The Brain - Part I

I have been sitting in a teacher training all week. The training is interesting. Both the teacher presenter (the teacher teaching the students live in front of us) and the teacher trainer (the teacher monitoring, explaining, facilitating us as we watch the class) are both very, very good. They are very good classroom teachers. Flowing with information. Kind but firm with the students. Positive. Polished. They are a credit to our profession.

But I am squirming in my seat. Talking to my neighbor. And occasionally zoning out.

In other words, I am being some of my students.

So I need to break this down for my self. I need to look at factors and take this - as well as the wonderful training - back to my site and my classroom.

1. Time - the first class period they are being asked to sit through? A straight stint from 7:50-10:20. WOW - 2 1/2 hours. Interestingly enough, most of the students are far more with it for far longer than I would have guessed. They really do not fall apart. What is going on?

2. Movement (even 5 minutes to go sing a chant, which definitely breaks up time, and moves the group from different parts of the room.

3. Pacing - not more than 20-30 minutes on a sitting task. Or any task.

4. Limit lecture - 10-20 minutes interspersed with oral processing.

5. Other modalities - dancing, standing, drawing, singing - gets things moving

6. Talking - lots of 10-2s or heads together - talk, talk, talking

7. Social goals as well as academic

8. Easier at 8AM - harder at noon. They get hungry. I am feeling for my students denied food till 12:50 - I am starting to buy the snack idea...

Class starts at 7:30, so off I go.

DAYS TO 50: 427.