Whole Brain Teaching- Week 3: 5 Rules

I am here bringing you my post on the 13 Week Master Class for WBT. Week 3 focuses on the 5 rules. I am posting about the 5 rules, but my focus this week won't be too much on the 5 rules because  we have been practicing since the beginning of the year and I have already mastered all three levels of the mastery challenge this week. I want to share with those of you who do not know about the 5 rules yet.

Whole Brain Teaching has five classroom rules that pretty much cover every behavior issue you may have in your classroom.

Rule #1: Follow directions quickly (gesture: make your hand swim like a fish really quick)
Rule #2: Raise your hand for permission to speak (gesture: raise your hand and then make your hand talk)
Rule #3: Raise your hand for permission to speak (gesture: raise your hand and then make two fingers walk across your arm)
Rule #4: Make smart choices (gesture: point to your brain)
Rule #5: Keep your dear teacher happy (gesture: frame your face and bob your head from side to side)

It is important in the early stages to practice, practice, practice these rules.

Rookie Mastery Challenge: Review the rules 5 times a day for a week
Pro Mastery Challenge: Have five students lead the rules at least 5 times a day for a week
All Star: Call out the rule number anytime throughout the day when students need a review of a rule due to it being broken; use this a minimum of 5 times a day for a week

When using the All Star level, you are not rehearsing the rules, you are implementing and reinforcing the rule. This is the direction you must take in order to get to Teacher Heaven!


Rule Strengths:
~Rules 1- 3 cover the most common, specific classroom problems
~Rules 4 - 5 are universal and cover everything else that is left

If you are at a school like mine that is a PBIS school, your PBIS rules are included in Rule 4


If you have students who don't go along, create a leadership team of 5-8 kids (no more than 2 rebels). Stand next to the weakest rebel and review the rules, have the leadership team follow your lead. Praise any improvement by the leaders and rebels. If you do this, there is no place for rebels to hide. It is a LONG year so keep this in your back pocket and don't use until you absolutely need to.