Using Large Whiteboards In Science Classrooms
Large Whiteboards Will Instantly Change How You Teach Science!
Large whiteboards allow students to easily collaborate in groups, practice problem-solving, and be creative with their thoughts. These 2ft x 3ft whiteboards help to make student thinking public, which helps students better understand and remember content. Using whiteboards can also help teachers more easily identify and address misconceptions. Students love writing and doodling on whiteboards.
Science teachers want to be to able to assess students' understanding while addressing misconceptions in real-time, this can be difficult, especially in large classroom settings. One of the best and inexpensive tools out there to help with solving this challenge are large whiteboards! Whiteboards are a great tool for use in a science classroom! Try something different this week in your teaching!
3 benefits for using large whiteboards in science classrooms
Large whiteboards are where the "messy" work happens and are great tool for adding to and revising developing ideas before they are added into a notebook. Whiteboards are a great, low-stress tool for working-out ideas - especially in smaller group settings. Try them out with students in groups of 4-each student having a different color marker so you can keep track of individual participation in the group.
Large whiteboards make student thinking public and are a great way to encourage student participation in the classroom. Students can easily contribute their own ideas, ask questions, and collaborate with others using the board. Gallery walks, adding to others boards, are just a few of the many possibilities of what large whiteboards can offer students.
Large whiteboards are also a great way for teachers to track and encourage the use of academic discourse. Teachers can easily see how students are using academic language on their whiteboards as well as hear how they are using it in their group discussions around the whiteboard. How often are students talking in your classroom and using words that are often foreign to them?
Beginning or incomplete thoughts are ok on whiteboards-Students can easily share their ideas and make changes on the board before going to paper.
Watch the video to see more ideas and many student work examples!
Want to go deeper in your learning new strategies on using large whiteboards in all aspects of your science teaching? Check out the resources below and get trained on new strategies to increase student engagement!
Resources Mentioned:
Large Whiteboards-Get students processing in groups in new ways
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