Whiteboards Make Language Teaching More Effective
Whiteboards are valuable classroom tools when teaching a language, says an English language teacher trainer. The trainer, Dr. Dianne Tyers of Advanced Consulting for Education, offers advice on optimal use of a whiteboard to enhance language teaching. She notes several reasons why use of a whiteboard can help students better learn a language. Those reasons include:
- Giving students the visual side of language, so they can hear and see words and grammar;
- Supporting different learning styles, especially for students who are primarily visual learners;
- Allowing fluidity in teaching, so the teacher can adjust to student responses, and not be tied to a pre-written presentation such as a PowerPoint display;
- Re-enforcement of the key points of a lesson.
Organize the Sections of the Whiteboard
Dr. Tyers suggests that language teachers organize their whiteboards in a consistent manner. One method could be:
- Upper left corner – Lesson objectives
- Upper right corner – Lesson vocabulary
- Lower left corner – Homework
- Lower right corner – Lesson grammar
- Center space – Working lesson
She offers some other tips on use of the whiteboard during lessons:
- When writing, use print letters and not cursive.
- Before the lesson, write something on the board, then go to the back of the room to make sure you can read what you have written.
- Try not to turn you back on the class, so your interaction stays with the students and not the board.
- Designate different color markers for different purposes. For example, sentence subject words could be in black; verbs could be in red, etc.
- Make sure not to write on an angle.
- If you have a magnetic whiteboard, take advantage of it. For example, you could post a picture of the word or words being taught.
- Make sure the board is clean. (EVERWhite boards are super easy to keep clean and to keep bright and white.)
- Test your markers before the lesson to ensure there is enough ink in each of them.
Get more details on Dr. Tyer’s advice at her step-by-step YouTube presentation on the role of whiteboards in teaching education.