Whole Brain Teaching

Whole Brain Teaching is a method of teaching students that literally uses the "whole brain." The brain is made up of the following areas and each are addressed within WBT:
Visual Cortex: Students see hand gestures throughout the lesson.
Wernicke's Area: Students hear the lesson from start to finish.
Broca's Area System: Students verbalize content as they are learning it.
Motor Cortex: Students are up and moving throughout the lesson.
Limbic: Students' emotional needs are met through positive classroom management strategies.
The goal is whole brain teaching is "to create peaceful classrooms full of orderly fun." This goal is met by using attention getters, engaging students, and management strategies such as the Scoreboard. Attention Getters are call-response chants such as "Class! Yes?" The students must respond in the exact same way that you called them. This ensures that all eyes and ears are on you before moving any further.
WBT engages students by methods such as Mirror Words, Hands and Eyes, Silent Mirror, and Magic Mirror. Mirror with Words has students mirror your hand gestures and words when prompted to do so. Hands and Eyes means that all students should put their eyes on you and have their hands folded in their lap. Silent Mirror is when students mirror your hand gestures but without words. Lastly, Magic Mirror is where students must listen intently so that they can make up their own gestures to match the content. These strategies engage students by allowing them to be active, vocal, and intentional listeners throughout the entire lesson. There are so many other benefits to the whole brain teaching approach. It stimulates and motivates struggling learners, teaches ELL's, and promotes good behavior and physical health. Whole Brain Teaching is "Power Teaching.