Certification Webcast: Orientation 530 & Class-Yes 514

"The more we complain, the steeper the mountain becomes." -Coach B.

Last night, I participated in archived Webcasts (Orientation 530 & Class-Yes 514) from Coach B. of Whole Brain Teaching. I am so excited and motivated to climb the mountain to become a WBT Board Certified Instructor. From what I have seen of the program and the videos offered online, this program will do great things for my students!

Coach B. discussed the mountain of teaching. He said that as we are climbing the mountain, there are three ways you can respond when things get tough. You can keep climbing, get off the mountain, or do the foolish thing and keep climbing the mountain while you tell yourself you can't do it. It takes perseverance and determination, but I know that I have proved many times that I can keep climbing.

Coach B.'s orientation reminded me of a quote by author and motivational speaker Denis Waitley. "Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating."  Celebrating those little victories along the way, those little moments that we create, make the climb all worth it in the end. Being a lifelong learner definitely brings with it an exhilarating view.

More on Class-Yes
If you are unfamiliar with Class-Yes techniques, read this original post first. This Webcast was a great extension of the Class-Yes learning I have previously done. It went a little more in depth with some different variations to the Class-Yess process and I gained a few more pearls of wisdom to add to my Class-Yes strategies.

One pearl of wisdom was a variation I really liked called the Core Knowledge response. Instead of just sharing the "Class" and "Yes" back and forth with students, another way to get their attention is to ask a question that they all respond with an answer to. In first grade, this might sound something like, "What number comes just before 99" and the response, "The number that comes just before 99 is 98." This is a great variation for "habituation" or when students are so used to a technique, that they do not respond to it anymore. (Don't forget to use variations in pitch and speed as well.)

Another pearl (although this one was more of a reinforcement) was the need for hand gestures. Students cannot tune out the talking with the hand gestures, whether they are mirroring you or teaching a partner. The motor cortex is the most important area of the brain for memory and using gestures activates it!