I was fortunate to attend the
Grow Dendrites: 2o Strategies that Engage the Brain conference presented by Marcia Tate. After viewing myself teaching a few weeks ago, I realized that I needed something new... I have one class that I see for two class periods every day, so I needed to find a way to get them more engaged and excited about learning. This class is for kids struggling with English, so they come to me with a not-so-enthusiastic attitude. So, I decided to attend this conference, and I am thrilled that I did!
Marcia Tate is a very engaging and funny presenter. It was great to feel like a student again, and to have so much fun doing it. Dr. Tate has 20 strategies that she uses to engage the brain for better comprehension and retention, not to mention student enjoyment in the class. I struggle with transitions in my classroom, so when Dr. Tate used music to move us from one activity to the next I knew that I was at the right conference. It is music with a purpose, not just for the sake of music. My goal is to work on this for the rest of the semester. She has written several books, including one on what type of music to use in any given lesson. This is definitely on my Christmas wish list. :)
Another interesting approach that she uses was in regarding to partners and grouping. She required that we find two "dates" for the day. At various times through the conference, we had to go on our "dates" to review what we were learning. Her philosophy is that two brains are better than one, and that when students interact and help one another, they are learning better. We were also ducks and geese. Instead of partners bickering about who will do what, kids just pick a duck or a goose. Then, when it comes time to get something done with a partner, there is no discussion about responsibility. The teacher simply says who will complete the task - the duck or the goose. This is another one of my goals, to include more group/partner work in class. Students do not need to work together all the time or for large amounts of time. Simply getting them out of their seats and acting out information or quickly reviewing with a partner can make a great difference in a classroom.
I encourage any teacher who needs to liven things up or remember what it means to have fun in the classroom to attend one of her workshops. What an amazing feeling! She also teaches a great deal about how the brain functions and why teenagers do really dumb things! I have included a few websites that offer more information on Marcia Tate and her brain research as well as the publishing company for her books.
Corwin PressDeveloping Minds, Inc.