Our school is a Title I school with over 700 diverse learners. The way we are teaching is changing and our kids are doing a great job of changing with the times. As teachers, we no longer teach to a classroom of 25 students all at one time. We work with small groups of learners to customize their learning to their specific needs. For kids, this means a new way of learning.
Learners are expected to be responsible for their own learning throughout the day through teacher-assigned activities.
As you can imagine, this means a lot more work is done at students' desks or around the room. Our kids need to have the materials necessary to be successful in the classroom if this model is going to work. They cannot be stranded without the proper tools if we are going to expect them to learn independently.
My Project
During independent work time, my students work on mini whiteboards to do their "scratch work". This allows them to get to work quickly and stay focused because they do not have to get up for scratch paper or sharpened pencils. My small group table is covered in a large whiteboard piece so students also write on that during their learning time with me.
It may seem like a small thing to adults, but students LOVE to use expo markers and write on a whiteboard.
Students ask me all the time if they can show their work on the whiteboard instead of using paper. With my current budget, I can provide each student with two markers but when they run dry the students have to use our classroom supply. This supply does not last long and soon students are forced to go back to paper and pencil. This situation also forces me to have strict classroom procedures about expo markers when my time and efforts should be focused elsewhere. I actually have to call myself the "Crazy Expo Marker Lady"!!
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