It was back to school for many this week. My class came in looking very nervous last Thursday. Since then, We have spent some time trying to build a sense of community along with the usual "getting to know you" activities. The students worked together to build a free standing tower with toothpicks and mini marshmallows. In addition, and they giggled their way through a challenge to save their gummy worm friend Fred from drowning in the imaginary lake. It made me smile to see them learn about the scientific method while they were having fun.
So, in the few days that I've been back in my classroom, I've noticed that some students are excited about being back, while others are not. This leaves me, once again, pondering those questions that I'm sure all educators ask themselves. How can I motivate these students? What can I do to make school and learning fun yet challenging for them? What am I going to do to get these kids ready for the PARCC assessment? How am I going to use technology to enhance learning in my classroom? Going forward, I am excited to try some new strategies and tools this year!
Whole Brain Teaching
Whole Brain Teaching is one instructional strategy that I've decided to try out for the first time. I've looked at some articles, collaborated with a few colleagues, and have viewed many instructional videos to wrap my brain around the concept. Seems pretty interesting and my students have responded well so far. I like the idea of it for two main reasons. First of all, I like the multi-sensory approach. It also supports student accountability and teamwork. There are many components to Whole Brain Teaching and I know that I have only scratched the surface. If you are a classroom teacher, at any level, your students will have fun with it. Take a minute and check out the Whole Brain Teaching instructional videos below.
More on this later!
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