Friends,
How are your students responding to the use of Brain Toys to encourage critical thinking?

On our end of the year writing assessment, 24 of my 28 first graders incorporated, "for example" into their personal narrative! All but one structured his/her essay with a topic sentence, first, next, then, and a concluding sentence! (Thanks to all of that Air Whiteboard practice!)

So, if first graders can do these things, we are proving how valuable teaching critical thinking skills can be, at any age!

DebWeigel:woohoo:

Oh my, we even made a "brain toy box"! When ever I use the word "because" I have 25 kids clapping their hands (we did a little revision to clapper, because . . .slapping didn't help one special student).

The whiteboard with dirty left side is great and the action figures are a hit. We just remember to put them back into the toy box when we aren't using them or really need our gestures for another activity.

Power to the teachers and brain toy students!

Annette

I have to say with my 3rd graders, sockless hand puppets were a huge success when we were learning about the 7 simple science tools! They also loved the because slapper, whenever I would say "because", they would all say, "don't forget the slapper!" I could tell my kiddos were backing up their answers with great support because of the "Because Slapper!" I love the "brain toy box" idea...something new for me to try next school year! Thanks for all the reminders and ideas. It's good to be refreshed over the summer break!

Thanks,
Staci Glass
WBT Intern, 2011-2012

I love the idea of a "brain toy box" where you put your brain toys back into when they are not in use! Last year, I did not utilize the brain toys very often, but after learning more about them at the national conference, I can't wait to use them with my new fifth graders! At the conference it was shared that you introduce one brain toy a month. For those of you that use them regularly, does that work well?
How often do you use the brain toys? With every lesson?

Thanks for the great ideas!

Laura Caisse
WBT Intern, 2011-2012

Laura, as we say in WBT it depends upon your class, how often you use them. With the little ones I want gestures as much as possible. But I really use them during story re-tells, step by step directions, WH questions and when they have to give me a "because". We do use they "brain toy box" so that they are not a distraction during mirrors and when my poor little leaders need to have kids focus on them.
Have fun-these are a blast no matter what grade.

Annette

I like your "brain toy box" idea.

Laura~ Brain toys are a great way to get students to go to the deeper levels of understanding for your lessons. They also help with reading comprehension! I used the compare and contrast, the example popper, and the because slapper ALOT! I would suggest utilizing braintoys as a great possibility in step 5 of your lesson plan format. An easy (and fun!) way to get students use critical thinking!!!!!!

I can second this too, I ask my children to use their brain "toy" box during times they have to teach/ok and need help, or when we are having a BIG discussion.

We changed the because slapper to clapper, (like lights on lights off)so they got the gist of brain on, now tell me why.

Annette

I was wondering if there is anywhere on the website that describes the brain toys? I've done a search and I find posts about them amd how they are working but not what they are and how to do them exactly. Thanks so much.

Mr. Biffle demonstrated these during a Saturday "Webinar". I am not sure (pls. someone help here) if you can still access this.

A simple explination is they are like most WBT strategies a tool to help engage the brain during your instruction, discussions and teach/ok times. It makes that critical thinking remember what went with that concept.

My students use them a lot that is why we coined the "brain toy box". This way they remember to use them. Here is a simple example:

Class
yes
get your brain toy box open (big squeaky creak)
pull out a because clapper,
"The big dog is scary"
Tell your neighbor why "big" is an adjective in this sentence
Teach/o.k.
Kids: The big dog is scary "because" (clap, slide into surfer stance . . .)big tells us how he looks or describes how he looks. something like this. Did this help?

Here you go...This was a handout in one of the WBT Seminars.

The Illustrious Brain Toys

Brain Toys are used to engage the prefrontal, visual, motor and auditory cortex in original thinking, learning’s highest level. The 11 described below add powerful components to reading, math and language development.

1. Air Whiteboard: click to clear screen, pull the screen to any size you want, make invisible diagrams. Good for illustrating the relationship between ideas, creating outlines, anything that can be drawn.
2. Sockless Hand Puppets: great for conversations between opposing points of view: can be used to compare and contrast or in any dialogue situation. Two characters can talk to each other or two different positions can be contrasted.
3. Props: books, pencils, papers, keys, etc. can become problems, ideas, philosophical positions, abstractions, etc.
4. Infinity Sack: Use the Infinity Sack when you need something that can’t be illustrated by a single prop. Pull anything you want out of your Infinity Sack: mountains, cities, people, an ocean, a mouse, a planet of daffodils to use in any explanation ... the prop of all props!
5. Example Popper: Pop examples out of the top of your head to illustrate important points. Always say, “For example, …”
6. Vocab Candy: Pop one into your mouth, say “Yum!” and the next sentence you speak contains a vocabulary word.
7. Two Finger, All Terrain, Action Figures with Anti-Gravity Boots: use them to recreate any sequence of events in a story or a process. Walk your Action Figures on your desk, in the air, up your arm, anywhere. They’re All Terrain! And they hop free of gravity!
8. Because Clapper: Clap one hand on the back of the other, as you say “because” and “build” your position.
9. Compare/Contrast Gloves: Pull on your thinking gloves, check for a tight fit. Lacing your fingers together creates a comparison; bumping your fists is a contrast.
10. Story Gestures: Use your hands to act out a story. "First," (hold up one finger) "the man drove his car to town" (pantomime driving a car), etc. Never use Floppy Gestures … they don’t communicate anything!
11. Combos: Use any combination of the above.



How to Use Brain Toys

1. Levels: Brain Toys provide a year long critical thinking curriculum if you introduce about one a month.
2. Reading comprehension: divide a reading selection into short units, about half a page. Have pairs of students read a unit, use a Brain Toy to explain it to each other and then go on to the next unit.
3. Teach-Okay: Explain complex concepts and then select a Brain Toy that students will use to explain the concept to each other.
4. Mirror: Explain a concept using a Brain Toy as students mirror you. Students then use the same Brain Toy to teach each other or, for a challenge, use a different Brain Toy to teach each other.
5. Switch: When you call Switch, point at a new Brain Toy on the board for students to use as they teach each other.
6. Hands and Eyes: Students watch you using one or more Brain Toys and then imitate you as they teach their neighbor.
7. 360 degree Learning: When we fully understand a topic, we can explain it in multiple ways. Pick any challenging subject, ask students to use four Brain Toys to explain the subject. Then, have them stand in their small group and practice using the Brain Toy to teach each other. Finally, select individuals to present the Brain Toy explanation to the class. This is a good occasion for students to practice at being WBT teachers beginning with "Class" and ending with "Teach!"
8. Math word problems: Give students a list of word problems. Ask them to use one or more Brain Toys to simply explain the problems to each other, without even trying to find a solution. Next, ask them to use Brain Toys to explain the steps in the solution. If the word problem has multiple choice answers (like the state standards tests), ask students to use Brain Toys to prove their answer is correct and that the other answers are incorrect. It is better for students to spend 10 minutes on one problem than racing through 10 problems.

Deb Weigel
Co-Director, WBT Model Classrooms

Thanks for the list Deb!

This is the first year I've really gone beyond the Class Rules component of Whole Brain Teaching. (The webinars and videos have proven rich inspiration for venturing out further.) This year I've woven in Mirror (with my own addition of "Echo Me"), a few Brain Toys, Because Clapper, and Example Popper. We've even pulled out a Sockless Puppet or two recently. I wish I had looked at these marvelous PD pieces earlier in the year!

We're nearing our state test time and I'm really thinking about pulling in Air Whiteboard Writing, too, but, I've really had to slow myself down despite my learners' enthusiasm for these new tools. Teachers are tense, students sense the tension and things are starting to feel overwhelming and I don't want to add to that. Happily, I've begun to see the supports/enrichments of WBT show up in their demonstrations of understanding whether verbal or in writing. They behave like owners and creators of their knowledge rather than merely spitting back memorized pieces and I find them happily, and respectfully, holding each other accountable for their thinking and responses.

I'm grateful to WBT for re-igniting my instructional practice and for providing me with tools that inspire and support my learners.