Monday, February 27, 2012
Marcia Tate!
WOW! Marcia Tate ALWAYS delivers! :) After hearing her "Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites" presentation, how do you feel about student engagement and developing those rituals and routines for your students? How did it chagne your thinking? How did this presentation help you as a mentor? How will you share this information with your colleagues? What was your number one "take away" from the day of learning?
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Marcia Tate was AMAZING! I couldn't stop sharing the ideas and everything that I learned with my family all weekend! After hearing Marcia, I now realize why some things work and others don't within my class. I have invested in an air freshener for my classroom, the same that I have in my home. As a music teacher, I try to incorporate some sort of movement into every lesson. This helps to keep them focused for the 40 minutes that I see them. My number one take away was the information about the Neurotransmitters and the fact that a person needs 12 positive interactions a day to thrive. She was awesome!
ReplyDeleteMarcia Tate was amazing! I loved the way she stressed using signal devices such as bells, music, chimes, etc. to manage the class and "save your voice for teaching". These managment techiniques are a wonderful part of the rituals that we must develop beginning the first day of school. The rewards in the form of "family kudos" in the classroom where the kids learn to praise each other using unique affirmations was such a positive tool to create a positive and safe environment in the classroom. I loved the attention that Marcia gave to the brain-based environment regarding lighting, sound, aromas, color, and music. As an educator, many of us have read and taken classes in brain-based learning, but Marcia's presentation brought this information to us in a way that was far less "sterile' than the college classroom. It reminded me of many things that I know to be true regarding positive interactions and the type of kids we deal with daily. Her presentation brought "fresh air" into what can become such a negative place when dealing with the negativity of the kids and often co-workers. It is my desire to share this information with my mentee in a way that will bring "fresh air" for the upcoming year as we face the stress of the closing of a year and look ahead to new beginnings. My number one take away was the section on becoming a proactive manager through the use of rituals that will become habits.
ReplyDeleteMarcia Tate was absolutely amazing! I was so excited when I left that day. I went to Target and bought a ton of plug ins and cd's. The brain-based environment findings were so helpful. The one thing that Marcia said that REALLY stuck in my head was that a person needs 12 positive interactions a day to thrive! Everyone wants and needs to feel appreciated and good about what they do!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I loved spending my day with Marcia Tate. She is such an inspiration. Many of the things she spoke about I agree with and use in my classroom or plan on trying. We definately talk and move a lot in my classroom, but I like her idea of using the chimes or other signals. I use some signals in my classroom along with music, but I can see how a consistent signal would be beneficial. Cornerstone has taught me many of the elements of a brain based environment that I have implemented in my classroom. It was interesting to see that the Cornerstone best practices match what Marcia Tate said as well for the environment.
ReplyDeleteMy student teacher is my mentee and was privileged enough to come to hear her speak, so it was an amazing experience for both of us. We have had numerous conversations about the information we learned that day. She has been eager to try new things and had many questions.
My favorite take aways were the 20 strategies that take advantage of how the brain learns best and that everyone needs positive interactions everyday. :)
I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from Marcia Tate. The information I took away from our session has been life-altering; it has truly changed the way I see my students and even my own two children. I have already put some of her suggestions to work in my home and classroom. Just walk into the front door of my home and you will be greeted with a fresh breeze of lavender…I love it! I also invite you to walk into the door of my classroom and you will be overwhelmed with inviting views of Lakebottom Park. I opened all of the blinds in my classroom and the sunlight, along with the light from the lamp I now use, create a calming brain-based environment for my students to learn. My students have noticed the subtle difference. The biggest “take away” for me is the empowering idea that I have the ability to impact student learning just by making simple changes to the learning environment. I plan on sharing this information with my mentee as well as my department at our department meetings.
ReplyDeleteWow! What an experience! I was so overwhelmed with Marcia Tate. She is truly inspirational. I love the way she used so many different strategies in her presentation. I have since used her joke telling in my classes. It has been a great hit and yet another way of conncting with my students. That was my number one take-away. Student engagement is my number one goal and this helps with this tremendously. From color, to light to music - it's all about making the classroom that much more inviting. This helped me as a mentor because I actually saw all of this in action. Many times as educators we are told things but not shown. With this, we were shown and helpful tips were given for implementation. You can't ask for more than that. I will continue and have shared various things for my fellow teachers to use and try. Some have already told me several things that worked well and some things that didn't and its all ok because I know as long as we are making the effort that we are definitely going in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteWhat an AMAZING presentation she gave. I left with so many great ideas for my classroom. I wanted to share right away with my colleagues about all of her ideas. The biggest thing I have found is that I need to work on rituals and routines for my classroom so that my students will know my expectations, I feel that this is the most important things to make a lot of her ideas work. I think I may have to wait until next year to implement many of her ideas so that I can have my students begin knowing and understanding the procedures. Some of the information I have tried since our meeting and some have worked and some have not. Being on a new grade level myself this year I am also still learning the best way to approach things.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to pick just one take away for sure...but I think it would have to be the great list we compiled of elements for a brain based classroom. I hope to be able to pull lots of ideas from it to help make my classroom a much better learning environment for my students.
Thank you so much for bringing this awesome speaker for us to experience.
I believe that establishing rituals and routines for students is of the utmost importance. They, especially my students, need structure. They need to know what is happening when. I think that they feel more comfortable that way, and then can better focus on their school work. I use music and signals in my classroom. They work like a charm. My favorite thing is my "no yell bell" that plays 7 different sounds. The students know to freeze and look at me when they hear any of those sounds. It is a lifesaver! My students love listening to music when they are doing their work. They have their favorites, so I always have requests. I was taught a long time ago by Louise Tolbert, to use music in the classroom.
ReplyDelete1. I feel that student engagement and rituals and routines are of the utmost importance when trying to teach. If students aren’t engaged they most likely aren’t learning. If you don’t have rituals and routines set up, you’re wasting precious time that could be used teaching.
ReplyDelete2. Listening to Marcia Tate’s presentation helped me to validate a lot of what I was doing. It also made me rethink some of the things I’m doing though and how I could change them for the better.
3. This presentation gave me some really good ideas that I took back to my mentor for her to use. I’m going to give her my book as soon as I get back Monday so she can read through it and we can discuss together some ideas she can implement.
4. I’ve already shared many of the ideas I gleaned from the presentation and I will be more than willing to share more as the need arises.
5. Being a proactive teacher instead of a reactive teacher was definitely my number one take away for the day.
I couldn't wait to return to school to tell my principal all about Marcia Tate. I immediately went out and purchased a classical music CD which I have been using as backgroung music in my classroom. It does seem to be calming for the students. I have been using the celebration chants in my class (I love the three squirt FAN TAS TIC!). I also checked my Airwick plug ins to check the fragrance (both at home and at school). I was waiting for the book to share the presentation with my mentee. It has arrived! I am also hoping my principal scheduled Ms.Tate to come to our school. I think she would be great for our parents too. This was the best and most beneficial presentation I have been to.
ReplyDeleteMarcia’s presentation was very engaging and informative. I really wish we had been able to bring our mentees with us on that day so they could have taken first hand advantage of the insights Marcia had to offer. Everything she had to share was right on point and I was very eager to get back and share with my mentee. My plan is to share with my mentee the handouts from the training session and discuss them with him so we can brainstorm ways he can use some of the techniques in his classroom. Instead of just telling him what I think will work, I would rather share the information, get his feedback about what he thinks will work best, then give those few strategies time to work (or not).
ReplyDeleteMy number one “take away” from the day was the “Elements of a Brain-Based Environment” chart. Gaining insight on the best/calming colors, music, lighting, aromas, and seating arrangements for most effective learning was intriguing to me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to convince my principal to have a fireplace installed in my classroom though. :)
This workshop ROCKED!!! I learned so much, and I actually implemented a few of her strategies the next day at in class. First, I turned off I half of the flourescent lights since Marcia said it is ineffective in the classroom. She stated that it is not good for the brain. I also implemented some of the affirmations that Dr. Tate taught us, such as "WOW" and "Looking Good".
ReplyDeleteHer presentation really put into perspective exactly HOW the brain works. I was totally unaware. The strategies that she shared not only made sense, but she also provided research-based evidence as to why.
As an academic coach, my next step will be to redeliver this information to the teachers. I especially want to introduce Dr. Tate's strategies at the beginning of the school year. I would like to include this material in a New Teacher Packet for our BMS new teachers next year.
I do realize that ALL the strategies may not work as effectively in the classroom as they did with us at the workshop, but anything can be tweaked in an effort to help the mentee be successful in the classroom.
Yvette M. Nathan-Jones
Marcia Tate was outstanding!! Her presentation energized me. I guess sometimes you really need to take a look at your own practices and try and make a change. This presentation reminded me of a course I took by the name of "Brain Based Teaching". Marcia reminded me that it is up to the teacher to find ways to tap into a student's interest and use the brain to help you do it. The students in my Math II class loves to listen to music. The co-teacher and I spend the morjority of the time asking them to put away their headphones and when they refused to do so, we would have to write a referral and send them to the office. We I returned to school on the Monday following Marcia's presentation, we had to send four students to the office for listening to music with their headphones. Afterschool, I met with the co-teacher and discussed with her what Marcia said about how some music can be soothing. She immediately said " it sure does". The next day she brought in some classical music and started to play it during the work session and our referrals have decreased for headphones. On Fridays, for the last 10 minutes of class we allow them to listen to their choice of music, however it must be "Clean".
ReplyDeleteEdna M. Murray
Student engagement and classroom rituals and routines are must-haves to ensure that any teacher can do her job, which is to TEACH. I discovered there are so many ways to make your classroom a welcoming and calm or high energy environment. She revealed some practical ways I can appeal to the senses to get my students' brains ready to absorb all of the information I want them to while still feeling safe and secure (and dare I say welcomed?!) in my classroom. Many people look over what I call “homey” details, however, all together they make for a healthy classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Tate’s presentation changed my thinking in a variety of ways, not just for my classroom but for my actual home as well. As a matter of fact, due to her discussion of the family dinner table, I actually went out within the week after seeing her presentation, and bought a new dinner table – one that I would want to be at and would consider a place of communication for my family (instead of the dilapidated, worn out yard sale bargain that I purchased 7 years ago). So, now I have a hearth for my home, one that I am quite proud of and one that I love to communicate with my daughter and husband around. Thus, I found that much of what she said was so very practical on a personal as well as a professional level, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when I heard we were having a speaker for the day, but I was so impressed by Marcia Tate. Personally, I wish I had heard her speak before I started teaching. She has practical life and educational advice, and I feel like she was the most authentic presenter/educator that I have had the pleasure to listen to. So, as a mentor, I feel an obligation to share what I learned from Mrs. Tate and not only implement her strategies in my classroom, but also share with my mentee in hopes that she will be as equally as enthralled as I am about her brain based strategies. Her presentation also taught me that there is always something to learn and reflect upon. We, just like our students, are works in progress. We are far from perfect, but we can always strive to be better. And that’s practical advice for any teacher, mentor, and mentee.
I plan to read a number Tate’s books over the summer (I’ve purchased several) and share my findings in a condensed fashion at our first department meeting in August of 2012. I feel like I want to do some more research before I present and share with others. Also, it will give me some time to (while I’m reading these books) use them in my own classroom and through trial and error see which works best in my school environment.
My number one take away from Tate’s presentation was to first and foremost to take care of myself. If I don’t take care of myself, I will not be an exemplary teacher, wife, mother, or person in general. All the methods in the world can’t fix one’s classroom environment when the teacher doesn’t first tend to herself. This was a bit hard for me to take in, especially since I too frequently put other things and people before me on my priority list – work included. Thus, I appreciate her reminding me and the other mentors to enjoy life, take care of ourselves, and remembering to live, laugh, and love.
The first time I heard Dr. Tate was in 1999 and I thought she was awesome then. I have heard her numerous times since then and each time her presentations have been so informative and rewarding. To me, learning could not exist without rituals and routines in the classroom. Students need and want structure therefore it makes a difference in their learning. My number one take away was the 20 brain based strategies and how effective they can be used in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWOW!Marcia Tate became one of my spiritual motivational speakers. She filled me with a sense of empowerment to do great things with at- risk students and empower them to take full control and pride in their own learning as they seek a quality education for their future. She spoke of different brains, different learners, and how to reach the hard to reach child. I got so excited during her presentation about brain based instructions that create opportunities for success. She stated that the experiences children have profoundly affected the way their brains are structured and the ways they perform. She also mentioned that students should drink plenty water because water is essential perfusion of oxygen throughout the body and therefore, it maximizes the brain's function. This helped me to become more sensitive to the students asking for water before testing or during class activities. There were so many wonderful things Marcia Tate’s presentation helped me with.
ReplyDeleteI tried changing the volume and lowered my voice when I wanted my students’ attention and it worked. Shouting at times to get their attention doesn’t have place in my teaching environment any more. Marcia Tate reminded me that shouting doesn’t grow dendrites. I established her ritual and routine in class the very next Monday after I left the workshop and it really works.
This presentation helped me as a mentor and inspired me to increase my teaching and learning time to their maximum. I thought I had very good classroom management skills, but I was amazed how my students changed their learning process when I incorporated calm music playing when the students entered the classroom. I made sure I greeted every student at the door. I took time to play the get acquainted game. I shared this information with my mentee in order to help him to better develop his class management skills. I noticed his confidence and saw a great improvement in his discipline skils even in the halls as well as his classes.I increased my celebrating and praising the students. Then I won some students’ best teacher recognition. WOW!
I shared this presentation information with my colleagues through discussions on making instruction rigorous and relevant. They became excited and we asked the principal if she could include in the professional development’s budget, Marcia Tate.
The greeting the students when they enter the classroom and reserved time in the closing to salute them with positive thoughts as they left, and the jigsaw classroom learning strategy were my “take away.”
Marcia Tate was AMAZING!!! I am fortunate enough to have heard her speak twice before. Every time I leave from hearing her speak I am so excited about teaching and am motivated to try new things. I am already using some of her strategies in my classroom, but have not used and would like to incorporate the chime (or something similar) as a signal for my students. I believe that it is extremely important to develop routines and rituals in your classroom. The routines that I have in place in my classroom help improve student behavior and organization which ultimately increase student engagement. I have been and will continue to share Marcia Tate’s strategies with my coworkers and mentees. The biggest fact that stuck with me from the workshop is that an individual needs 12 positive interactions a day to thrive. This is something that I can focus on improving within the relationships that I have with my students and my mentee.
ReplyDeleteMarcia Tate was great! I think about the teachers that yell at the kids and how emotionally beat up they are. I have had students state how they disliked teachers because the teachers always screamed at them. I liked what she stated about the natural colors and I plan to experiment with different colors schemes.
ReplyDeleteExcellent workshop! I learned so much. She showed me great ideas to make my classroom exciting. The idea of music does help calm students. This year I painted one of my walls yellow and it made a difference in the atmosphere of my class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that we as educators need to take care of ourselves. I meditate every morning to prepare for the day.
I really like the idea of getting the students mobile. Its hard as an adult to stay seated for hours, so why do we expect our students to do that.
I also put some lavender plug ins in the wall. Such a relaxing environment. Another thing I gained from the presentation is changing of seating arrangement. I love cooperative grouping.
One of the best workshops I've ever attented was Marcia Tate's Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites. I learned so much from this workshop. I learned things I need to do to be a proactive manager in my classroom. I learned about which colors, music, lighting, aroma, and seating are the best/calming for the brain. Marcia Tate also spoke about positive and negative neirotransmitters. Laughter, exercise (movement), 12 positive compliments a day, belonging, confidence, and purpose strenghten memory and immunity. I want to use all these practices I've in my classroom. I also told my mentee about all I learned, and wish she could have been in the workshop. The biggest thing I took away from the workhshop was the 12 positive compliments a day. Karen Grohman
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the information on Chronic Behavior Challenges. Being aware of the symptoms can help differentiate between the various disorders and aid in accommodating all students that we come in contact with. I will share information gained with my mentee and others. This session made me think about all of the various methods that be implemented in classes to meet the needs of all students effectively and keep them actively engaged.
ReplyDeleteMarsha Tate was fabulous!! Many of the methods she shared I already incorporate in my classroom. What I did not know was some of the reasoning and research behind the use of certain practices. I have always liked earth tone colors and soft jazz or neo-soul music in my classroom. The research she presented helped me understand why the climate in my classroom is peaceful. The colors help calm the senses! So, here I was thinking that I just had the best classroom management ever, and it was the color choice and music all along lol. The main take away was that I foster the environment I want in my classroom; and make sure I take care of ME!
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