POV on WBT

Power Teaching/Whole Brain Teaching from the point of view of a nine year old third grade boy.

(email sent to teacher. Teacher and my son regularly corresponded about mainly homework through email)


Mr. H*.......im not doing my spelling list......it's something about the class. remember how the kids always yells at someone if they lose a point? well, I don't like that.. but I want you to do this speech tommorow:
Class! *yes!* Why do you yell at someone who loses a point? It's just some ink, nobody cares if they win the prize at the end of the day. But if the one who loses the point is your friend and you still yell at him, you will might lose him/her. So, do you think you like losing friends? I guess not.
You must do it tommorow. Please! Im trying to help the class!


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This email was my introduction to Power Teaching. I was at the school at lunchtime when the school's director came up and said, "I read the email your son sent Mr. H and we'll have a meeting!" Since she was very upbeat, I assumed my kid had written something really good. I rushed home to read it myself. Wow! I was so proud to be related to such a wise person.

Mr. H was not as impressed. He took my son out into the breezeway and lectured him that this was Power Teaching and was developed in college by experts who knew far better than he, a mere child and further more the "I guess not." part of the email was, in Mr. H's opinion, sarcastic and not appreciated.

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SOAR Charter Academy's Whole Brain Fart aka Epic Fail!

Look what Chris Biffle's Disciples were able to do in one year! The school started implementing Power Teaching around February 2009.

Check out the Second grade scores of 2009 and compare them to the third grade scores 2010.
2009 Twenty kids, one teacher.
2010 Thirty one kids (20 OGs +11 n00bs), two teachers
And that "19% proficient or above" none were in the "advanced" and none were boys. That's right, of 12 boys 0 scored better than basic. Every subgroup scored lower than the year prior. What a proud day August 16 must have been for SOAR.

The fourth grade teacher did not use Whole Brain Teaching. I and my kid are very thankful for that.

These are the results of CST tests, 2009, 2010.

Scale: % at or above proficient

Grade 2

English Language Arts
48% (2010)
45% (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for English Language Arts was 54% in 2010.

Math
61% (2010)
50% (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for Math was 62% in 2010.

Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2009-2010

Grade 3

English Language Arts
19% (2010)
31% (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for English Language Arts was 44% in 2010.

Math
36% (2010)
40% (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for Math was 65% in 2010.

Source: CA Dept. of Education, 2009-2010

Grade 4

English Language Arts
44% (2010)
Data not available for this school (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for English Language Arts was 63% in 2010.

Math
41% (2010)
Data not available for this school (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for Math was 68% in 2010.