Whole Brain Teaching

Whole brain teaching, also known as power teaching, is a form of teaching that uses the whole brain. The founder of whole brain teaching is Chris Biffle, and the co-founders are Chris Rekstad and Andrea Schindler. Whole brain teaching uses the visual cortex, Wernicke’s area, Broca’s area, motor cortex, and the limbic system. The goal of whole brain teaching is “to create peaceful classrooms full of orderly fun.”  The benefits of using whole brain teaching in the classroom are that it: stimulates and motivates struggling learners, helps teach English Language Learners, uses the whole brain, helps students with behavior, and it promotes physical health. The hand movements that are used for whole brain teaching help students to retain information. This method of teaching also helps students because when students are engaged they are less likely to have disruptive behaviors. Whole brain teaching helps meet basic needs, reduces stress, and increases learning. One strategy that whole brain teaching uses is the scoreboard strategy. The way that a scoreboard works is that when the students do something that makes the teacher happy, they get a smiley face. If the students do something that does not make the teacher happy, they receive a frowny face. If the students win then they receive a reward for that day, such as, an extra minute of free play. If the teacher wins then the students receive a consequence, such as, losing a minute of free play. Another strategy that whole brain teaching uses is “Teach, Okay”. For “Teach, Okay”, the teacher in the classroom has students to mirror him/her and then says, “Teach, Okay”. The students then face each other and one student teaches their friend while the other student mirrors, after the one teaching finishes the students switch places. There are also rules that are associated with whole brain teaching. The rules are as follows:

1.     Follow directions quickly

2.     Raise your hand for permission to speak

3.     Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat

4.     Make smart choices

5.     Keep your dear teacher happy

I think that I will probably use the rules of whole brain teaching in my future classroom. I think that students want to make their teacher happy, so the last rule would be great to use in a classroom.