Whole Brain Teaching

When I first heard of Power Teaching (now called Whole Brain Teaching), I was an undergraduate student. The first time I watched Chris Biffle's basic training video on YouTube, I became enthralled with the interactive nature of the method. Power Teaching involves so many best practices that it can hardly fail to be effective for those courageous enough to try it.

I am in the process of putting Power Teaching to the test in my classroom of sixth and seventh grade students with special needs. I am taking it much more slowly than Chris does in his training video, but my students embraced the "Class-Yes" and the "Scoreboard" immediately.

My students are all male and very active. They also have a history of feeding off one another's frustrations. However, it is a beautiful sight to see the instant transformation when I say, "Class!" They all stop what they are doing and say, "Yes!" in exactly the tone and pitch I used. An unexpected benefit of this practice was the immediate feedback I receive for my own actions. They are so well trained that when, in exasperation, I spoke the magic word sharply one day, they answered me in like kind. We all had a good laugh, and then I repeated my "Class!" in a more restrained tone, to which they responded appropriately.

Since my students love to make noise and be silly, Power Teaching gives me just the tool I need to provide them with an acceptable outlet while serving my own purposes of classroom control as well. The results are well worth the performance. The "Teach-Okay" is my next step, and I plan to integrate it next week. Updates on progress will follow. In the meantime, feel free to visit for a wealth of helpful information about this innovative educational strategy.