy that students will play for 20 minutes each day! They will spend 10 minutes for math and 10 minutes for language arts. Teachers will provide students with sample test questions (multiple choice) and students will need to prove why the correct answer is correct, as well as, why the other answer choices are wrong. This strategy allows the teacher to guide instruction and correct any misconceptions that the students may have about the problems and answers. Students are also sharing answers within their groups, so peer leaders are being utilized as well.
What a great way to have fun learning and reviewing each and every day! For more information on Prove It! download FREE the eBook: Designing Your Whole Brain Teaching Model Classroom at http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Summer Vacation: Sharing WBT..You never know where!!
Educators love to share and it is so easy to share with others about WBT. As you begin to share, the excitement comes bubbling out of you and before you know it, others are excited, too! I just returned from being on vacation and as you head out on vacation, be ready to share WBT, as you never know who you will meet. One morning at the pool, I met a couple from Pennsylvania. As the conversation continued, I learned that the couple were retired educators (retired principal and high school math teacher for five years) and they had three daughters that were in education as well. The door was open, so I asked if they had ever heard of WBT. To my shock, they had not heard of WBT, but were very interested in the information and said they would research and share when they got home! WBT here comes another convert! All the resources are available at http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
On a side note, tomorrow I will have my final conference call and my PhD journey will be complete!!! Then I will have so much more time to focus on WBT and the upcoming school year! I can't wait!
Share away,
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern 2011-2012
On a side note, tomorrow I will have my final conference call and my PhD journey will be complete!!! Then I will have so much more time to focus on WBT and the upcoming school year! I can't wait!
Share away,
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern 2011-2012
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Summer Research: Power Pix
After attending the national conference in Louisiana and learning more information about the power of the Power Pix, I have decided that I want to incorporate Power Pix into my fifth grade classroom. There is only one problem...WBT has Power Pix for grades K-3. So what am I to do? First, look at the 3rd grade Power Pix and decide which ones correlate with 5th grade curriculum and then call my team members and get to work creating Power Pix for fifth graders! I am very blessed to work with a team of educators who are always willing to do what is best for students and their learning!
What are Power Pix? According to the information on the www.wholebrainteaching.com website Power Pix, as you will see, employ all four learning modes, and are designed to solve a very practical problem, how to teach the state standards in language arts and math. Power Pix are pictures used to represent and teach State Standards. Each Power Pix should be printed on a sheet of computer paper. The picture represents the State Standard. Teachers hold up the Power Pix in the front of their classroom and teach the concept and related memory gesture. After students have repeated the concept and practiced the gesture, the Power Pix is placed on a classroom wall for frequent review.
What are Power Pix? According to the information on the www.wholebrainteaching.com website Power Pix, as you will see, employ all four learning modes, and are designed to solve a very practical problem, how to teach the state standards in language arts and math. Power Pix are pictures used to represent and teach State Standards. Each Power Pix should be printed on a sheet of computer paper. The picture represents the State Standard. Teachers hold up the Power Pix in the front of their classroom and teach the concept and related memory gesture. After students have repeated the concept and practiced the gesture, the Power Pix is placed on a classroom wall for frequent review.
As the year goes by, I can definitely see fifth graders creating Power Pix to add to the wall. To find more information on Power Pix visit http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/ and download the free eBook on Power Pix! Whole Brain Teaching Rocks and I love that students are continually taking their learning to new levels!
Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012
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