If there's a piece of learning equipment that is the most useful and most utilised in Room 2 it has to be the humble whiteboard.
They are used daily in Mathematics and are a brilliant tool. The kids can write down their strategies without fear of having their 'mistakes' forever captured in their books. A lot of kids don't want to see their 'nearly theres', and so whiteboards are brilliant for application and practise of new skills and learning. They allow a kind of risk-taking that comes with knowing that mistakes can be erased quickly and that there will be no record. Likewise the poster-like qualities of the board (large lettering, bold colour) allow the kids to flash (the act of flicking their hidden board around to show me their answers) their successes proudly when working on the mat.
Another great thing about whiteboards is that they give children permission to be messy - with a whiteboard they can focus on the important thinking stuff without being bogged down by the neatness (a potential constraint) that is generally expected in book work. They allow a kind of freedom that often results in bolder and more creative thinking.
The photos attached were taken over the last two days, and show work from Reading and Mathematics. Whiteboards are also used during Spelling and also for doodling while I read to the class. (I wonder how many people know that research shows that doodling improves listening comprehension?!)
All hail the mighty whiteboard!
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| Yay Nessa. You go girl! |
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| Yup, that'll be the scenario where the mad cat woman decides to build an enclosure for her hundred cats. |
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| Cailan writes a definition for the term 'seed bank'. Rock on, Cailan |
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| Unpacking tricky vocab proves no problem for Jared |
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| Carol discovers that if you want to swim Cook Strait you've got to be committed. |
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