So about a month ago I went to a Whole Brain Teaching conference in Pineville, Louisiana. Wow. I mean, WOW! I have been looking into WBT since December. At home over Christmas Break I went searching hardcore for something new for my classroom. I wanted something that would increase student engagement, and cut down on behavior problems. My wife calls my room the home for wayward boys. I get all those kiddos who are behavior problems in other rooms. Since I've worked in a behavior unit, my principal loves giving me those kinds of kids...and I love it. I really do. But I needed something a little different. I had heard about WBT, so I went scouring YouTube for videos. I was really impressed. However, I was already making a huge change in my room once we got back...so I decided to wait. Honestly, I'm glad I did.
Don't get me wrong...I think you can learn WBT through the YouTube videos. They are amazing. But I learned SO much through this conference. It was a great way to get some practice with other educators who are also practicing. My breakout leader is a teacher. He has real-life experience using WBT in a classroom. I love that. I love that when people champion something, they've actually used it. He gave us real examples of how this system has worked in his classroom.
I also read the Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids book that Chris Biffle (the creator of WBT) wrote. Wow again.
I can't wait to use this strategy in my classroom. For real.
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