As Brain Books were intended to be a student-centered
tool from the beginning, we were very cognizant of our tendency to “take
control” of the resource in a way that matched our personal learning styles and
organizational preferences. We really
had to coach each other through the process of “letting go”. It was very important to us to separate Brain
Books from direct instruction and teacher-driven strategies. Brain Books became a simulation of individual
brains learning, so they no longer served the same purpose of a
one-size-fits-all journal or notebook.
We didn’t want their Brain Books to be carbon copies of our “model notebook,” instead
we wanted individual learning styles and strengths to shine within our diverse
learning environments.
In sharing with other colleagues, we have found the
following aspects to be imperative in keeping with the authenticity of a truly personalized
notebook. These 10 essentials help Brain
Books to remain a student-centered tool, empowering students to take ownership
for their learning in a way that best fits them as a learner.
The 10 Essentials
1. This is a Personal Book: OF the student, BY the student, FOR the
student.
Each and every student’s Brain Book should be completely
different, mirroring the students’ individual styles. Each and every student chooses what goes in
their Brain Book, where it goes, and when to expand their book. Each and every student should see the Brain
Book as a necessary
resource for themselves.
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Pondering Questions:
·
Is this artifact for me or my students? Remember
the words of Sousa, “The brain that does the work makes the most growth!”
·
Will engagement increase with a student
created resource?
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2. Independent Learning Styles and Multiple
Intelligences must be known.
Teaching students about each of the styles/intelligences allows
them to understand their own personal strengths and challenges within the
academic setting, so they approach each learning task with success.
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Pondering Questions:
·
Do I promote self-awareness in my students?
·
Am I continuing to do my job teaching all learning
styles/intelligences so my students continue to use and benefit from their Brain Books?
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3. Frequent modeling by teachers and
students must be used.
For students to understand the
potential of the resource modeling must occur, along with intentional teaching
around the Brain Book. Students must
also understand the WHY behind Brain Books.
Continuously sharing sample Brain Book pages and possibilities is important.
| Pondering Questions:
·
Do my students understand the importance of
a personalized resource?
·
Will my students benefit from creating a
resource that is customized each and every day to meet their own learning
needs?
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4. Organization by the student is key.
This is really the place where “letting
go” was the most difficult for us as teachers.
But honestly WHERE students put information in their Brain Book and WHY
they choose to organize it the way they did really doesn’t matter in the grand
scheme of things. What matters is that
each student has the opportunity to experience, investigate, and understand
what works best for their learning style.
Their Brain Book allows them to experience learning from their own
perspective, adding to and changing the format of the book as their knowledge
increases and connections are made. By
using a personalized organizational style, meaning is connected to the
learning.
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Pondering Questions:
·
What
type of “meaning making” will come from students discovering what
organizational practice works best for them?
·
Can
independence of thought and purpose be supported by Brain Books?
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5. Open-ended access to Brain Books is
necessary.
By permitting open-ended access to
this resource, students are allowed to make natural connections, value
information individually, and reinforce what they learn over time. The Brain
Book is a STUDENT resource, therefore, once classroom expectations are set for
the culture and learning environment and students are taught the complete and
possible use of a Brain Book, the resource should be seen and valued no matter the time
of day. It is okay for Brain Books to appear
during instruction if the information going into them is on topic. They should stimulate conversations and
connections constantly. Brain Books will
be completely different from one another, which is why they should be THE
choice resource- students will feel as though their own thinking is relevant,
important, recognized, and appreciated.
Thus, assume these books to travel everywhere and always be in the
hands/backpacks of their owners!
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Pondering Questions:
·
Do I
see Brain Books as a resource that encourages metacognition?
·
Do I
keep in mind students’ feelings of ownership and value of their own work in
order to increase their engagement and purpose in learning?
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6. Brain Books should become a natural
resource in the Classroom Community.
This resource should be referred
to often in order to review previous learning, make connections, and add
relevant information. Students should
also access their Brain Book often as a go-to reference tool. They will also document their progress,
displaying evidence of their learning related to their individual goals.
Reflections will be stored in their personalized notebook to recognize their growth, innovative ideas,
and associations. This resource should also
be used to share learning by way of comparing notes, sharing connections, and
asking questions.
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Pondering Questions:
·
Is reflection a common process in my
classroom?
·
Can I encourage, then in turn trust, my
students to use this resource effectively for themselves?
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7. Books should be added as the brain
naturally “grows”.
Adding additional notebooks to the original should not be a forced,
time oriented, or teacher directed process.
Only a student should decide when another book
needs to be bound (duct-taped) to their Brain Book. The
student needs to decide when their own brain needs additional space to work
with. Imagine being given lots of extra
space prior to needing it. For some students
it may be overwhelming and cause anxiety to figure out what to do with it. However, on the flip side, if you restrict a
student from expanding their book because you deem it unnecessary it may cause
the same effects. Some brains need to feel
as though there is enough storage space for what is to come and like to prepare
in advance with 2-3 blank sections. As we recognize that our
brains do not increase in size as we learn, the students love this
metaphor and play-on-words of adding notebooks as their brain is filled with
knowledge. It is a visual reminder for
them of all they are learning, as well as a celebration of their personal
growth.
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Pondering Questions:
·
Am I
cognizant of the adage that each child develops at their own pace?
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Do I
believe that Brain Books can assist in recognizing, promoting and
celebrating this?
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8. Daily rituals should be used to
value the thinking within Brain Books.
In our classroom, we have
established 2 rituals for reflective thought and discussion: One to start our day (Brain
Breakfast) and one to end our day (Brain Snack). Our Brain Breakfast is the brain food we need
to get us going in the morning. Our
Brain Snack is the brain food we need to snack on as we head home for the
day. Both involve very strategic
prompts/activities/conversation starters that integrate and infuse previous and
future learning, along with all content areas.
We also carve in 2-4 additional reflection points throughout the day to allow students to confirm learning, self-assess, and/or make connections.
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Pondering Questions:
·
Do I
establish rituals daily for my students to reflect, discuss, and
share?
·
Am I
intentional about minimizing teacher talk and maximizing student thinking?
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9. Brain Books should never be scored.
This resource plays a very
powerful role in recognizing and appreciating that learning is a process. When students feel safe and valued, they are
more open to “muck around” in the learning process. Thus, putting a mark on their resource would
defeat the purpose. We have stuck to not
scoring, grading, checking-off, or collecting their Brain Books. The message has been clear that this is a
resource for them and not us. As they
bring their books everywhere with them, we often see their documented/gathered
thinking first hand. But they are in
control of these moments. We truly want
them to own their learning, especially during the articulation/communication
process. Students should
feel the power in exploration of the topic and their journey towards meeting their
learning goals. They should be empowered
by their own thinking, allowing them to rise from mistakes and wrong turns
along the way. The purpose of this book
is for it to be a resource: a place to
store thinking, connections, new knowledge, private thoughts, goals,
dreams. To put a score on any page would
devalue their brain and the personal thinking that is occurring.
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Pondering Questions:
· Am I
clear with the message that this book is for them and not me?
·
Can
I help my students feel comfortable with putting their ideas and thinking
in their book because it is for their brain?
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10. Brain Books are a vital component of a student-centered
classroom.
Students who believe their
teachers really listen and care about what they think results in students being
more engaged and invested in their own learning, their classroom, and their
school. Our philosophy is to empower
students through frequent choice, reflection, self-assessment, voice, and
providing opportunities for them to take on the role of the teacher. Brain Books facilitate all 5 of these
strategies to occur seamlessly within our learning environment.
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Pondering Questions:
·
Do I
ask my students for feedback regularly?
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Am I
recognizing Brain Books to be a highly effective way of documenting
learning and valuing student thinking?
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~Celina and Ann
