I was chatting recently with a fifth-grade teacher I’ve gotten to know through our trainings and workshops. I mused that the switch to online teaching last year must have wreaked havoc on her planning. “Not really,” she said. “I used Brain Frames, so planning was pretty easy.”
My reply SHOULD have been, “Really? Tell me about it.” What came out was something along the lines of, “Holy crap, you sound like a commercial! Can I quote you?!” Followed by, “Tell me EVERYTHING!”
She assigned readings and videos. Students took notes on them using Brain Frames. Together they reviewed those notes, correcting and adding to them where necessary. Then she assigned comprehension questions about the content to spur more critical thinking, and students organized their ideas and responded — once again using Brain Frames.
“It was great!” she exuded. “Each kid picked and made the Brain Frames that worked best for them, and they all showed up online with something to say. At a glance, I could see what they were talking about, and we were able to dig deeper and deeper into the content every time we met. Some of my units lasted three weeks! That’s three weeks of minimal planning for me, but maximum thinking, listening, learning, speaking, and pre-writing for them!”
I asked what she thought this fall was going to look like. After an eye roll/shoulder shrug/head shake combo move, she replied, “I honestly don’t know. But if all educators knew Brain Frames, it’d be such a game changer. They wouldn’t have to spend so much time and energy prepping, and kids would have a way to show what they know and are learning. Can you imagine?!”
I absolutely can — and often do — imagine that. And more.
I imagine one million educators using Brain Frames – a set of six visual tools that organize language – and getting more from their students than they ever thought possible.
If every one of those professionals has 25 students, that’s 25 million students using visual tools that help them access rich content, power charge their own learning, and contribute to a learning community by sharing their ideas confidently.
THAT’s a game changer. I’m all in!
If you want in on that game too, check out our next online course. You’ll find all of the information here.