"Boardmarker Lessons" The Wandrous Whiteboard Challenge

"Boardmarker Lessons"

Image courtesy of insaneshow

"Boardmarker Lessons" are what I'm calling those lessons in which the teacher goes into the classroom armed with only boardmarkers.  What we have then  is only the teacher, the learners, the whiteboard and of course, the markers. Now I am encouraging you to get creative and come up with either short activities or whole lessons with these minimalist parameters in mind. Think of it as playing with a three-piece drum kit (snare, hi-hat and kick). What can you do with just that to make it sound like you've got a full-fledged kit with cowbells, tom-toms, cymbals and what not? I look forward to hearing your ideas.

---Joe Aversano

The Wandrous Whiteboard Challenge

This is a great idea I came across on Jason Renshaw's English Raven blog. The premise is simple - at the start of the lesson, you hand the board markers over to the students and ask them/gesture to them to write on the board (no instructions!). They may give you funny looks at first but then they will start to write. Generally, whatever they write will be connected to what the first student wrote and the board will soon be full of words, phrases, questions - you name it!

Once the writing stage is over, the language on the board becomes a springboard for the lesson. You might ask them to elaborate on what they wrote and why, teaching some useful phrases as you do. You may ask the students if they agree or disagree with what somebody else has written or use the chance to do some language work based on any errors in their writing. Whatever happens at this stage depends entirely on what has been written.

The great thing about it is the students themselves create the content. They love it when they realise they have generated the content of this part of the lesson. But don't just take my word for it: take a look at these blog posts from teachers around the world who took up the challenge....

• Babbling Blackboard - by Michelle Worgan, a teacher of young learners in Spain
  
• Unplugged Student Interaction Whiteboard - from Shelly Terrell, who teaches kids and teenagers in Germany
  
• What Comes Out of Unsuspecting Students + Wondrous Board Challenge - from Cecilia Coelho, an English teacher working with teens in Brazil.
  
• Sport is... - a more theoretical approach from 'language gardener' David Warr.

• What happens when 4th graders take on the Wondrous Whiteboard challenge? - by, er..., David Dodgson, who teaches kids at a Primary School in Ankara, Turkey!

As you can see, a great variety of student-generated content done with different age groups and ability levels. Obviously, this works better with smaller classes, making it perfect for split lessons.