The Digital Brain in the Classroom

Did you know……

• Students in your classrooms are digital learners.
• 70% of your students are visual learners.
• The time for the activities you plan must be according to the chronological age of your students. Example- Kinder/ 5 years old- 5 minutes; First graders/ 6 years old- 6 minutes
• The brain is social. Ask your students to work in pairs or in groups- Share with your partner
• The brain needs to see images to recall and learn information- Visual Bombardment
• Your class needs to be free of threats. Teachers need to create a positive learning environment so students can participate without feeling upset if they make mistakes.
• Chant posters provide the opportunity to rap or sing as students develop academic vocabulary. Movement is included when they can dance or move to the rhythm of the chant.
• The  daily lessons  include a variety of activities from the three components: oral language, reading, and writing
• We must ask our students to point to the words when they read to train the brain. Students read in F-pattern, skipping words that interrupt comprehension. Digital learners scan words in a text.
• Provide students with options so they can choose what they like. Ex.- Give out different writing paper to publish their piece
• All the selections they read are related to the theme of the unit. The content is meaningful so they can enjoy and engage in reading.
• The brain looks for patterns. Routines are important so they know what are the expectations for the day.
• New things make the class fun! Novelty is important to motivate them to learn every day.
• Challenge makes the brain THINK!
• During the block students need to listen to immediate gratification so they can feel good about their learning experiences. ¨SAY YES!¨ or ask all to pat on their back are two commands you can use to make everybody feel GOOD!
• Digital learners experiment with technology at home. They can play video games for 2-3 hours straight! We have to balance high tech with low tech to engage them in class.

 Get your tricks ready to teach!