What is whole brain teaching

Annnnd…Heidi was generous enough to let me interview her the other day! Watch our interview here! Photo Credits: wavebreakmedia, Shutterstock. Related Posts:. Prev Previous Ask me anything: A special education teacher answers your burning questions!

Notify of. Oldest Newest Most Voted. Inline Feedbacks. In a nutshell, it all comes down to authority. At all times, students in a Whole Brain Teaching classroom are reminded that the teacher is the ultimate. Although the modern push for teachers to be facilitators of student curiosity is ostensibly addressed by the Whole Brain Teaching method, the fact remains that the system is totally teacher-directed.

How is this accomplished? With this foundational technique, students are trained to answer immediately to the teacher, at any time, using the same tone and inflection as the teacher. According to the creator of this method Chris Biffle , teachers should make their classes more engaging and less boring by delivering unexpected moments of fun and joy.

Briffle also describes many useful games in his whole brain teaching book. The high engagement of this approach is a reason why many educators use whole brain teaching in kindergarten. The students repeat the phrase and lift their hands too. The more you talk to the students, the less focused they become. The Direct Instruction technique is all about presenting information in an engaging and digestible way.

For instance, you can present one point at a time, using very short lessons. You can also go through a list of bullet points. You can also use Mirror Words and Class Yes to summarize the material of a lesson, and illustrate your material with slides so that students will retain more information. Collaborative learning means that students get knowledge and instructions not only from their teacher but also from each other, as well.

The collaborative learning principle of whole brain teaching can be illustrated by one of its distinctive techniques Teach Okay. Whole brain teaching starts with positivity, and when students are not engaged, the teacher assumes the responsibility of providing more time to practice rather than scolding. When students are having fun in their learning, their brain can receive, process, and retain information, serving as a catalyst for learning; a benefit of whole brain teaching.

Whole brain teaching is not a typical classroom. This approach is loud and animated. The teacher is an interactive facilitator of learning who has intricately prepared to provide words and gestures that will solidify content for students through foundational learning.

While this approach is awesome for students who have traumatic backgrounds, there are groups of students that would find this learning approach overwhelming. If you have a student that is shy, quiet, or has sensory processing issues, this may not be the strategy for them. However, research has shown that there are high rates of learning in African-American males and students with ADHD due to the multi-sensory approach, high energy, high engagement strategies that are used.

Knowing your students can help determine if whole brain teaching is a valid method of instruction for your students. Search for:. What is Whole Brain Teaching? Holly D. Elementary school principal; M.