The one question to ask mini-whiteboard sceptics

Considering this question can help teachers overcome the logitical barriers

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There are lots of reasons to not use mini-whiteboards:

1. The cost of buying and replacing boards, pens and rubbers

2. The time wasted handing them out and collecting them in

3. The opportunities for misuse, whether it be doodling, using pens as projectiles, or drawing objects on them more suited to a biology lesson than a maths lesson

With these obvious barriers, it might be tempting to conclude that mini-whiteboards are just not worth the hassle. Indeed, that is the conclusion individual teachers or entire departments have reached when I visit them as part of my departmental support.

In the past, I have tried to get around this by showing how mini-whiteboards can be used in the classroom, mixing in tips and tricks from some of the best practitioners I see on my travels. And while that works sometimes, those big, old barriers still loom large.

Now, I have a new approach. I simply ask teachers one question:

If you are not going to use mini-whiteboards, how are you going to get an accurate sense of the effort and understanding of every student?

I hear five different responses:

1. I use Cold Call. But the problem with Cold Call is that you only hear from one or two students per answer. Of course, you can be tactical in which students you choose, but you still risk making assumptions about whole-class understanding based on a very small sample of data.

2. I circulate. Walking around the classroom is probably the most effective way to get a sense of every student’s level of effort and understanding, but it is certainly not the most efficient. In an ideal world, we could spend a good few minutes at each student's desk, quizzing and probing them about their answer. But even if we just take a cursory glance at the books of each of our students, that still equates to a few minutes of lesson time. And because students tend to write small in their books, and because some desks are just really hard to get to, you can guarantee things will get missed - see the second example in my Coaching Case Studies #4 post for more on circulation blackspots.

3. I use multiple-choice diagnostic questions. Now, I love a diagnostic question. I built a website full of them, and I use them in many different ways. But the problem with multiple-chocie questions is the answer is one of the options. Therefore, it does not need to be generated by the student. There is also the issue that good multiple-choice diagnostic questions are hard to make up on the spot, and therefore need preparing in advance. This reduces our flexibility considerably to check our students’ understanding in response to an unforeseen issue.

4. I use technology. Technology can be great, but the faff-factor is likely to be significantly more than with a mini-whiteboard in terms of giving out the equipment, students logging in, making sure it is charged, and so on. There are also considerably more cost implications.

5. I know my students. This is the dodgiest of the lot. Great teachers know their students well and may be able to predict with good accuracy who will understand something and who will not, and who will put in the effort and who will not. But we can all be surprised sometimes, and I would take concrete evidence of effort and understanding over well-informed guesswork any day of the week.

So, if teachers agree that getting a sense of all their students level of effort and understanding at regular points in a lesson is a good thing - and I am yet to meet a teacher who disagrees - and teachers can accept that their current way is not optimal, then suddenly the door is open to using mini-whiteboards. Then the aforementioned barrier becomes something to stirve to overcome, instead of reasons not to try in the first place.

Two final points…

I am fully aware that mini-whiteboards are not suited to all types of responses. For long-form responses, I will use Cold Call. For questions with a finite number of possible answers, I will use a good multiple-choice question. I always circulate to check on effort and understanding. But as a maths teacher, I cannot think of a lesson that would be as effective without each student having access to a mini-whiteboard.

Following on from this, I am also aware that maths teachers have it good. Most of our questions are suited to being answered on mini-whiteboards. This is not true in other subjects. I cannot say with any credibility that mini-whiteboard use can be effective in other subjects, but fortunately, others can. Here are some good things to watch or read:

1. Science - Adam Boxer

2. English - David Didau

3. Economics - Mason Davies

4. History - Mr Thorton

What is your experience with mini-whiteboards?

What do you agree with, and what have I missed?

Let me know in the comments below!

🏃🏻‍♂️ Before you go, have you…🏃🏻‍♂️

1. … checked out our incredible, brand-new, free resources from Eedi?

2. … read my latest Tips for Teachers newsletter that - coincidentally - shares a mini-whiteboard tip to improve data collection?

3. … listened to my most recent podcast with Kris Boulton about Atomisation?

4. … considered booking some CPD, coaching, or maths departmental support?

5. … read my Tips for Teachers book?

Thanks so much for reading and have a great week!

Craig