White Boards, Let Me Count The Ways.

  I have a set of whiteboards in my class that I use regularly.  I love whiteboards because they are an empty surface waiting to be filled with mathematical ideas.  They also start conversations between partners as they strive to find the correct answer.

I keep a set on a shelf and I usually have some sort of whiteboard application on the iPads but this year they are late getting the iPads out so I can't use those.

Honestly most of my students would much rather work the problem out on a white board than show their work on paper.  In addition, if they make a mistake it is much easier for them to make corrections. I don't know when the desire to write only answers happened but its a habit by the time they arrive in high school.  Here are some of the ways students use physical or digital whiteboards in my math class.

1.  During jeopardy, they have to write their answers on the whiteboard.  I ask them to place their calculations on one half while the answer is on the other half. This way I can do a quick assessment to see where they made a mistake if their answer is wrong.  The version of jeopardy I play is that all the students receive points if they have the correct answer. 

I've found that if you play it the same way they do on television, many of the struggling students give up in a couple of rounds because they are unable to be the first with the correct answer.  In addition, I am able to check every student for understanding of certain concepts.  I use a lot of premade games at Jeopardy Labs that makes life easier.

2.  In Pre-Algebra, I have students draw tiles on the white boards to answer questions like 5 - 8 to find the answer or I have them illustrate in some way basic math for integers so I can see if they understand what is going on.  Yesterday, we did it for simple addition and subtraction of integers and a few had a light bulb go off when they saw that - 8 - 5 gave them 13 negative blocks rather than 3 positive blocks.  Up to this point they didn't see the signs.

3.  White boards, especially ones with a coordinate plane, are wonderful during both guided and  individual practice because I can check work or correct problems more easily.  The coordinate planes allow students to practice graphing and I can spot check for problems.  The other thing, is I can place a problem on the board and students hold their boards or iPads up so I can check their work.  Its quick and easy.

4.  When I have them write word problems using two numbers and a term, I like having them create a drawing of the situation for the word problem first before they begin writing the word problem. As they say a "picture is worth a thousand words" and it clarifies their ideas when they sketch the situation.

5.  If they have questions, they can write it down, signal and I can go check the board so they don't feel embarrassed to ask.  Furthermore, I write the answer down so they have something they can read rather than relying only on their listening skills in a room that sometimes gets a bit noisy.

These are some of the ways I use whiteboards in my classroom to  encourage all students to work.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great weekend.