Dry Erase Boards Creates a Culture of Conversation While Encouraging Small Group Interactions
In the realm of education and instruction, collaboration is a hot topic. The mathematics classroom thrives on collaboration among students, fostering deeper thinking. Use of dry erase boards can enhance problem solving, boost self-confidence, and assist in the practice of mathematics. This Best Practice offers advantages to the teacher and student.
For the teacher, the benefits of using dry erase boards to foster collaboration are easily observed. Teachers can utilize various techniques with these materials to elicit more productive responses. The teacher can move about the room, listening to dialogue and observing collaboration in action. Depending on the method used, once students have responses, the teacher can instruct students to go share their results with another student to add an additional layer of collaboration. Teachers may choose to have students hold up their boards with their response and can easily determine where intervention or extension are needed. Teachers may also choose to check a few answers then have students check the remaining answers. This provides yet another opportunity for collaboration.
For the student, the benefits of using dry erase materials are numerous. Students enjoy using hands-on materials. Their focus tends to change when they have the opportunity to move around and collaborate with their peers. Regardless of the activity used with dry erase boards, students can be observed sharing their ideas with each other and are eager to do more.
The Best Practice of using dry erase materials to foster collaboration can be very successful in any classroom. Teachers will find success in offering students opportunities for collaboration. The more often students have opportunities to work with their peers, either one on one or in a small group, the more likely they are to gain confidence in their abilities to discuss and explain their thought processes.
Challenges or Obstacles
- The challenges of using dry erase boards include obtaining the funding to purchase white boards, graph boards, erasers, and markers at the beginning of implementation.
- Once the basic materials are acquired, the ongoing maintenance of the boards is low.
- Markers dry out and have to be replaced periodically which can be costly.
Benefits and Successes:
- The benefits of using dry erase boards are described in the supporting document.
Additional Information:
collaboration-with-dry-erase-boardsSubmitted by: Anna Spencer, Southside Middle School