Teaching Tip with Mushkie Lipsker
By: Mushkie Lipsker
@evergrowingeducator
When you ask students a question and ask them to raise their hand, how many students raise their hands? Now, how many students do you get to call on? Usually 1 or 2. How can we engage more students than the ones we are calling on? Whiteboards.
Whiteboards are a highly effective classroom tool because there are many ways to use them throughout a lesson, and each student has their own. Because every student can write at the same time, whiteboards make it easy to hear from everyone, not just the few who usually raise their hands.
Whiteboards also remove the fear of getting something wrong. Since the work is erasable, students feel more comfortable taking risks and trying again. This makes whiteboards especially effective for practice, quick checks for understanding, and exit tickets. Teachers can instantly see what students understand and adjust instruction in real time.
There are many types of whiteboards, each with different benefits depending on how they are used. Some classrooms use framed boards that stay at desks, while others prefer handheld paddle-style boards that are easy to lift and show. There are round ones which are great for drawing puppets and rectangular ones which are great for writing longer answers. Lined whiteboards are great for younger students, who need more direction with writing, and plain white ones work better for older students, giving them more flexibility. Teachers can choose whether students keep their own boards, or whether the teacher stores and distributes them as needed.
While many whiteboards come with erasers, many times those erasers stop working as effectively after a few uses. Single socks are a simple and effective option. Students enjoy bringing in lone socks from home, and they work well without the issue of traditional erasers going missing or not working anymore.
Here are three ways to use whiteboards! (& scan the QR code for the full list of 20 ideas!)
Puppet Show!
Turn your whiteboard into puppets by having students draw faces onto the circles. When reading a story or telling over Parsha, have students hold up the character that is speaking then.
Agree / Disagree
Give a statement. Students write Agree or Disagree on each side of the board and they hold up the side that represents what they think. Pro tip: Have them use two different colors. It’ll be easier for you to scan the room. For older students, have them jot down 3-5 words explaining why they agree or disagree.
True or False Flash
Students write T on one side of their board and F on the other. Call out a statement. and students hold up their whiteboards on your cue. This works for vocabulary, translations, and more.
For the full list of 20 ideas visit https://evergrowingeducator.com/blog/ways-to-use-whiteboards-in-any-classroom/
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