1. Whiteboarding In The Classroom
Dr. Dan MacIsaac, Department of Physics, SUNY Buffalo State College,
Thought is not merely expressed in words; it comes into existence through them.
Lev S. Vygotsky, Thought and Language, 218.
This presentation will be used to discuss whiteboard discussions now that participants have had opportunity to experience them on several occasions during the institute. It will serve as a good summary for them and answer questions that they may have. It comes from Dan MacIsaac who was at the University of Northern Arizona where he led several modeling wokrshops.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

2. What are Whiteboards? 32" x 24" pieces of white tile board
written on with dry erase markers, cleaned with paper napkins
6 boards from a 4' x 8'
Playscapes (800)
described in 1995 AJP Modeling Physics article by Wells, Hestenes and Swackhamer
foster student collaborative learning in groups by 'anchoring student dialogue in a concrete artifact‘
(D. Hestenes, private communication)
Participants often want to know where they can get whiteboards. They are inexpensive to make.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

3. What are Whiteboards? provide a concrete venue to ground student
Photo show a student presenting her conclusion about diffraction. Student articulate their thinking and understandings.
provide a concrete venue to ground student
discussion of experiments and problems
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

4. Why should I use Whiteboards?
foster student dialog by providing venue, expectations, opportunity as regular classroom practice
foster alternative representations of problems by sketches, graphs, system maps, motion diagrams, pie charts, equations, etc.
greatly increase student dialog; use class time to discuss ideas rather than present them and to think math and science rather than watch it done
Student discourse becomes a regular expectation of the classroom. The classroom becomes learner centered.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

5. Why should I use Whiteboards?
practice step-by-step problem solving strategies; to present, explore, critique and check one another's work during this process
greatly increase student dialog; use class time to discuss ideas rather than present them and to think math and science rather than watch it done
Wouldn’t learning be enhanced if class time is used for students to discuss and challenge their ideas?
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

6. Why should I use Whiteboards?
Small group learning communities with 2 or 3 students, and whole group learning communities with whole group discussions.
engage students in a
collaborative learning community
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

7. More Theoretical Reasons for using Whiteboards
promote strongly coherent conceptual understanding while decreasing traditional lecture
use collaborative learning opportunities for students to teach one another, practice using the language of the science to one another, develop personal meaning
recognize and elicit student prior knowledge and preconceptions, having students articulate and then explicitly challenging their existing conceptual knowledge structures (and fostering recognition that these structures are being challenged)
Here’s the theory.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

8. More Theoretical Reasons for using Whiteboards
place exploration before formal presentation
engage students in divergent, student-directed discourse with one another and with instructors
encourage student conjecture, alternate solution strategies and evidence interpretation
More theory
Whiteboards can be used with large class sizes as shown in this photo of a university class that use to be a traditional lecture course.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

9. How can teachers guide Whiteboarding groups as they work?
(Socratic interaction)
watch group composition (groups of three; mix ability levels; no fewer than two girls; assign rotating roles such as manager, scribe, critic). Monitor frustration level (thinking is hard work, but anger impedes learning).
invoke and advance student thought that comes from using language to better articulate the problem
-Tell me what you are doing now - Tell me what have you done so far - Why are we doing this this way?
Managing whiteboarding is a skill that develops with practice.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

10. How can teachers guide Whiteboarding groups as they work?
groups will often answer their own questions as they go through the above interaction
perhaps refer one group to another group that has solved the problem
confirm ideas or conjectures from students that have been moving along fruitful paths, with lots of praise for students who have the right idea.
(Eg: Listen to Julie. Say that again, Julie.)
Do not give answers to quickly. Encourage students to keep thinking and praise their efforts.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

11. How can teachers guide Whiteboarding groups as they work?
when dialog has changed direction in any group it is time to move on. Your job is to keep dialogue flowing and fruitful. Students can leave class not knowing the answer yet; closure should focus the days activity without short circuiting student thought.
saying the right answer is never enough. Explaining the process completes the answer. E.g, why is the accepted answer preferable?
Sometimes it is good to have unanswered questions at the end of a discussion. Some students will think about it until coming to class the next day.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

12. How do I grade Whiteboards?
What is?
Many teachers do not grade whiteboards because they are used to help students develop understanding, and grading a whiteboard may put to much pressure on students to always be right.
Students sometimes need to be encouraged to ask good questions so I do give bonus points for a good questioned asked during whiteboarding.
bonus points for good questions from student
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

13. How do I grade Whiteboards?
coarse scaled group grade (0 - 5 pts) for quality of board, clarity of presentation, responses to questions; no grade for being right or wrong at this point
small group grade percentage; larger individual grade for content understanding on a later, formal test or exam for student correctness
extensive discussions of grading rubrics whiteboards for HS physics and chemistry at
Ideas for those who want to grade whiteboards.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

14. What are the issues arising from Whiteboard use for teachers?
teachers must have courage to allow students to realize they must ultimately be accountable for their own learning, and let them do so. Whiteboarding classes are nontraditional, inquiry-oriented classes that de-emphasize didactic lecture, fact memorization, and closure; emphasize student-student and student-teacher discourse and student initiative
Some teachers are afraid to place the responsibility for learning where it belongs.
Using Whiteboard discussions is a nontraditional approach to learning that may take teachers outside their comfort zone.
Dr. Dan MacIsaac

15. What are the issues arising from Whiteboard use for students?
some students will resist inquiry teaching; it is easier to memorize and regurgitate facts or plug-and-chug formulas than to understand. Thinking is hard work. Anticipate some student reaction, and foster student reflection on their own learning to explicitly recognize growth in their reasoning ability
Some students will rebel and complain that the teacher does not provide them answers. They also are not use to learning this way and it requires them to work in new ways.