tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post1307984910300069882..comments2023-10-07T02:42:10.642-07:00Comments on Coalition for Kid-Friendly Schools: Comments from a Whole Brain TeacherFedUpMomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-66977031736565771602012-12-11T07:15:43.605-08:002012-12-11T07:15:43.605-08:00Anonymous Aunt, I feel your pain. How is your nep...Anonymous Aunt, I feel your pain. How is your nephew doing? <br /><br />Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to get rid of these fads once they've taken root. It might take a while for (years?) for the school to notice all the problems they've caused. Then they'll be ready for the next fad.FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-28908557823402997632012-12-03T12:59:02.747-08:002012-12-03T12:59:02.747-08:00Hello All-
I have read all of this as an Aunt con...Hello All-<br /><br />I have read all of this as an Aunt concerned over this implemented in her nephew's classroom. My first "OH, NO!" came when my sister shared rule no. 5 "Make the teacher happy" or some crap akin to that insane premise. Young students---no, all students---are not at a school to "make" the teacher anything! That is out of their locus of control and not only reeks of mindless rote memorization lacking in accountability for student self-control and internalizing student's feelings, it truly borders on brain-washing. As one poster pointed out, students teaching each other does not take the form of true teaching if all they are asked to do is repeat what the teacher just stated, and not in their own words by the way, but verbatim. THIS IS NOT Direct INSTRUCTION!!! And Zig would be horrified to know some quack who cites his credentials with boldfaced lies is trying to connect WBT to DI! Teachers, you are now legally mandated to use the tools and strategies for both academics and behavior/clasroom management that ARE RESEARCH BASED! Simply becasue WBT cites brain-based research (and if your using your noggin' you know that is oxymoronic!) and connects it to their programming does not make for this "management" to be touted as research-based. For it to be reserach-based it needs to have independent data gathered and analyzed and presented to a journal that is peer reviewed ( more complex, but this is a simple explanation for those who keep stating it is research-based)! Until that happens, it is just quackery. -Aunt, former speech-pathologist and special education teacher, & current school psychologistAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-8294209648262932682012-10-05T05:00:33.975-07:002012-10-05T05:00:33.975-07:00Anonymous said:
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The kids teaching is so impor...Anonymous said:<br /><br />***<br />The kids teaching is so important. Being able to teach and explain is so high on the comprehension chart. <br />***<br /><br />When I watch the videos, I don't see kids teaching each other. I see kids parroting what the teacher just said, usually in the exact same words, and with barely enough time before the teacher commands "switch!" and the other kid has to do the parroting. <br />FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-89723514076271596142012-10-04T23:38:44.197-07:002012-10-04T23:38:44.197-07:00I agree, Anonymous, some of the negative comments ... I agree, Anonymous, some of the negative comments towards this blog are unfounded. If I were involved in a organization and I discovered a blog which not only espoused a different viewpoint but repeatedly provided outside links to facts which disproved many of the organization's central claims, I would follow those links and read them before commenting. I can't figure this out here, <br /> "The oral organization of your ideas sent a lightbulb ,the size of Miami, off in my head."<br />Are you writing that you read aloud to yourself FedUp's comments and got a great idea or should you be heading to the closest E.R.?SCFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-69174751745592186412012-10-04T15:15:46.613-07:002012-10-04T15:15:46.613-07:00I think too many of the videos focus on the manage...I think too many of the videos focus on the management of the class. But when you are trained to use THE WHOLE system the videos do not do it justice. The spaced review is HUGE.<br />The oral organization of your ideas sent a lightbulb ,the size of Miami, off in my head. <br />The kids teaching is so important. Being able to teach and explain is so high on the comprehension chart. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-11062487265148393092012-10-04T15:05:29.164-07:002012-10-04T15:05:29.164-07:00Wow some of these negative comments are so unfound...Wow some of these negative comments are so unfounded!. Everyone is entitled to there opinion but do the research. <br />A teacher teaching the old lecture way is not working. Look at our stats. Some of the management style may seem juvenile but all of this can be adapted. Insanity ---doing things the same way and expecting different results. I say try something new!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-90692920835436508012012-08-09T05:42:05.999-07:002012-08-09T05:42:05.999-07:00To Will:
I guess it all depends on what you will ...To Will:<br /><br />I guess it all depends on what you will be trying to prove. Please don't pick test scores as an indicator of learning, as your dependent variable in future when you get the time to do your research, ....test scores are not indictors of a valid teaching and learning method. <br />And I have to laugh at "Brain-Based Learning"...what in heaven's name would it be if not brain-based.<br /><br />Learning theories based on so called left brain right brain, whole brain...whatever brain....have no basis in fact. Those who do the real science do not talk in those terms at all.<br /><br />And your statement "Although not proven scientifically, when used in the classroom, it works" is just a little scary to me as a parent. Would you accept this from your family doctor treating you or your family? " This magical lotion hasn't been proven scientifically to work, but I know it does. Trust me." This is why it's sometimes hard to treat teachers as professionals....many of the things they believe to be true are simply habit or convention, but they affect our children's lives in profound ways. It's not good enough to say...it works...<br />It's not good enough.PsychMomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-84702247286481126302012-08-08T21:44:11.202-07:002012-08-08T21:44:11.202-07:00I have read all the posts. I am a professional and...I have read all the posts. I am a professional and a teacher. I am currently working on my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a major in Educational Technology. <br /><br />Whole Brain Teaching can be validated by Brain-Based Learning and Cognitive Information Processing for the 21st Century student. <br /><br />Although, not proven scientifically, when used in the classroom, it works. <br /><br />Hopefully in the future I will have time to prove it with valid research.Will Buckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07088228688267927179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-12485206674730527892011-06-15T19:48:04.716-07:002011-06-15T19:48:04.716-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.allisonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17816580369523546333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-45718455822997049092010-08-20T22:17:58.287-07:002010-08-20T22:17:58.287-07:00Correction, in my previous post I wrote "BTW-...Correction, in my previous post I wrote "BTW- this director is at yet another below average school."<br /><br />This may no longer be true- the director no longer works for the district I was referring to.Suburban Chicken Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171878298939073055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-24654965328201174802010-08-20T11:36:37.470-07:002010-08-20T11:36:37.470-07:00Okay, On the Whole Brain Teachers forum a teacher ...Okay, On the Whole Brain Teachers forum a teacher posts "my admin says we must do Direct Instruction.. how can I justify WBT as DI?"<br /><br />So another director(Biffle gives everyone a title asap, then they scurry around doing the footwork for him. It's very sad how easily manipulated these educators of the next generation are.) <br /><br />So, back to the main idea- Director of WBT makes a blog claiming WBT is DI! Outrageous. Urging a teacher to defy her admin with this crap! Does she want to help this teacher get fired?<br />BTW- this director is at yet another below average school.<br />Here's her blog addy <br />http://wholebrainteaching.blogspot.com/2010/07/wbt-and-direct-instruction.html<br /><br />The WBT method at the little charter school my children attended last year showed up in the Third Grade STAR test results- 0 boys out of twelve scored even proficient in Language Arts. In both tested categories Math and English- Every group, every subgroup went down substantially in scores from the year prior. <br /><br /> God I hope teachers wiil get hip and will become vocal soon about how bad "WBT" is!Suburban Chicken Farmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171878298939073055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-69229102210134333662010-08-13T13:39:31.514-07:002010-08-13T13:39:31.514-07:00To Teacher who researched and decided to use Whole...To Teacher who researched and decided to use Whole Brain Teaching-<br /><br /> What do you think about this video, produced by a founder Chris Recksted, of teacher Jason Mills having his special ed. children get on knees on the floor and beg him? <br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9VoPedc2MQ<br /><br />I am appalled and disgusted to know that the public pays this man's salary to teach and he spent class time exploiting learning disabled students to promote Whole Brain Teaching. Was this Jason Mills paid the five hundred bucks Whole Brain Teachers offer on their website, on top of his salary from school?<br /><br />Teacher: Is criticizing maltreatment of disadvantaged kids just more "nitpicking?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-17949700429543120192010-08-13T10:57:14.940-07:002010-08-13T10:57:14.940-07:00"The teachers have been forced to pass on imp..."The teachers have been forced to pass on important skills, before mastery to make sure students are exposed to all the skills needed to pass the test."<br /><br />Respectfully, what are you trying to communicate here? <br />Are teachers forced to ignore or impart to students important skills before mastery? As written, the sentence is undecipherable. <br />Just curious, which subjects do you teach? ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-31219773866846077802010-08-13T10:33:44.886-07:002010-08-13T10:33:44.886-07:00"I research everything I do. I look at the po..."I research everything I do. I look at the positive and negative side, then make my own choice. I am astonished that your critisisms were personal, nitpicking, and whiney. Critiques should be used to make something better."<br /><br /> Hey, watching a few videos of children acting like buffoons for their teacher and then following up with reading weak anecdotes from the Biff dude's cult and claims from "directors" of is not research. <br />Why would an educated professional ever embrace Whole Brain Teaching? <br />The truth is- where I can find unbiased data, I over and over again find Whole Brain Teaching does not increase learning. There hardly any data about Whole Brain Teaching from Whole Brain Teachers, unless you count hits on YouTube or number of attendees as something of value. I do not. <br /> Their claims about brain anatomy and function are wrong at the most basic level. I would be embarrassed to be associated with such idiocy. As for behavior management- There is no unbiased data. Its fair to say, most students at least try to comply with anything a teacher asks of them no matter how inane the requests may be. <br /><br /><br />Why do you spend so much time/effort doing "gestures" for instance? How might this compare to what we know about multi-tasking impairing thinking ability? <br /><br />If you've really researched and believe in gesturing - Please, defend it! Please Teach me something I don't know! If you don't show a rational basis, I will know it is because there isn't one.<br />You're right about my criticisms being personal- How can they not be personal? <br /><br />You've got a middle school science teacher Director of Whole Brain Teachers, North Carolina advertising his method based on his success with the method, and wrong claims about the human brain- and the facts do not match his claim. That is personal. I'm sorry. <br /><br />And which is it? You'll try any method or only the ones you've "researched?"<br />Why did your research lead you to decide to use this method?<br /><br />Why does the total number of students germane as far as choosing this method?<br />31X6=186 <br /><br /> Why do you believe technology/different lives have changed the way people/students learn?<br /><br />My critique is to let anyone who reads this explicitly know I believe Whole Brain Teaching is absolute trash. I have no interest in improving it. I want it to go away. I want every "Whole Brain Teacher" who reads this to know, we are on to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-24956083776857679952010-08-12T11:00:56.910-07:002010-08-12T11:00:56.910-07:00***
My average class will have thirty-one students...***<br />My average class will have thirty-one students<br />***<br /><br />That's a lot of kids. Is this mixed ability? How old are the kids?<br /><br />***<br />These same students are playing video games, watching tv, using Facebook/Myspace, iphones, and ipods, yet do not have time to do homework. <br />***<br /><br />What kind of homework do you give?FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-83495529854598022892010-08-11T21:30:24.568-07:002010-08-11T21:30:24.568-07:00Seriously?!? I am a public school teacher. I spend...Seriously?!? I am a public school teacher. I spend all summer, doing everything I can to be a more effective teacher. I spend approx. 70 hours a week teaching, tutoring, grading..,etc. I am trying to teach these kids, that have been tested, tested, tested. The teachers have been forced to pass on important skills, before mastery to make sure students are exposed to all the skills needed to pass the test. These same students are playing video games, watching tv, using Facebook/Myspace, iphones, and ipods, yet do not have time to do homework. <br /><br />These kids live a much different life than we did. They are not going to learn the way we did! We must find a new way to teach these kids because what we've always done isn't working! Ironincally, I have testing to prove it.<br /><br />I research everything I do. I look at the positive and negative side, then make my own choice. I am astonished that your critisisms were personal, nitpicking, and whiney. Critiques should be used to make something better. <br /><br />I have decided to try this method. My average class will have thirty-one students and I will have a total of six classes. Do the math. I will try any method until I have success.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-36858283738503280852010-07-19T11:07:27.928-07:002010-07-19T11:07:27.928-07:00Take a look at this homework thread from the Whole...Take a look at this homework thread from the Whole Brain Teaching site: <br /><br />"If students have done all their homework, they get to pull a wibbit (for WBT ... get it?) out of a jar. The wibbits give them free, no cost privileges ... like sitting at the teacher's desk for 15 minutes,"<br /><br />Gee. A thrill a minute. Depending on the kid, sitting at the teacher's desk for fifteen minutes may not be all that it's cracked up to be.<br /><br />http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,98/catid,14/func,view/id,3431/#3450J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15157471855492046530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-64465830294070721512010-07-19T07:19:41.343-07:002010-07-19T07:19:41.343-07:00From PsychMom:
Thanks for trying to answer my que...From PsychMom:<br /><br />Thanks for trying to answer my questions NCWBT teacher...but the references you've pointed out are not references at all. I want the science..I want a peer-reviewed journal article that tells me a bit about why this method is more effective than another method to help kids to learn. Just because a person decides that they like a particular idea doesn't mean that it has any validity. And my beef with this doesn't just pertain to your particular brand...it's my beef with education in general. Much of whatever happen this fall in school is just based on the latest trend, on the latest idea in education. Flavour of the year, kind of idea.<br /><br />All the supposed brain links that you suggest support the Whole Brain Learning method are not at all proven. In fact, we use all of our brain, all the time. And yes, teaching something to someone else is often helpful in solidifying our own learning, but this chanting and repeating assumes that the person doing the teaching has learned something themselves. I'm not convinced they have. <br />The example you gave of learning vocabulary words would lend itself to rote learning, which is basically what this method is. Repetition is useful in learning to spell. And as for 70 percent of students scoring C or higher...that doesn't tell me much. All those A's (from the old method) could have slipped to C's.<br />I'm sorry, but you haven't convinced me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-18845062757414737582010-07-19T07:03:17.757-07:002010-07-19T07:03:17.757-07:00Anonymous, keep it coming! I'll start working...Anonymous, keep it coming! I'll start working your comments into my posts. Thank you!FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-17809484146341901582010-07-19T06:17:56.722-07:002010-07-19T06:17:56.722-07:00You go, latest anonymous! I like your style.You go, latest anonymous! I like your style.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15157471855492046530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-16680872278745261162010-07-18T23:30:35.866-07:002010-07-18T23:30:35.866-07:00Hey, I could pick apart these scoundrels all day. ...Hey, I could pick apart these scoundrels all day. They've posted so much utter bullshit on the web.<br /><br />NCWBT's ideas on what he calls "basic neuroscience" are so laughably wrong. Anyone who ever took a pych100 course should understand how bass ackwards their claims about the brain and human behavior are. <br /><br /><br />From their website again:<br />"Some students talk easily, often too easily! Other students fall into the role of passive listeners. In terms of brain structure, classes are often divided between those who are Brocaians (speakers) and Wernikites (listeners)." <br /><br /> That is crap in more than one way. It's like crap to the third power. Crap cubed. <br /><br />And since when are teaching methods "vetted?" Idiot!<br /><br /> <br /><br /> And when I see a teacher using this method (and I have) I instantly lose some respect for him/her. I'm in southern California.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-12797906941833172312010-07-18T21:19:04.234-07:002010-07-18T21:19:04.234-07:00Anonymous, good call. Here's the link.Anonymous, good call. Here's the <a href="http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/Contact-Us/Chris-Biffle.html" rel="nofollow">link</a>.FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-15600901673974988842010-07-18T20:58:58.938-07:002010-07-18T20:58:58.938-07:00Anonymous, that's very interesting. I tried t...Anonymous, that's very interesting. I tried to confirm what you say by checking the WBT page, but it's suddenly down.<br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_Project" rel="nofollow">Perseus Project</a> is run by Tufts University.FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-6488845104841712042010-07-18T20:32:37.804-07:002010-07-18T20:32:37.804-07:00Here's another amusing bit of fiction-
From W...Here's another amusing bit of fiction-<br /><br />From Whole Brain Teachers website <br /><br />Within Biffle's brief autobio- <br /> "Chris Biffle is the author of seven books (McGraw-Hill, HarperCollins) on critical thinking, reading and writing. He has received grants from the U.S. Department of Education and served on the Harvard based Perseus Project...."<br /><br />Sounds great! But Perseus Project is NOT Harvard based. Seems like an easily avoidable mistake to me. You know, get up in the morning, have a cup o' coffee, maybe as you're driving to work at Crafton Hills Community College and ask yourself, "Did I work for/at Harvard University?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4184539467031647989.post-31355230564635995782010-07-17T11:29:41.070-07:002010-07-17T11:29:41.070-07:00NCWBT teaches at a very nice middle class school. ...NCWBT teaches at a very nice middle class school. The school's test scores are a bit better than or the same as the state's average and the district's average in all rated subjects except for one. Guess which one? Go ahead, guess!<br /><br />"<br />Science<br />On the 2009 EOG, 67% of Canton Middle School Grade 8 students met or exceeded standards in Science. This is lower than the Haywood County Schools School District average of 72%, and lower than the North Carolina state average of 68%."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com