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Goal

The goal is to provide students with interactive dry erase whiteboards. Whiteboards improve learning through increased participation and collaboration among students. They provide an alternate method of learning (visual and auditory). Whiteboards are a tool to manage instruction so that students can construct their own knowledge and understanding from evidence. They are a quick and cost-effective way of assessing students and help in identifying students’ misconceptions. Whiteboards provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the class in understanding a particular concept or standard so that scaffolding can be provided.

This grant was originally funded in 2019. One hundred first grade students were given interactive dry erase whiteboards, markers, and erasers! Increased engagement, participation, motivation and collaboration among students was observed when students used the whiteboards during instruction. The whiteboards were used for whole class interactive lessons, reviewing concepts, guided practice, targeted help, small group interactive lessons, one-on-one instruction, and learning centers. Students love learning and writing on whiteboards! With the addition of students to first grade and repeated daily use of the boards, I am asking for funding to purchase new boards and markers.
 

Category

Learning Aids - Sunshine state book sets, robotics kits, puzzle boards, science models, engineering supplies, etc. 

What will be done with my students

Effective lessons launch with whole class problem-solving instruction and include guided practice through cooperative learning, small group instruction, one-on-one assistance, or learning centers. Using dry-erase whiteboards makes the entire lesson highly effective, interactive, and engaging.
Whole Class Interactive Lessons
Determining Readiness:
I start by writing a problem on the board and everyone solves the problem on their individual boards independently. When finished, they turn their boards face down. When I say, “Show Me!” students flip their boards over for me to review. This quick check enables me to start my instruction at the right instructional level.
Reviewing Concepts:
If a previous day’s lesson is essential for understanding a new concept, I’ll start with a few review problems.
Guided Practice:
After briefly introducing a lesson, I begin posing problems of increasing difficulty. I always start with something easy that everyone should be able to handle and I work up to more difficult content. I alternate a few minutes of direct instruction with a few minutes of individual whiteboard practice, always checking to see if my students are ready for the next step. Teaching this way allows me to use Partner Pass or Pairs Compare to provide structure and individual accountability keep instruction moving quickly when students grasp the concepts easily, or slow down when they need more time.
Targeted Help:
After I present a problem, I move around the classroom while the students are working to see how they are solving the problems. If I notice that a student is having difficulty, I make a point to walk over to that child while he or she is working, offering help as needed.
Daily Quick Checks:
At the end of a lesson, I use the whiteboards to assess how the class as a whole is progressing. This informal assessment lets me know what types of problems to assign for homework and where to start my instruction the next day.
Small Group Interactive Lessons:
Dry erase whiteboards are great for working with students in small groups. Whiteboards keep everyone in the group on task and serves as a formative assessment.
One-on-One Instruction:
The level of difficulty can easily be adjusted for each new task according to how the student responded to the one before it.
Learning Centers: Many workshop activities involve recording answers or solving problems; for example, math workshops often require students to solve a problem before they can move their marker or cover a space on a game board. Whiteboards are terrific for these activities because they save paper and allow students to correct their mistakes easily. When assigning students to work with a buddy, have them.

 

Benefits to my students

Students who use whiteboards learn more and are thoroughly engaged in the task at hand. One reason for this is that boards allow information to be processed in an active, rather than a passive, manner. Active learning uses different brain pathways than passive learning, creating more connections in the brain. As a result, students who practice their lessons in different ways, such as whiteboards, will likely remember more and enjoy more about what they are learning.
Whiteboards motivate students to try to answer questions they would not ordinarily answer. In addition, some students try, more frequently, to think of answers because they want to write on the boards.
Increased Engagement – Some board strategies invite all students to write down an answer at the same time. At this point the teacher has engaged all students, instead of engaging just one or two students who raise their hand. Student engagement is also higher with boards because students can decide whether or not to share their answers. This encourages students to try, since there is no consequence, intimidation, or embarrassment for wrong answers. They can choose to hide an answer or show it only to the teacher. If we try something, but it doesn’t work – we can “just erase it!”
When it comes to active engagement, I feel nothing beats dry-erase whiteboards.  

Budget Narrative

The budgeted items include 128 whiteboards and 1 pack of 36 Expo Whiteboard markers for each first grade teacher for her students to use.
 

Items