WBT Book Study

122 Amazing Games!  Book Study 

Part 1

Part 1 of our book study will be focused on Chapters 1-3 as well as the First Words.  Please read the chapters, the discussion below, and watch at least one WBT in action video.  At the bottom of part 1 you will find a google form (most of the questions are directly from the book!) to complete the questions.  Once you have submitted the form you will receive a completion certificate that will document your PD for Grandville Public Schools.  (If you are visiting the blog feel free to join the book study!)

Be sure to check out the brain diagram at the beginning of the book!  Knowing how the brain works is the key to understanding how we deliver content to our students. 

In the introduction to the book, Chris Biffle shares some of the problems in today's educational system.  As you read the next 3 chapters be sure to think about how the "games" of Whole Brain Teaching might address the very problems educators are facing today.

Chapter 1 Overview

The author makes what some may consider a bold statement stating that we have a choice to do something.  Notice your reaction to that statement.  At times it can feel like the odds are stacked against us, but are we willing to try something new, to look at how our teaching may be less than supportive of how our students learn?  I will be the first to admit that it  was quite humbling to realize some of my teaching techniques were in fact slowing down my classroom progress and I was inviting battles that didn't need to be fought.  I just want to encourage you as you dig into the book, to look at what you are doing through a different lens.  Some of what you are doing might be EXACTLY perfect for you and your students.  But be willing to look at what you are doing through the eyes of your students.  Consider how your own children might react to what you are doing in your classroom.  What would work well for them?  What ideas in the book might work better than what you are currently doing?    This book is NOT about changing everything you do in your classroom!  It is about finding a few things that might bring back a joy to teaching and learning that might feel a bit distant!

Chapter 2

The first sentence of Chapter 2 is one of the reasons I love WBT!  It is not just a classroom management tool, it is a TEACHING tool.  They are intertwined!  Having taught for many years I have watched classroom management and behavior management techniques come and go.  As you read Chapter 2, notice which of the BIG 7 seem like a good fit for you.  How could you be using them for both classroom management and teaching?  

Chapter 3

There are 10 games discussed in this chapter.  As you read the chapter, think about which ones you could start using in your room immediately, in the near future, or next semester. Think about each one and decide how it would fit in your classroom.  Notice at the end of the chapter there is a guide for how you spread the games out over the whole year.  YOU DON"T HAVE TO DO IT ALL RIGHT NOW!!!

Videos 
Please go to the WBT in Action Videos tab on the blog and watch at least one of the lessons for your grade level (you may want to explore others!) before you fill in the form below. 

To get PD please complete the attached form!  Your answers will not be public and are not shared.  I will simply use your response to guide future PD and to get you your certificate of completion.  Feel free to be honest, there is no judgement!

Book study response form