Whole Brain Teaching - Management

This last summer I discovered a management style through the Whole Brain Teaching website. I have found their techniques to be very effect. One of the simplist is teach kids how to get their attention back on you. I say "class" and the kids respond with "yes". The students are taught to mimic the way I say it... so if I whisper "class" they whisper yes. If I say class in a singsong voice, they say yes in a singsong voice.    I also have them trained  to say "yes" when I say their names individually.  

For a class motivation, I draw a chart on the board with a smilie face on one side, and a frown face on the other.  The students get points through out a group time for following my directions together as a class... if I have to repeat instructions more than twice then they get a point under a frown.   If they win, they get either extra free choice center time, or we play white board football.

Another key to this was to teach your students the rules daily, by having them listed out visually in words, represented in a picture, and given them a hand action to help remember what to do.  I work in a preschool - daycare center teaching Kindergarten this year and we use the same rules with all the kids Kindergarten-fourth grade.

rules:
1. Listen to the speaker : students point to their ears, eyes, and mouths to remember to listen with all their body parts.
2. Respect my teacher and my friends by doing what is asked the first time quickly : students hold up one finger then put hands together and wiggly them quickly (like a fish swimming quickly).
3. Have fun: students smile ear to ear
4. keep my friends safe: students point to each other
5. keep myself safe: students point to themselves
6. Be a good steward: students pretend to pick up an object off the floor and put it away on a shelf.
7. Use inside vocies and walking feet: students point to their mouths and their feet.