Play 5
Mini Whiteboards
What is it?
Whole class response (WCR) systems are quick ways for teachers to assess the understanding of all of their students at key points in the lesson. The use of mini whiteboards (MWB) are an example of a WCR system.
Why is it important?
The best teachers ask a large number of questions and check the responses of all students. By asking questions about previous or relevant material, students can practise retrieval and cement their overall learning (Rosenshine’s third principle of instruction).
Effectively using mini whiteboards as a routine part of checking for understanding allows teachers to gauge understanding of the whole class quickly. You won’t be able to necessarily read every response, but you will be able to ensure participation ratio - where every student is taking part, use a key sample of your class to gauge common errors and common understanding.
As well as this, the use of effective MWB to check for understanding supports less confident students to practise attempting to answer a question before they are called upon to elaborate. WCR systems are best combined with cold calling. Research has found that classes with ‘high’ cold calling rates caused students to volunteer to answer more questions over time. The number of students raising their hand to answer a question also increased (Doty et al, 2020, Dallimore et al, 2019).
What to do:
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Intellectually prepare (IP) IP the questions for MWB. Your IP should ensure: 1. Prerequisite check: knowledge the students must have for you to teach a certain topic. 2. High ratio: ensure every student is thinking hard and participating. IP for how you might need to reteach something should your students not understand the prerequisite question. |
Write and hover Front load your instructions for MWB with means of participation When I say go, in silence, you will answer the question and hover (have the board facing down) until I say ‘show me’. The question is…[ask the question]. Ready? Go! Be seen looking as they write. |
Countdown to ‘show me’ Make the students show you their answers at the same time but you must model the how - you don’t want waving, floppy boards. You want them upright and ordered. On my count, and not before, you will show me your boards… 3, 2, 1, show me! |
Gather data intelligently Use your knowledge of your class to look at the answers of your target students - the ones who will give you a gauge of the rest of the class. If those students get the answer, you can estimate that the rest have. If they don’t, you can re-teach and do it again. |
Respond to your data Depending on the responses, adapt your teaching. If you find they do not have the prerequisite knowledge, you must reteach before you can continue. If they do have the knowledge, you can confidently continue your lesson knowing they will be able to access what you have prepared in that lesson. |
Activate existing knowledge for meaningful learning
Checking prerequisite knowledge