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Kathleen - On behalf of Teachers.Net: Welcome to a discussion about the Brain Based Learning theory and thank you Kim for moderating this live chat. I'll be posting some urls to related information and published materials during the session. It's the top of the hour, so let's begin.
Bob R/CA - our session tonight is hosted by Kim Tracy. Kim is an educator in North Carolina who has been specializing in Brain Compatible Learning for the last two years. She conducts BCL workshops for her county, as well as several other counties throughout her state. BCL theories and strategies for the classroom can be found in Kim's monthly article in Teachers.Net Gazette http://www.teachers.net/gazette.
Kim/NC - I thought I would start things off by saying what BCL is! Brain Compatible Learning is taking the latest research from neuroscientists and developing strategies for learning based upon those findings. Brain Compatible Learning is not a program; it will not guarantee anything for anyone. Brain Compatible Learning is strategies to make the students more productive and the teacher less frustrated. It is an approach to learning that will change the way educators view their students and will change teaching styles for the better.
Kathleen - Check out the Teachers.Net BCL chatboard at http://teachers.net/mentors/bcl/
Kathleen - Sign up for the BCL e-mail discussion group and many other topical and grade level discussion groups at http://teachers.net/mailrings
Kim/NC - Does anyone have any strategies they are using in their classrooms that are considered BCL?
aggie/1/ca - Kim--- I'm very unsure what this would entail--- could you give us an example of how this might look in a classroom?
Kathleen - Read about THEORIES ON BRAIN-BASED LEARNING: http://inst.augie.edu/~crkock/test2.htm
Pogo/MS - I teach computer. I not only verbalize my instruction but also have a written (hard copy) with graphics....
RandyAk2 - Well I'm not sure if its a strategy or not but I'm playing more music at certain times.
Kathleen - Teachers.Net chats are archived at http://teachers.net/archive, so don't worry about copying urls! :-)
Kim/NC - great aggie, thanks! There are various aspects of BCL in the classroom such as plants, music, lighting, water consumption
Bob R/CA - pogo, what is the theory behind that?
aggie/1/ca - I try to do that, too, Randy. But I'm the one that finds it distracting!
JD - We just had a workshop that I think is BBR. We are using water bottles in class for hydration.
Kathleen - Making Connections-Teaching and the Human Brain by Renate Nummela Caine, Geoffrey Caine http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201490889/teachersnet
Kim/NC - most of these strategies can be found in my latest article in The Gazette http://www.teachers.net/gazette
Pogo/MS - Verbal learners and visual learners. I try to reach both.
Kim/NC - great Pogo! We need to reach our students through various learning/teaching methods
Merlyn - Gee, I have little control over the environment in the work area I use. I wonder if that is hindering the learning of my children.
laney - My students react really well as a whole when HALF the lights are off...that way...those who need dim lights are able to get just that
jpm - i play more music too in my classroom especially at LUNCH classical music to help soothe things
Kim/NC - JD, yes! The human brain is over 80 % water. When becoming dehydrated, the brain starts to shut down. Educators often have access to something cool to drink during the day or even in workshops. If that is not available, educators are antsy about sitting in a two-hour conference and often are thinking of other things such as, what ball game the kids have to be taken to that night, or what is on the grocery list. Students operate in the same manner. Reducing some of those feelings of searching for a basic need, such as water, the student will bring learning back into focus. Allowing students access to water bottles or jugs of water with small cups, helps the brain's physiological need respond in a productive manner instead of an adverse manner.
Kathleen - Article: Learning Shrinks Your Brain (but not your memory) http://www.wired.com/news/topstories/0,1287,20712,00.html
sarah - taking stretch breaks to help "refresh" after minutes of work also helps rejuvenate the brain and working ability
MzGrace - Kim we need to have MI centers in our room - is this like BCL?
Kathleen - Cognitive theories of learning: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/library/literacy/fre371/vao443/TKS2569/tks347/tks1937/index.htm
lisa - I started handing out index cards as we read new vocabulary terms in texts.
Merlyn - That is really interesting Kim, never knew that about drinking water!
Kim/NC - Merlyn, it isn't helping! You can introduce your students to having water and adding plants as part of BCL strategies that you can control
Bob R/CA - I think it's helpful when we offer examples of what BCL techniques we are using that we explain why we are using a particular strategy - e.g. hydration is important for what? It facilitates learning when the brain has ample water?
Pogo/MS - Water bottles are allowed at our school too. I also use music, opera or easy listening when they are working (word processing).
Kathleen - In Search of . . .Brain-Based Education By John T. Bruer in The Phi Delta Kappan http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbru9905.htm
Kim/NC - yes Gracey it is! BCL are strategies that implement MI as well
Merlyn - I work in a teacher storage/work room, no windows. I am afraid plants (real ones) would die. Could you use artificial ones?
aggie/1/ca - Kim--- will silk plants do as well as real ones?
RandyAk2 - MI? Multiple intelligences???
Mary/PA - In Kindergarten and First Grade (the areas where I have been working) we have to be BCL (DAP) or we'd never get anywhere :o)
MzGrace - My students have access to water and I play music. I have a problem with lights tho' My room is too bright w/blinds open, but don't always like to use overheads. Suggestions???
Jaycee - Merlyn, try a closet plant, they thrive on darkness.
Pogo/MS - How about smell....I use either a candle or those glade oil things that plug in.
jpm - kim what could i do in an early childhood classroom preschool room or what more can i do
Mary/PA - We use lots of hands on activities, lots of free exploration, lots of linking from the known to the new
Merlyn - What is a closet plant?? I can kill anything!!!
MzGrace - Yes randy Multiple Intelligences
Kim/NC - Merlyn, be sure to print out the latest article in The Gazette, take it to your administrators and they will back you on allowing students to have water!
aggie/1/ca - I do that, too, Pogo.
jpm - mary you should have been in my classroom today what awesome hands on learning
lisa - How about the presence of a small lit lamp--relaxing? is that
Kathleen - DAP = Developmentally Appropriate Practices, a tenet of early childhood education, and constructivist practices, (Dewey and Piaget)
Pogo/MS - What about lamps around the room? What about lights under the cabinets? I have a fake tree that has small Christmas tree lights on it.
MzGrace - I want to put plants in room, but I kill everything!!
Mama B - Pogo, I think smell is an important aspect to learning. It is relaxing . However you have to know your children well to make sure we do not aggravate their allergies
Jaycee - Merlyn, I am not sure of the technical name.
Kathleen - The Myth of the First Three Years: Understanding Early Brain Development and Lifelong Learning by John T. Bruer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684851849/teachersnet
RandyAk2 - I'm trying to get water bottles for my kids but not many have them yet.
Kim/NC - Gracey I do as well. I have one of my students keep up with watering and talking to the plant! Also, have kids dump their access water at the end of the day in the plant on a specific day each week!
Pogo/MS - Hee, mama, it gets rid of the machine smell in my lab.
Bob R/CA - is part of the purpose behind plants in the classroom that they produce oxygen, or just aesthetics?
JD - We heard peppermints before a test. were good. But we were told don't turn down lights. Makes them want to go to sleep.
Mama B - My daughter is using water bottles with her kinders this year.
Merlyn - I think that children can have water bottles in their regular classrooms. I am an ESOL teacher and pull kids for 30 min at a time.
Kim/NC - Pogo, I do as well. Those are great...natural lighting and lamps are better to use than the fluorescent lamps
jpm - kim they have water bottles in your room
aggie/1/ca - I think it's just aesthetics, Bob.
MzGrace - Okay Kim. I will try. ANother question??
Kim/NC - Bob, they reduce the toxins in the classroom. the best ones are Fichus, dracaena, and spider
Mary/PA - Bob, I think a little of both, plus they take the carbon dioxide out of the air
Jaycee - Water bottles were part of our required supplies this year. Our high school students are even allowed to carry them to class.
MzGrace - I am going to have my students take an MI quiz to see what type of learner they are. What else can I do?
Bob R/CA - how about schedules? Are some subjects better taught at certain times of the day, week or year?
Mama B - I know teachers that give out choc candy before tests. It seems to help them calm down
aggie/1/ca - Kim---- did you see the questions that merlyn and I had on plants? Do they have to be real ones or will silk be ok? I think we both have black thumbs!
Junie - We are no longer allowed to have lamps or use the peppermint (we cooked the peppermint in potpourri burners) in our classrooms. The fire dept. said it was a hazard. It's a shame because my kids loved it last year!
Kim/NC - Fantastic Jaycee! And let the students know they help them think!
Merlyn - Do you think being in overly cold classrooms (air conditioning is too cold) is harmful to learning?
m@estro - What about conducting classes out doors. I do that from time to time and seem to get good results
Ginny - Dennison makes a nonflammable paper that can be used to filter the lights in the classroom if you have covers over the lights--you just sit the paper directly on the cover. You can even use different colors for different times of the year.
lisa - what if it is so air conditioned? Does that do anything negative?
Kim/NC - Aggie, real ones are best in order to reduce the toxins! I don't think the fake ones will do that!
Kathleen - Schools for Thought: A Science of Learning in the Classroom by John Bruer (recommended by Howard Gardner) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262521962/teachersnet
Pogo/MS - I like to make it feel like home (good home) for them....where they feel relaxed and not intimate.
Rosa - Do they tend o want to go to rest room more with al the water? How is break time handled for those that do it
Mary/PA - These things are of little use if the learner is not at ease - the brain learns best when it is happy
Kim/NC - maestro, anytime you change your location is great!
jpm - kim my friend in the before and after school program stumbled onto this great idea one day it was snowing and her feet were wet...so before the kids got there she ran to cvs and bought a pair of slippers for herself. now all the kids change into slippers after their day at school
Kim/NC - Junie, try using plug ins in the room!
Kathleen - Increasing Comprehension by Activating Prior Knowledge. ERIC Digest, 1991 http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed328885.html
Kim/NC - Rosa, as with anything you implement, training for appropriate uses of water bottles and when to go to the bathroom is important
jpm - the kids feel like home i mean how many times have you come home and changed into something more comfortable??????
aggie/1/ca - Junie--- I use the double plug in ones in cinnamon--- really smells nice!
Jaycee - Kim, any special scent work better?
Junie - I do now, but I loved the peppermint so much.
Merlyn - I am going to get a plant and add some scent to my work space!! It will make me happier!!
Rosa - Ok thanks Kim
Kim/NC - lavendar gives a calming effect! Plug ins or get real lavendar and crush it, add to a water bottle!
lisa - Me toooo Merlyn
Kathleen - Merlyn, happier is better, right? :-)
Mama B - Merlyn, if it makes you happier, then the kids are going to be happier
Kim/NC - Yes jpm, just like we like pics or things on our desk or around our room that is "ours", the students need that same effect and feeling of "theirs"
lisa - I love this!! I had no idea about the plant and water etc. Great chat room!
MzGrace - I love the smell of vanilla, any benefits??
Mary/PA - How do the kids with allergies react to the scents?
Kathleen - incense and peppermints have been used for a long time to calm environments, it seems that has been reaffirmed recently.
RandyAk2 - Kim my nurse is supporting me on the smells. She said you could put something called essential oils on a light bulb and improve the atmosphere. She said lavendar even tends to chase away lice!!!
Beverly - I'd like to find out more about exercises to help students access different parts of their brains. (Or mine!)
Kim/NC - We also need to keep in mind the importance of having a non threatening environment in our classrooms Neurological research not only shows that our hearts beat irregularly and chemicals become imbalanced when threatened, but our brain's ability for higher order thinking skills and memory becomes affected. Our bodies and brains are built for fight or flight survival techniques. When students exercise either option, it results in adverse situations. Teachers must take that threat out of the classroom in order to create and maintain productive classroom environments
Pogo - I also use the kids pix as decorations. They love seeing themselves. I have a BB covered in pix I've taken at school.
Kathleen - At http://www.marymt.edu/~psychol/brain.html THE HUMAN BRAIN A Learning Tool - you can click on and learn about various parts of the human brain.
Joy/NC - I was most interested in what I read about the pacing of lessons...how the brain goes into overload after 7 minutes
sarah - speaking of pictures, I have my students bring in a picture in a frame from their house and set them along the window sill with mine. They LOVE this!
Junie - I use plug ins now but they do not make the peppermint scent, o I haven't found it. That is the best scent to use.
Kim/NC - Mary, it usually doesn't affect my students although I have an ionizer and humidifier in my room (35.00 walmart!) that I use as well
jpm - i try to make it as homey as possible for my little ones...... actually yesterday one of my 4s came in late looking really grumpy i gave him a big hug hello picked him up and said i am so glad you came... father said its a shame how you treat me
jaycee - I am going to buy some lavender tomorrow if it will get rid of lice!
aggie/1/ca - What a great idea, sarah!
Pogo - I use vanilla.
Kathleen - Read the transcript of a live chat with Rita King, co-author (with Carolyn Chapman) of Test Success in the Brain Compatible Classroom (Zephyr Press, Spring 2000) at http://teachers.net/archive/mi020200.html
jpm - plug ins safe for 3 and 4's?????
Kim/NC - Joy, yes it does! You also only have 18 seconds to grab their attention. After 10-20 minutes depending on age, students need a one minute stretch break or a three minute feedback time
MzGrace - I'm with you jaycee!!!!!!
Ginny - I was trained in ITI and one of the things we talked about was toning down the colors in the classroom. Have any of you done that?
Merlyn - Are you all talking about Glad plug ins??
yinyang - does BCL apply to teaching college students too?
Kim/NC - environmentally safe jpm? I am sure it is okay!
Pogo - I teach k-5 so plug in's are no problem.
MzGrace - How do you mean Ginny???
RandyAk2 - Toning down the color???What do you mean Ginny/
Ginny - We talked of using earth colors and no more than two.
aggie/1/ca - That's what I'm talking about Merlyn.
Kathleen - Yes, Ginny, when our schools have been painted the colors have been muted for a long time now.
jaycee - My plug ins are not accessible to my kinders.
Pogo - Our walls are white except one of them in the front is dusty rose.
Joy/NC - Kim, I think that's the most interesting thing about brain-based learning. Not that I'm not into aromatherapy...but once the stage is set, we need substance.
jpm - i took pictures of every feeling they could possibly have at school each of them having it i took a picture of them sleeping, (tired) eating (hungry) i took a picture of them helping and learning and etc. i made a huge poster and titled it "how are you feeling today" put it in my quiet area when they are having a problem we go over there and they try and pinpoint the prob with me
Ginny - No bright colors -- they are distracting!
Mary/PA - Fleas won't reproduce if you paint the inside of the doghouse light blue --- I just thought I'd throw that in --- some research from the sixties of an old professor
MzGrace - Ginny do you mean bulletin boards, too?
Bob R/CA - glade plug-ins may not be safe for birds, if you have any pets in the classroom be aware of that
Beverly - I'd like to learn more about creating a calming atmosphere - both for me and my students Went to Dr. today and for the the first time was told I have high blood pressure. -- Also want to learn about "Brain Gym"
Merlyn - I have one bright yellow wall and I love it. Nice and cheery
Kim/NC - Thanks for bringing that up Ginny. I see so many teachers going for the bright neon colors and then ask why the ADD students are flipping out even with their meds
aggie/1/ca - But what about bulletin boards and decorations in the room? Are they to be in earth tones, too? I don't think I could live w/that.
Kim/NC - Thanks for that info Bob!
Ginny - 2 earth tones for the room (including bulletin boards), lamp, fish bowls on the table, and plants.
Ginny - That was the model we had in training....
Kim/NC - Merlyn, yellow is a good color according to the research!
Mary/PA - I'd be careful with the scents - if it's not good for the birds, it can't be good for us
lisa - What colors do you suggest?
jpm - we also have a fish and a frog
Pogo - I also have a lava lamp with fish in it. My desk is papered with fish.
Mary/PA - My birds sneeze if I use air fresheners
Kathleen - remember how birds were used in mines!
Ginny - I also had every other florescent bulb removed. Then there were lighter areas and shaded areas for students.
jpm - the frog calmed down my most active child we would be playing and i would look up and say where did so and so go to and he would say i am here with the frog
Kim/NC - Red blues Blacks and Purples and been shown to cause less aggravation and lower blood pressure of students
MzGrace - I just read about the neon and ADD students. Was that your article Kim?
Pogo - I love those colors Kimmie, sounds good!!!
Ginny - The colors suggested by ITI were earth tones...like the grayed colors...muted.
yinyang - Kathleen, can BBL apply to college students also?
Kim/NC - Yes Gracey! It was in my article - http://www.teachers.net/gazette/SEP00/tracy.html
jpm - i heard though if you have an add student sometimes it helps putting neon sheets underneath the worksheet
Junie - USe the essential oils for scents in the classroom. You can find them in the health stores. That is what I used before I was told using my potpourri pot was a hazard.
Kathleen - yingyang, certainly everything we know about how people learn can be applied to all students regardless of age
Kim/NC - JPM, i have never heard that, in fact I have heard the opposite! Let me know where you got that info!
MzGrace - I don't have ADD kids this year, but last year did. I only used neon on the rules anyway.
yinyang - Kim, does BBL apply to college students also?
sarah - i understand have many neon colors would be distracting, but wouldn't tans and grays seem dull? My room is based on a sort of bright blue.
Pogo - My adhd kids are the ones that excel in my class (computer). Please help these lil guys by maybe giving their assignments on computer or have them type their papers instead of writing them.
jpm - i read it in an article a couple years back
MzGrace - I'm pretty bummed about the color issue. I have colorful BB in room
Kathleen - Yes, jpm, and various colors (transparent sheets) can help children with visual perceptual problems see the print
Ginny - The idea being that the room be comfortable--not distracting. I once knew a teacher who had so many colors and so many things hung in her room that you could hardly see the walls. Very distracting.
aggie/1/ca - Me too, MzGrace! I like a colorful room--- not neon but colorful!
jpm - thanks kathleen thought i had imagined the whole thing
Kathleen - MzGrace, remember that there are some students who need the stimulation of color. There are many different needs within a classroom full of children.
aggie/1/ca - Yes, Ginny--- I've seen that kind of room, too. It is distracting.
sbegley - So Peppermint. Good? Altoids okay?
MzGrace - I don't think room is distracting and most BB are at back or on sides, not front of room
Ginny - Maria Carbo has the reading transparencies that block light rays from the page. expensive but worth it.
Kim/NC - Pogo, actually these students that are struggling in school with lack of motivation NEED the computer games and lessons! It is a great neuron rebuilder!
Pogo - Perhaps stick to a certain color sequence like you would when decorating your home.
Kathleen - If you use music in your classroom, you need to be aware that some children cannot concentrate at all with that sort of sensory input. Balance is key.
aggie/1/ca - Yes, Pogo--- that's what I try to do.
Pogo - Right, Kimmie, if we can get them to type they seem to stay on task longer.
Ginny - Pogo, I think you're right on with the color idea.
MzGrace - Pogo my home is decorated many ways. I'm eclectic!
Kathleen - eclectic is good. :-)
Pogo - Hee, Grace, then think of it when you dress.
Ginny - Kathleen, isn't there a time limit for music...like a maximum of 20 minutes?
MzGrace - I ask before playing music and kids can move away from it.
jpm - kathleen yes i know that sometimes i get it wrong and the children think its time to dance so i have to turn it off
Kim/NC - Thanks Kathleen, that is right! Keep in mind the different learning styles of all your students and of the volume levels! Also, more than 20% of you classroom day spent on music will force it to be habitual and will cause diminishing effects instead of positive ones
Kathleen - jpm, LOL :-)
sarah - I have also heard to play music without words or that they would recognize it had words.
MzGrace - what is best music? I have nature and instrumental stuff (Beethoven, Bach) I also have lots of cultural instrumental music (flutes and drums for Nat Amer, etc...)
Pogo - Is it popular music JPM? Play slow music or something they aren't use to.
Ginny - In my learning styles training, they recommended elevator music...it has about as many beats per minute as the heart as rest.
aggie/1/ca - I love my Bach for Babies CD!
Pogo - Good Ginny, opera played low is good too.
jpm - sure kathleen you think its funny come into my classroom actually at first it was a learning experience we had just received a student from ghana i turned on the music and danced one of his traditional dances
yinyang - classical music does too
Kim/NC - Gracey, it depends. I play Baroque during writing or when I need them to calm down. I always play peppy music when they are coming in for the day so they are ready to start with a Bang!
Pogo - Uh, lowly.
Junie - Kenny G is wonderful if you don't want classical.
Pogo - I play Sarah Brightman.
RandyAk2 - I found something called the Mozart Effect and ordered the 3 cds. it has an interesting effect.
Pogo - Good choice Junie.
sarah - I play Disney by the manheim steamrollers...they really like this, i also play bach, mozart etc. I have tried bird sounds etc. and native amercian types and they seem more distracted by that. I guess because it seems too unfamiliar to them. Any thoughts?
MzGrace - See I have 100's of CD's not exaggerated hubby manages sore, so I can get any kind of music
yinyang - how about Carlos Nikai?
Pogo - How about those cd's with brooks running or the ocean sounds???? Any natural I would think would be good.
Kim/NC - Sarah even my fifth graders love the disney tunes and Mickey has a new one out to the pop music and they love that one at the end of the day
MzGrace - I love Nakai music have many cd's
Ginny - Victoria Secrets has a wonderful instrumental tape . . . who would guess???
aggie/1/ca - How lucky, MzGrace!
aggie/1/ca - LOL Ginny!
yinyang - cool
MzGrace - I have Vic Sec Xmas tape and it is very nice!
RandyAk2 - Kim what is that one called?
Kim/NC - Pogo, that is great when you are trying to teach relaxation techniques or during writing even!
yinyang - all right, MzGrace!
Mary/PA - Songs of the Humpback Whale - very calming
sarah - Yes, my 4th graders love Disney. :-) So do I! :-)
aggie/1/ca - That one could put me to sleep at night, Mary! I agree!
MzGrace - Mary have to get that one - we are sponsoring a whale
Kim/NC - I play Welcome Back from Welcome Back Kotter during transition times!
yinyang - too much relaxation-delta waves!=sleep
Pogo - During these HOT days, what better than thinking you're at the beach and creating a writing or drawing etc.
belsey - so when is the best time to play/not to play music
MzGrace - Someone suggested Yakety Yak on one of the mail rings
yinyang - Don't talk back!
Kim/NC - belsey it depends on the mood you want to have over the room...again keep in mind, not to play more than 20% of the classroom period or day on playing music
RandyAk2 - Can anyone point me to a good online resource to buy some of these cds? Amazon or ???
Pogo - I play when they are typing concentrating, not doing games etc.. Deep concentr. time.
Ginny - When you want them to concentrate and you also want to play music...it should be intrumental and not something they would want to sing...gets them off track.
Mary/PA - Yakety Sax is great if you want them to move quickly
Kim/NC - yinyang, true but the brain will shut down anyway after 10-20 minutes so it is imperative we keep those students moving! even for a 1 minute stretch break!
MzGrace - My fav color
belsey - thanks. I am just getting into bbl will start some classes/training begining next Monday and I can't wait
Kim/NC - Randy, you can click on any of the various links beside my articles!
Pogo - Study time at home needs to be in the same room @ bascially the same time. Make it comfortable but away from distractions.
yinyang - not all brains shut down after 10-20 min
Ginny - Now I'll be revealing my AGE! But I love the golden oldies done intrumentally....I can sing them in my head and my students appreciate the good sound.
Kim/NC - The parents of my students love reading my articles each month! Print them out and share with them what is going on! Not only does it help them understand how i am helping their child through this, it helps them when studying at home and builds up communication with parents
Mary/PA - I've turned a lot of my old LP's into CD's
MzGrace - Ginny I love Motown music and it has nothing to do with age!! :)
Ginny - I grew up with Motown!!!
aggie/1/ca - Me, too, Ginny!
yinyang - not sure if music fits in to my nutrition course
Kim/NC - yinyang, yes! All brains will begin a shutting down process and need breaks! that is why our students struggle when they sit for so long during testing. Trying to build that time up to 20 -30 is important but yes all brains will struggle after sitting with no movement and without different trains of thoughts!
Ginny - Kim, do you use MI or LS surveys with your students?
MzGrace - Okay Kim - got some great ideas, gotta get a plant and some scent. Any suggetions for centers?
yinyang - I see Kim, thank you!
Kim/NC - When the brain is concentrating on only one thing it becomes "stale" to the brain...needs a different connector to motivate it
Ginny - How about making centers interactive?
belsey - I missed it what is the scent for?
Pogo - Do you all keep the children moving around doing centers? I think this is great for not getting bored. Do they have lots of visual aids?
Mary/PA - When my butt goes numb, my brain goes dumb!
MzGrace - Such as Ginny?
lisa - I have a student that gets real nervous before any test. What are some steps that I can do to help?
yinyang - so, Kim, this applys to adults also?
Kim/NC - Yes Ginny! I have two I send home with my parents and they fill them out with their child! It has helped me tremendously!
MzGrace - I have books for interactive BB for math and Lang Arts
Pogo - Overhead projectors, TV etc? how much do you use it?
belsey - lol Mary
Ginny - I made some with gigantic light boards for instance.
Rosa - his may sound silly.......but do you put lavendar in water o drink? And how much do you put in?
MzGrace - Kim - can we get copies of those??
Kim/NC - yinyang, adults usually can concentrate on longer periods of time, however, our adult minds usually take so many different paths naturally
Ginny - Kim,I used both and I found out so much about my students.
Kim/NC - Pogo, I vary my teaching to all over the place and incorporate all the multimedia tools!
Ginny - I also had answer cards that went into pockets and the checking system was the matching puzzle piece from the answer bar.
Sunnie - yinyang-- i teach adults too now--- they have a wider experiential base to connect new information
Mary/PA - Open ended centers in my opinion are the best - no right or wrong - free to explore the possibilities
Kim/NC - Gracey, sure! Next months Gazette article will be about enriching the curriculum and I will add that in there as well!
MzGrace - How about the kids that are so addicted to tv screens, video games, any suggestions?
Kim/NC - thanks Sunnie!
RandyAk2 - Rosa i think it is as an aroma not a drink.
MzGrace - Okay Ginny I have some ideas - thanks
Sunnie - i can't use all that stuff like scent and music --- so i vary learning activities with group work and lots of techology integrated into the lessons for variations in learning styles
Ginny - Yes, but immediate feedback centers are extremely helpful to the at risk.
Pogo - Do you all have a desk? Do you teach from a desk or all over the room. We had a 2nd grade teacher where you couldn't see her desk.
Kim/NC - no tto drink Rosa, add fresh lavendar to water to spray in your room
MzGrace - My centers are going to be free choice enrichment, so I am pretty open with them
Rosa - Randy.....ok thanks!! I need o get some for my son! He needs to calm down o class some
Pogo - Some kids are addicted to those screens...if they are learning from them I don't see a problem.
yinyang - I think lavender could be toxic to drink
Rosa - Kim....ok Thanks!!
Kim/NC - true, sunnie! All the suggestions are just that...suggestions...some work for some and not for others, you have to adapt the strategies to what is for your situation!
yinyang - lavender is an essential oil
MzGrace - Today (first day) I taught from every corner of the room, kids moved a couple of times
Mary/PA - I have a desk, but only use it when the kids aren't around. I'm teaching from all over the place.
aggie/1/ca - Pogo--- the only time I sit at my desk is when the kids aren't there.
Kim/NC - you are right yinyang!
yinyang - essential oils are concentrated
lisa - I laugh at my chair at my desk because I never use it either.
Kim/NC - I teach everywhere! On chairs, on stools, on the tables, in the back, front and side of the room...inside and outside...vary your teaching locations!
MzGrace - I built some portable white boards that are on wheels, so they can go anywhere!
aggie/1/ca - MzGrace--- I think moving around a lot in the room keeps their attention better.
Kim/NC - Gracey, share that with us!
MzGrace - I also read (Kim again???) to vary seating of kids every 2 to 3 weeks.
yinyang - Kim, do you stand on the table?
Pogo - What about the positive reinforcent you use? Stickers, pat on the shoulder???? What makes them feel better about themselves even when they have totally botched an assignment?
aggie/1/ca - The pat, Pogo! The pat!
Kim/NC - LOL....depends on what in the world I happen to be teaching...today I was acting like an explorer on my ship so yes I was up there!
Pogo - MzGrace, that's a good idea. We mix our classes at lunch so to keep them from grouping and leaving others out.
yinyang - very creative, Kim!
MzGrace - I got 2 dress racks (on sale 8.97 each) and went to Home Depot and got tile board (HUGE piece - 10.00) cut it down and put it on dress racks with metal rings. I can hang sentence strips and charts and everything on back and they move all over. Best things ever!!
Kim/NC - Pogo, I use a lot of intrinisic motivation in my classroom! Article in The Gazette last month devoted to that http://www.teachers.net/gazette/AUG00/tracy.html
Kim/NC - I wanted to share a few links during these last few minutes.
RandyAk2 - Kim are these states the same as moods or attitudes?
Kim/NC - http://members.tripod.com/~ozpk/brain.html
Kim/NC - http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Kim/NC - http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/songs.html this one is great for songs to teach the kids about their brains!
Kim/NC - http://www.sfn.org/briefings/
Kim/NC - most importantly, dont forget to join the mailring here at Teachers.Net http://www.teachers.net/mailrings
Kim/NC - and check the BCL chatboard or post questions and suggestions there http://www.teachers.net/mentors/bcl
Kim/NC - yes Randy it is..same thing and that child will not learn a thing and you will spend time reteaching over and over if you dont change that negative state of behavior before you begin your lessons
Kim/NC - any other last questions or concerns?
Dux - what's a negative state of behavior?...just acting up?
aggie/1/ca - Kim--- I want to thank you for all your hard work in presenting this information for us! It was great!
yinyang - it's been 60 minutes and the brain is still working!
RandyAk2 - Dux it might be more like depressed or angry maybe... not sure
MzGrace - This was great kim, I always love learning new things
Kim/NC - Dux, anything...when you see a child slouched down in the chair, or with a frown on the face...sometimes a simple pat, or sometimes even just hand them a piece of paper or a book and ask them to go put it on your desk...get them up and moving and they will instantly be out of that slouched position and then you have 18 secs to grab their attention to turn things around!
Dux - or like they just don't want to be at school?
Kim/NC - Thanks everyone for your support! and please read the Gazette each month for the latest BCL article!
Dux - 18 seconds?...that short!
Pogo - Something mentioned at our meeting today.....when you're walking down the halls and in class.....SMILE!!!! The kids think your mad at them if ya don't....
Kim/NC - yes Dux! But the neuroscientist have proven that is the amount of time you have before the brain starts doing its own thing! You need to take control of that learning situation
Kim/NC - LOL @ Pogo that is very true! Great article on that in US News and World Report! Kids struggle with reading facial expressions
Dux - lol....I guess if I check roll, I'm too late
Bob R/CA - Thanks Kim and everyone else who particpated :o)
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