Why Every Classroom Needs a Whiteboard
Almost every classroom in the UK has its own whiteboard. And whilst this is a tool many of us come to expect to be part of the basic teaching arsenal, the humble whiteboard is a much more versatile and creative tool than we give it credit. Whether you already have one or not, here’s why every classroom should have at least one whiteboard in some form or another.
Engagement
Keeping a class of 20 to 30 children interested all day is a daunting challenge, to say the least. No matter what their age, children have a tendency to get distracted and be interested in anything that doesn’t involve learning.Whiteboards are a great way to bring focus to a class. You can centre every child’s attention to a single point and demonstrate your teachings using diagrams, drawings or even images pinned up with magnets, should you have a magnetic whiteboard.
Ensuring these engagement levels are high not only keeps the kids out of trouble, it also allows the teacher to ensure that everyone is learning at more or less the same speed, and it makes it easier to spot those who may not be as focused as they should be.
Independent learning
Whilst bringing everyone together is a great benefit of the modern whiteboard, there are other formats that could be much more beneficial to the classroom.
Handheld and mobile whiteboards are a great way to teach autonomy, allow children to learn independently or in groups and gauge just how well each child is understanding a particular topic.
Whilst mobile whiteboards are ideal for group activities and playtime,
Handheld and handheld whiteboards are perfect for independent learning..
Resources
We all know and understand the strain schools are under to provide the right resources to effectively teach. Whether that’s funds for the whiteboard itself or additional resources for the classroom.
Before the whiteboard, when blackboards were introduced into the classroom, this was a great way for schools to reduce their resource costs with a material that can be used over and over again.
With the whiteboard being more durable than the old school blackboard, schools are able to see a better return on investment as whiteboards not only cut down on resources such as paper, print outs, and writing materials, they last longer too – provided they’re cared for properly.
Affordable
Some people consider good quality magnetic whiteboards as a costly investment, but with modern manufacturing, whiteboards are actually a lot more affordable.But it’s not just this that allows schools to save money, whilst many classrooms now have the technology of a projector available to them, installing a projector screen in every classroom can be difficult.
Not only are whiteboards fairly inexpensive, they’re also a great substitute for projector screens and allow teachers to clearly project a slideshow or video clip onto the right surface.
All in all, it’s clear to see why schools benefit so much from whiteboards and how installing one in a classroom that might not already have one can provide a wide range of benefits.
