The use of small personal whiteboards are usually uncommon in high schools these days, especially at High Tech High School, as the new building consists of smartboards with internet. These smart boards are used daily by the teachers since they are very convenient when using presentation materials and it is accessible for teachers and students.
However, one of the teachers at our school uses personal whiteboards as part of his daily teaching routine to teach his students chemistry which is proving effective! Mr. Goold, a chemistry teacher at High Tech High School, not only teaches his students in a way that helps them retain information, but also in a fun and creative way! Mr. Goold says “The first reason we use the whiteboards is because they are visual, which is really good for visual learners. Another reason is that I don’t want students to be afraid of their mistakes. Instead, I want them to understand and learn from them! Whiteboards are also easy to erase and make changes. They also promote collaboration too, making it easy for the students to work together and for me to work with them! Lastly, it allows me to access every student multiple times every day, making it easy to give constant feedback.”
Not only that, but when some of Mr. Goold’s chemistry students were asked about their opinion on using these personal whiteboards in class, they claimed it to be “a fun way to learn formulas and easy to use when learning about balancing equations!” While students could write out their ideas on paper, personal whiteboards allow them to quickly write, erase, and rewrite what they're working on, giving them the power of erasing so that they are not as intimidated to share and learn together with the teacher and classmates.
By Ayushi Patel
