Teach-okay

Together we reach the goal and this is where the 6th and 7th Big 7 takes place.
Let´s start with 

In WBT it is very important to bring in a sense of belonging to the class as a team, where everybody helps and supports one another and promotes the ability to accept and value the diversity that exists in the class.

What are we talking about? We´re talking about...

 COOPERATIVE LEARNING

I promise I will have a post talking about how I work deeply into this but today I will focus more on "teach okay"

As I was saying we want to work as a team and not have us teachers to talk and talk and talk. 
Remember our Whole Brain Teaching rule: 

"The more we talk, the more students we lose."

Disciplining yourself to speak in units, this is, chunking information, that are 30 seconds or less and then having your students repeat your message to each other makes a big difference.Why? Let me tell you....

It allows you to cover more material, not less. 

WBT calls this approach micro-lessons. You present a few points; your students repeat them to each other; you present a few more and so on.
Through this video I will try to show you how it works.

What do you think you will see what happens?

We got them all to Energetically teach each other ... but even more!!!! Teach – okay involves seeing, saying, hearing, doing and feeling, lessons that stimulated the whole brain.

Don`t forget!!! 

• When studunts are teaching each other we are walking around the room, checking comprehension saying "Good gestures" or "Please, use gestures"
• If students can´t paraphase your lesson to each other....re-teach it!
• When a kid has "shoelaces in its mouth" that is, not following the lesson, we will address this kid while the others are on the teach-okay task and not stop the lesson.

"Oh mama, kiss your brain!"

What is Switch?

Remember we said we will all be in pairs....well, "Switch" is going to make the pairs become ones and twos, where the ones will be the teachers and use big gestures while they talk and the twos will be the listeners and use listening gestures while they listen. (Listening gestures can include holding a hand to their ear, nodding their head, silently mirroring the gestures of the speaker, rolling their hands as if to say, “tell me more!”) 

What do I do?

When I say teach all student say okay, make a full turning body facing each other and the ones stand up and do the talking as they are the teachers and the twos stay sitting and do the listening as I said above. Then, when I say "switch," students exchange a high five and say "Swich,"  the twos will become the teachers and the ones the listeners.This will go on until I say switch or class-yes.

Let me tell my bilingual teachers here in Spain...

You surely will get communitive competence rolling into your class!

 Keep rocking with WBT!