Board of Brilliance



Having always tried to use positive ways to engage and encourage students in my lessons, I honestly didn’t feel the need for a board of recognition. I read the chapter in “When the adult changes everything changes” and still thought, no I do that effectively, no reason to change. I then had a conversation with Emma Tate who had a board in her room and said it was really effective. At that point I thought I would just give it a try for a couple of days.
I used a small part of my white board and wrote Board of Brilliance on it. I started adding names and mentioning the reason for being on it…amazing vocabulary, using the text for evidence, always explaining what the student had done to be brilliant. I kept the names on all day so all the students from all year groups get to see who was on it. THEY LOVED IT!
So now, after a week it’s staying! The students are telling me when someone needs to go on the board of brilliance and why! I can see them trying to tell me or show me something they think might be brilliant about themselves or others. They have even asked about other students whom they don’t know and what they did to get on it.
One student has suggested that we have a whole whiteboard just for the Board of Brilliance in the classroom, the positivity the board has promoted is infectious and now the LSAs and myself are keen to get on it too!
When the adult changes everything changes….yes I think it does!

Author SLR

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