Oral Writing (writing without pen or paper)

One of the things I really love about Whole Brain Teaching is that it is not just a behaviour management system. The Whole Brain Teaching team also introduced me to a whole new way of teaching different aspects of the curriculum.

Let me introduce you to Oral Writing, a method of writing that doesn’t use pencil or paper. My student’s love Oral Writing, particularly those students who have trouble with:

• Spelling (the student who doesn't want to write a word they can't spell)
• Thinking of something to write about (the student who sits staring into space waiting for an idea to grab them)
• Messy handwriting (the student who really struggles with the technical aspect of writing and finds it difficult to produce something that is legible)

Although I have students who struggle with the idea of writing a story, they are never lost for words if they have a story they want to share with their friends which is why Oral Writing is ideal.

Oral Writing gives students a chance to practice speaking in sentences and paragraphs without committing a word to the page. If they get stuck they have the opportunity to ask the class for help so that they can continue. Oral Writing encourages students to learn how to answer questions with more than the typical ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. So let me get to the nitty gritty and set out the procedure for you.

Begin by teaching the students that they need to answer my question with part of the question in their answer. Their answer needs to be a complete sentence.

Teacher: What did you do for your holidays?

Student: For my holidays I went camping with my family.

Teacher: What’s your favourite dessert?

Student: My favourite dessert is Chocolate ice-cream

Teacher: What did you do for your holidays?

Student: For my holidays I went camping with my family.

If a student forgets that they need to answer in a complete sentence smile and cup your hand behind your ear. It is the gesture for, “I didn’t hear a complete sentence.”

Once they are able to answer your question with a complete sentence you can introduce the next step, ‘adding and Adder’. An Adder is a sentence that adds more information and detail to the first sentence. The gesture for the Adder is to point pointer fingers at each other and spin them.  

Teacher: What did you do for you holidays?

Student: For my holidays I went camping with my family. (Smile and cup ear with hand if student doesn’t use whole sentence, e.g. student answers with, “Went camping.”)

Teacher: (spins pointer fingers, the gesture asking for an Adder.)

Student: We camped beside the dam on my Grandad’s farm. (gesture for another Adder)

Student: During the day we swam in the dam and at night we roasted marshmallows.

Before they realise it, the student is ‘writing’ a paragraph. All they need to do now is complete the paragraph with a ‘conclusion’. The gesture for the ‘Concluder’ is

waving one hand above the other, as if signalling that play is over. The student needs to complete their paragraph with their next sentence.

Student: Camping with the family is so much fun.

To recap, I ask a student a question, the student answers in a complete sentence, I gesture for the student to provide additional sentences that add more information to the initial topic sentence. I gesture for the student to complete the paragraph with a concluding sentence.

When I introduced this to my class, I started by asking three questions in a session. The initial sentences were about topics the students enjoyed talking about such as favourite things (food, movie, band, sport), places they have been to (Movie World, Sea World) etc. Then I started asking questions about different topics related to the work we were doing in the classroom. “What book are you currently reading?” “What is heat?” “What is Australia?”

When you start to ask questions that the students find difficult to answer they can appeal to their classmates for help. I remember a song I used to sing about a rabbit that ran up to a house asking for help. When the rabbit cried out “Help me! Help me!” I would raise my arms up and down. This has become my class gesture for asking for help.

When a student appeals to the class for help, students who have an idea of what to say next put their hands up in the air. The student listens to a few of their ideas and then chooses one to continue the paragraph.

Teacher: What is a fraction?

Student: A fraction shows how many parts in a whole. (gesture for Adder) The top number is called the numerator and the bottom number is called the denominator. (gesture for Adder) An example of a fraction would be …..Help me! Help me!

Other Students: One half! Three fourths! Two thirds! Four fifths!

Student: An example of a fraction would be three fourths. (gesture for Concluder) To sum up, sometimes fractions are hard to understand.

So that is the basics of Oral Writing. In my next blog I will describe my favourite Whole Brain Teaching strategy, Air Punctuation. I hope you are enjoying learning about the wonders of Whole Brain Teaching and have been able to implement some of the strategies in your own classroom. 

Class Rules

Our school has four school rules that are used by all students. The rules are 'I am an Active Learner', 'I am Responsible', 'I am Respectful', and 'I am Safe'. As these rules are non-negotiable I did wonder how I was going to use the WBT method of gestures and reciting the rules daily.

Finally, after much thinking, I came up with the following rules which incorporate the school rules and WBT strategies. I have put the gestures in brackets.

Rule number 1. (Draw a circle in the air with one finger held up.) I am an Active Learner, (Pump arms back and forth as though running.) follow directions quickly. (One hand makes a snake like movement from the body out in front.)

Rule number 2. (Draw a circle in the air with two fingers held up.) I am Respectful, (Right hand up to forehead as though saluting) listen to others. (Cup hands behind ears.)

Rule number 3. (Draw a circle in the air with three fingers held up.) I am Responsible, (Right arm across body, hand up to left shoulder. I tell the students it is like putting on a seat belt. We all have to wear a seat belt in the car. Mum and Dad expect us to be responsible and put it on every time we get in the car.) make smart choices. (Tap pointer fingers of both hands to temples).

Rule number 4. (Draw a circle in the air with four fingers held up.) I am Safe, (Cross both arms in front of body.) ask for permission to leave the room. (Hand up in the air to ask for permission, circle finger and point to the door).

I introduced one rule a day for the first week of Term 1. By the end of the week the students could recite all four rules with the accompanying gestures. The students were so proud of their achievements. Reciting the rules along with gestures is what makes them easy to memorise. As well as being whole brain, reciting the rules with gestures also fits in well with Gardener's multiple intelligences.

•               visually: they look at the rules that are on display in the room

•               kinesthetically: physically using gestures with each rule

•               interpersonally: the students work with each other to recite the rules. They also support each other if someone forgets a rule.

•               Musically: the rules are recited in a rhythmical fashion, speaking out loud and in unison

I always had in the back of my mind that there are 5 WBT rules, the fifth one being "Make your dear teacher happy". This rule did not fit with the school rules and I must admit I thought it was a little 'corny'. However, I have since learned more about the use and reason behind rule 5 so have now introduced it to my class.

I chose to introduce Rule 5 to the class after receiving more information and instruction about Class Rules from Chris Biffle on a WBT video. Chris, fondly known as Coach B, said that there is a loophole in every rule except rule 5. Children will try to argue their way out of the rules when you point out a breaking of the rule. “I wasn’t speaking. I was just asking a question.” “I was making a smart choice.” They are able to do this because each rule has two points of view, theirs and mine. However there is no loophole with rule 5 because there is only one point of view, mine.

I remember feeling really self conscious about Rule 5 also because it seemed as though I was trying to make a rule about getting the student’s attention. Coach B pointed out that although the rule may seem to be all about me it is really all about the students. What makes me the happiest? Seeing my students do their best learning and this happens in an environment where they feel safe, valued and respected.

Part of the WBT method is to go over the rules daily, not to just make a lovely poster and have it on display in the room, hoping students will catch the rules by osmosis.

Reciting the rules is a part of my daily routine and is very effective in the classroom. One thing I have not yet mastered with the class is the use of a specific rule recitation if there is an infringement in the class at a particular time. For example, if a student is speaking while another student is addressing the class, I would like to say Rule 2 and have the students just recite rule 2 as a reminder to their required behaviour. At this stage when I mention a particular rule the class recites all five rules. To get around this I am going to have the class recite the rules in random order. 

Getting started with Whole Brain Teaching

There are so many parts to Whole Brain Teaching. In this post I am going to focus on the behaviour management of the classroom that uses the two strategies called 'Class-Yes' and 'Scoreboard'.

Any one who has been teaching for more than one week knows the importance of managing the behaviour of the students. You cannot teach anything if the class is disruptive and out of control. As a teacher I have also learned the value of creating the right environment for children to be able to effectively learn.

The best thing I have heard recently about creating a welcoming classroom was on the Conversations interview that Richard Fidler did with Chris Sarra.

"Chris Sarra was the first Aboriginal principal at Cherbourg State School in Queensland. The school was chaotic and wild, filled with kids with low self-esteem who didn't even turn up half the time. But by the time Chris Sarra left it was filled with kids with a sense of purpose and a deep sense of pride in being Aboriginal." Conversation Hour, 6:12 ABC Radio, October 2007.

Introducing Chris Sarra in his April 2014 interview, Richard Fidler said that attendances at Cherbourg went from 62% up to 94%. The following is a transcript of a section of the interview in which Chris tells listeners one reason that attendances did increase.

"I'm happy to get out and chase kids to school. I'm happy to talk to parents and the council about getting kids to school. But what I want from you (the teachers) is some guarantees that this is a school worth coming to. That your classrooms are engaging. That your relationship with them is high expectations. That the things that you offer have intellectual integrity. I'm not going to go out and chase kids into a school where they sit around and do photocopied worksheets or colouring in or whatever. We need to be a school that offers intellectual integrity, good relationships, safe place. That the environment is predictable and loving." Chris Sarra, Conversation Hour, 6:12 ABC Radio, April 2014.

This really confirmed in me the importance of the emotional environment I create in my classroom. WBT is also very concerned with the emotional environment teachers create. "Class-Yes" and "Scoreboard" was my first step into changing my classroom.

What is Class-Yes?

Class-Yes is a behaviour management technique I use when I want to get the attention of the whole class. I use this technique when I need to give an instruction or I need to say something that the class needs to pay attention to. 

As teachers, we all know the frustration of trying to get an entire class silent and paying attention. Over the years of teaching I have heard of and tried a variety of 'attention getting devices'. Some have worked, some didn't and some only worked for a short time. Class-Yes has, in my experience, worked for me since I started using it two and a half years ago.

What do you do?

When I need to get the attention of the class I say, "Class." The students respond by saying, "Yes" in unison and using the same tone of voice that I used. As the students say yes, they must turn and look at me, with their hands on their heads. I have focussed their brains so that they are ready to hear my instruction.

That doesn't sound like much?

You may think that, particularly if all I do is say 'class' and they respond 'yes'. But WBT has taught me the importance of having fun and tapping into the emotional part of the brain. To do that I vary the way I say 'class' as well as the tone and pitch of my voice. The students have fun copying me. I also say 'class' in a variety of ways such as, 'class-a-doo; classity, classity; class-a-doodle-doo; oh class; etc. The variety of ways is limitless but the attention getting response is the same.

What is Scoreboard?

I have never been a fan of reward systems that many other teachers use. I could not see the point of buying heaps of little items to fill a 'shop' or hand out tickets for a lucky draw at the end of the week. It seemed to me that students were learning to perform for a physical reward. It was also my experience that students very quickly tire of the pencil or rubber reward and start expecting bigger and better. Who hasn't heard, "What's in it for me?"?

As I had committed myself to implementing WBT strategies in my classroom, I was going to have to bight the bullet and introduce a 'reward' system. 

Enter the 'Scoreboard'.

I put a small whiteboard at the front of the room and drew a T Chart on it. On one side I wrote Mrs D (that's me) and on the other side I wrote Class. Whenever the class gets a point I put a tally mark on their side of the board and they (in unison) give me a mighty 'Oh yeah!' with a fist pump. Their reward is a visual tally mark, a vocal affirmation and a physical gesture that they all enjoy. Whole brain? You bet.

Whenever their behaviour 'gives me a point', I put a tally mark on my side of the board and they give my a mighty groan. At the end of the day we add up the tally marks to see who won.

One day a teacher aide in my classroom asked me what the class would win. She was used to the physical reward systems seen around the school. I told her that the class won 'bragging rights'. Then she wanted to know what I would win. I told her that I also get bragging rights. I love to go home and tell my family that little bitty me managed to defeat a whole class. If the students should win they can't wait to tell their parents that they beat me.

I use the Scoreboard in conjunction with Class-Yes. If I feel that the class did not stop and look at me quickly or silently enough I put a tally mark on my side of the board. If they do stop instantly and silently, they get the tally mark. The Scoreboard can also be used throughout the day for many other reasons.

How does this tap into the emotional part of the classroom environment?

The class work together as a team. They feel good about their behaviour. They encourage each other to participate in a positive way. They give themselves a positive, emotional, instant boost when they shout out, "Oh Yeah!" They don't have to hear me begging and pleading with them to be quiet and pay attention. We don't waste time waiting for the class to all stop what they are doing before I can speak. When students look at the Scoreboard and see a mass of tally marks on their side of the board they feel great about themselves.

So there you have it, my first two WBT techniques in a nutshell.

If you are interested in the work of Chris Sarra I recommend the interviews that can be found on 6:12 ABC Radio, Conversations. Look in the archive for his name.

What is Whole Brain Teaching?

Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) is an approach to learning that started with the work and research of three men about 10 years ago. Chris Biffle, philosophy professor, Jay Vanderfin and Chris Reksted, primary school teachers had noticed a recurring topic in the discussions they were having with other educators. Students were disengaged from learning, disruptive behaviour was increasing and teachers were trying to find a reason to keep going to work each day.

The men realised that something had to be done in education and came up with Whole Brain Teaching. The approach uses methods which activate both hemispheres of the brain whereas the traditional pedagogical approach focuses on the right hemisphere of the brain. 

WBT strategies make connections between the right side of the brain and the left side of the brain. This connects the rational and reasoning side with the creative and emotional side. An approach which integrates both hemispheres of the brain leads to more effective engagement and learning. 

As mentioned in my first post, I had reached a stage in my career as a teacher when I wanted to quit. As I read about WBT I was finding out that I was not alone. So many other teachers around the world were feeling the same way. As well as struggling within myself I was also being pressured at school in planning meetings, staff meetings and professional development to show how I was including 'differentiation'. I needed to plan for different ability levels, learning styles and backgrounds of each student in my room. How was I to plan for all of the different needs in my classroom and effectively teach when the behaviour of the students was out of control every day? I was differentiating and still the behaviour was discouraging. 

I decided to introduce some WBT strategies into my daily routine and to my delight the behaviour in the classroom started to change as the students were becoming more and more engaged and active in their own learning. As their behaviour changed I started to feel better about my skills and found I was also changing. 

My classroom before WBT:

• students were expected to sit silently at their desks and write notes, copy from the board or complete work sheets
• there was a lot of teacher talk
• I thought that the curriculum needed to be brought down to the level of the students
• assessment occurred at the end of a unit of work

My classroom now, with WBT:

• the students and I share the talking and teaching
• students are active, they move around, get up and down off their chairs, use gestures, laugh a lot, etc
• students are trusted to achieve a high level of learning and rise to the level of expectation
• assessment is occurring throughout the day in a variety of ways

My classroom is a safer and more encouraging place for the students to be. They have fun and they are given so many moments throughout the day to feel good about themselves. They enjoy the interactions with myself and their peers. WBT touches the emotion of the students so that they remember how they feel in the classroom not just what they learned.

I hope I have whetted your appetite and you are screaming out for my next blog entry where I will introduce some of the WBT strategies I use daily in my classroom.

Purchasing the ticket

What is Whole Brain Teaching and why did I decide to make it a part of my teaching?

After teaching for ten years I started to plan what I might do with some of my long service leave. I decided to travel to Italy. I was there for a month, ten days in Rome and then I joined a bus tour around Italy. Planning the trip was really exciting. On the day I picked up my ticket I felt overwhelmed with doubt and fear. People who heard I was going to Italy told me so many stories about all of the things that could go wrong. I was warned about gypsies who would throw babies at me so they could steal my bags. 

Even though my friends meant well, they frightened me with all of their 'what ifs'. i needed to remind myself why I had wanted to go on this trip in the first place. Then I looked at my packed bag and reassured myself that this was going to be an amazing adventure and I would gain so much from all of the new experiences I would have.

My life as a teacher has similarities to my planning a trip to Italy. When I first started teaching, it was a great adventure. After ten years though, I started to feel bored and exhausted and wondered if I could keep going day after day. I felt like I was spending more and more of the day dealing with disruptive behaviour rather than teaching. I knew that teaching was my 'calling' so I started to search for something that would put the pep and passion and joy back into my week. I fortuitously came across information about Whole Brain Teaching. The little research that I did sparked something inside me.

After reading the information on the Whole Brain Teaching website and viewing the teaching videos I decided to 'purchase a ticket'. However, teaching peers warned me about trying an 'American gimmicky system', so I finished the year feeling that I had nothing to give my students. I had let them down and I really didn't want to start another year of teaching if it meant a similar outcome. 

While on holidays I spent each day reading as much as I could about Whole Brain Teaching. By the time my holidays were over I had decided that I would introduce some of the strategies I had been reading about. I was ready to embark on a journey that would bring the life back to my teaching.

In my next blog I will discuss my first attempts at using Whole Brain Teaching strategies in my classroom.