I was wondering, if a child is going in to fourth grade and his new teacher is into Whole Brain Teaching but his previous teachers have not used it. How easy would it be for the student to catch on?

I have new students in my class all of the time. . I always give the new students 1 day to sit back and observe and then the next day I expect them to join in. Whole Brain Teaching is so simple for the students to pick up on, I don't think your student will have any trouble! None of my students have ever experinced Whole Brain Teaching before my class, and now they are pros!

It takes no time at all for them to catch on, particularly because the whole class is doing it, and it's predictable, repetitive, and relatively natural. Many, like Sarah mentioned, will be shy the first day, but they catch on quickly and easily. For them it's simple. For the teacher, there's alot to remember and focus on, but the kids get the easy part.

It only takes about three or four days for the new kids to learn the basics. Typically I will assign one of my more adept students as the official "Training Partner" for the new kid. They will walk the new kid through the basics and explain each element as the the new kids sees it done in class. This way they get experience with the explanation.

In my particular grade level 2 out of the 3 teachers are using Whole Brain Teaching. Those students who come from the class that is not using WBT quickly learn the methods from the students who are already using it. IT'S CONTAGIOUS! The great thing about it is WBT is a cooperative type of learning and the gestures are always changing. So even the students who are already using it are still learning new techniques as well. It really fosters continual learning and growth. I get so much positive feedback from students who are coming from non-WBT classrooms to ours.

lol Your comment about the positive feedback from students from non-WBT rooms made me think of something.

Do you ever feel guilty about sending your WBT kids to non-WBT teachers the next year? How are they going to live up to it? :-P

I have actually already had several kids this year who have asked if any of the teachers at the high school use Whole Brain Teaching. They do not seem enthused that only four or five are starting to use it so far.

Last year's kids accosted me early on this year and begged me to come up and show some of their teachers how to do Whole Brain Teaching.

I know it will eventually spread far and wide, but for now we can only feel sorry for those who will only experience WBT in one or two grades (sniff!) and try harder to spread the method to more people.

I know what you mean...although I'm really happy if students "lean" on their teachers to use the method. In a way it supports PT and encourages others to take it seriously.

Totally easy! I have 3rd graders, and even my SPED students caught on quickly... and love it. WBT is a very simple (yet effective) method of classroom management.