Part of being a good educator means always looking for new
and better ways of teach our students.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not calling myself a good educator, yet, but I
certainly hope to be able to call myself one SOMEDAY! So I often find myself exploring the vast improvements
that have occurred over the last few years.
Education has been transformed over the last 20 years, but
most of the changes have occurred because of legislation. We have gone through programs like No Child
Left Behind, Race to the Top, and now Common Core Standards. All of these programs were drafted with good
intent and with the students in mind.
However, as with most Federal Legislation, the programs were drafted by
Lawyers. While keeping the spotlight
focused on education is not a bad thing, enacting programs that do not consider
things like technology and changing demographics can be negative. With that being said, just like always, teaches
will adapt and overcome. The programs
they are given do not mater, teachers are renowned for their ability to get the
job done.
Using the best, most up-to-date, systems (teaching methods)
can help overcome the legislated programs.
One such method is the Whole Brain Teaching System. This system, based off of the brains method
of processing and storing information, incorporates movement, vocalization, and
visual references to systematically enhance the student’s ability to retain
information. The program is outlined in
the book “Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging
Kids” by Chris Biffle. Biffle is the Director of the Whole Brain
Teachers of America. The book is very thorough
and provides step-by-step instructions as well as suggested scripts, classroom
rules, and other useful tidbits. While
the program, in totality, may not fit into every school’s curriculum, some of
the methods could be very useful.
More information on Whole Brain Teaching can be found on their
website:
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