A disadvantage of coursebook presentation of language points is that they are static.\u00a0 The student\u2019s eye can focus on specific information as she studies a language point step by step, but the page is nearly always crowded and it is harder to focus students\u2019 eyes where and when you want them to, and to emphasise key points.\u00a0 A whiteboard solves this issue.\u00a0 A language point can be developed from a single word or phrase, arranged or tabulated as you wish, with information elicited or provided directly by students visiting the board in person.\u00a0 Language features can be indicated easily and examples and activities used to illustrate the point as you go along.\u00a0 Students are more likely to learn at the same pace and the process is communicative and collaborative.<\/p>\n
This is not to say there is no place for students studying alone at their own pace, but in the time-restricted, communicative classroom this form of collaborative discovery \/ study is a great tool.<\/p>\n
What you write on the board can then become a reference for when students activate the language point in controlled practice.\u00a0 You can produce activities in reference to it and return to the relevant parts when offering feedback and correction.<\/p>\n
In short, the board is a dynamic, focused, heads-up medium which can foment group understanding and provide a common reference point for continued study and practice.\u00a0 This is in contrast to a coursebook which tends to be more static, diffuse, heads-down and individual.<\/p>\n
Here is a quick example of how I recently demonstrated modals of speculation, present and past.\u00a0 We (my students and I) built up the table collaboratively adding examples together, studied the features of the language point with it and used it as a reference for practice and feedback. \u00a0The photo is the final picture but there were many intermediate stages as the information gradually built up.<\/p>\n
The group mind<\/strong><\/p>\n The whiteboard is the ultimate brainstorming tool.\u00a0 Its white space gives students the chance to be creative together.\u00a0 I like to use it to mark out a process.\u00a0 If, for example, you are going to look at nature (to personalise, perhaps \u2018how we interact with nature\u2019) we can brainstorm ideas, then form questions from those ideas and carry out a questionnaire before looking at vocab, moving on to printed material, etc.\u00a0 Here is an example:<\/p>\n You could even brainstorm another stage in the mind map as a group to enrich the discussion in pairs or groups.\u00a0 For example, in the ‘science’ segment:<\/p>\n What do you know about natural sciences? Can you give any examples?<\/strong><\/p>\n In this way, the students create a schema or topic guide in a multi-stage process to help produce an involving and varied communication activity.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Notebook builder<\/strong><\/p>\n One thing I am conscious of in my classes is how short they are (usually 90 minutes) and how much we have to fit into them to encourage real progress.\u00a0 An important aspect of learning and learner autonomy is note-taking.\u00a0 Note-taking in class can be a useful aid to students in understanding information and having time to absorb it.\u00a0 However, at times there may be too much information to note down in such a short time and the note-taking itself may supplant engagement with the topic and involvement in the communicative activity of the class. A subsequent problem is that having made what may be hurried notes, a student does not want to write them up or expand on them outside of class.<\/p>\n A solution to this is to take photos of the board and send them to students to use as material to write up and organise notes.\u00a0 I think this has the advantage of enabling the student to engage, heads-up, with the subject matter and avoid the anxiety of missing something.\u00a0 This frees up time and thinking power to absorb info and express doubts, ask questions, etc.<\/p>\n Out of class it also provides a clear visual link to class activity (to mentally revisit class content) and a more motivating way to revise and keep an effective notebook.<\/p>\n A simple technique, but an effective one that students really respond to!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Activity centre<\/strong><\/p>\n Whiteboards can make us tend to think in teacher-centred ways: we focus information there for digestion by students and use it to highlight language that we think is useful.\u00a0 The fact that it is generally in front of the students and behind the teacher tends to reinforce this effect.\u00a0 However, there are many opportunities to hand control of the board over to students.\u00a0 The brainstorming activity above is an example of that.\u00a0 Others could be board races or hot-seating to dynamise study or activation phases of a class, or gap-fills and corrections for study or feedback phases.<\/p>\n A more extended example might be using a board to prepare a debate.\u00a0 Teams nominate a scribe, or all get stuck in if the group is relatively small, listing their points on each side of the board (see example).<\/p>\n What is the advantage of this approach?\u00a0 The students create a common reference for their ideas, which everyone can see.\u00a0 Therefore, they can plan how to counter their opponent\u2019s points (adding information accordingly) and a valuable preparation stage is created which will allow for better performance in the debate itself.\u00a0 The lists can also be used as a reference in a feedback stage: \u2018what did you say about this?\u2019, \u2018could you have added anything else?\u2019, etc.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/virtualcampus.kingstraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/modals.jpg\")
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