Do you have a large number of challenging students that make teaching difficult? There are many helpful, research-based resources on the market. They vary in approach, therefore you have to be choosy and select the one that fits your classroom management style the best.
To do that, read my book summaries and reviews to determine which classroom management plan is best for you.
Based on extensive brain research, the Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids method is to activate various parts of the brain to maximize engagement and learning.
As a multi-sensory method, students will use gestures and repeat things out loud to practice and reinforce rules regularly.
The Whole Brain Teaching method involves a lot of game-based motivators. It is based on the “Game Mind" and “Uncertain Rewards”. As with many other classroom management programs, Whole Brain Teaching is ALL about intrinsic motivation.
Have you ever seen a kid play video games? They are completely engaged. There are no tangible rewards. They don’t always win, in fact, they often lose (or die) and have to try again with the hope they improve the next time and learn from their mistakes. The classroom should be the same.
Some game-based motivators are Starries, Super Improver Board, Scoreboard, and Bullseye. There are Social Emotional-based modules like AlphaHawk, Red Bear Green Bear, and Daily Virtues. Whole Brain Teaching even includes games like Cheery Dice, Fiver, and Fiver Plus. There is no shortage of ideas to keep students engaged.
The Perfectly Grown Perspective on Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids
In my professional opinion, there are a lot of great ideas in the Whole Brain Teaching program. Unlike the other two management programs I have reviewed, Whole Brain Teaching would be appropriate beginning in kindergarten.
I first learned about Whole Brain Teaching about 10 years ago, and the teachers at my school use many of the multisensory methods in their classrooms. I wanted to learn more and will admit that while reading the newest edition there was A LOT and my brain was spinning!
I kept thinking, how does a teacher keep track of ALL these motivators and scoreboards and games? I believe the best approach is to pick a couple of strategies to implement in your classroom and then build upon those when you are ready.
The VERY BEST PART is that all resources related to Whole Brain Teaching are FREE in their Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Wow!!
There is SOOO much to learn, but a few highlights from the book are below:
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