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.
