Formative Assessment and Whole Class Engagement with Mini Whiteboards

Ms. Sam’s grade 3/4 class at Federal Public School uses mini whiteboards to answer questions, creating an opportunity for the whole class to shine.

Making Learning Permanent:

• Mini whiteboards are one way for students to do retrieval practice. They re-visit prior learning and consolidate current learning, creating opportunities to transfer information from working memory to long term memory.

Promoting Equity:

• By asking the whole class to respond on their whiteboards, Ms. Sam provides the necessary “wait time” for all students to process their ideas. It sends the message that each student’s contribution to the lesson is valued. The student responses are instant feedback on who “gets it” and who needs more support.

Owning the Learning:

• Using the whiteboards to respond, the students take charge of their own learning. The non-permanent writing surface promotes “rough draft” thinking-sketching ideas, and fine-tuning until they find the right path.

Reach out to a Learning Coach for ideas on how to get started with mini whiteboards in your classroom.