Susan Fitzell’s Educational Blog

I’m a huge advocate for using individual white boards for participation. I just worked with a teacher who added one more option to this strategy: Sheet protectors. 

Cover the whiteboard with a sheet protector with two sides cut so it easily slips over the board. Then students can work out math problems on the ’sheet protected white board”. When called up to the overhead projector to show how they worked out the problem, they simply take the sheet protector off the white board and lay it on the overhead. Voila! they have a visual to explain their process to the class! Encourage students to speak slowly and clearly when explaining their process for solving the problem.

 Here’s the original instructions for using white boards to encourage class participation. It has been excerpted from my book, “Special Needs in the General Classroom: Strategies that Make it Work!” p. 110. http://www.aimhieducational.com/Books/CogentCatalystPublications.html

Use marker boards to encourage participation:

Every student has a

• Whiteboard
• Dry-erase marker or wipe off crayon
• Little kid sock (for wiping and storing marker or crayon)

1.      Teacher asks a question.

2.      Students write answers on white boards.

3.      After fair amount of time, teacher asks students to hold up boards.

• The teacher can see how ALL students are doing in one look across the room.
• It stops blurters.
• Allows those that need processing time to finally get it!

I’m always recommending that teachers use storytelling as much as possible to convey important lessons. Instruction is more memorable when presented in a ’story’. Stories connect with previous learning, with emotions, and patterns in long term memory. They are an excellent way to teach. Many of us, however, don’t feel confident in our storytelling skills. Here’s a wonderful workshop presented by a colleague of mine that remedies that lack of confidence!

Telling Stories to Children
4 Day Course with with nationally revered storyteller and educator Judith Black in the seaport town of Marblehead, MA 01945  June 23, 24, 25, 26,  2008.

Storytelling speaks simultaneously to the heart, imagination, and intellect of the listener.  There is no better teaching tool for bringing literature and curriculum alive. Come and learn how to shape your curriculum material into stories that will resonate for your students.  Explore your own power and possibilities as a teller, and expand your techniques for teaching  science.  Massachusetts PDP’s offered.

Fee: ($375) For more information contact
Judith Black E-mail : jb@storiesalive.com  phone: 781-631-4417
www.tellingstoriestochildren.com