Not long ago, screeches of fresh sticks of chalk could be heard echoing down the corridor of every educational institution in Western Europe.
Times have changed though, with whiteboards becoming the norm and with technology evolving, seeing more and more interactive tech in a classroom is considered standard.
The question posed here of course is how effective are school whiteboards for students compared to historic methods of presentation such as the chalkboard? According to a study carried out by Yale university, when whiteboards were introduced, there were significant increments in student participation in class and as a result, students across the world performed better on the whole.
What are whiteboards?
For those unfamiliar, a whiteboard is a board that is typically coated with a glossy, white surface which have been known to be a superior asset in schools, homes and offices. Whiteboards are simple to use, require no special skills and everything written on them can be erased easily with one simple wipe.
Why have whiteboards succeeded in the educational sector?
Older chalkboards were always seen to be rather flat and encouraged little to no participation from students within a given class. Whiteboards on the other hand are collaborative and encourage participation. Research shows that if students are actively participating in class, they will be more engaged to the topic at hand and are more susceptible to learning.
According to David Miller e. al, in the book “EXP MATHS”, whiteboards appeared to drastically increase concentration, increase interaction and motivate both students and pupils alike.
Whiteboards, quite simply, created a dynamic approach to learning and made the experience of learning more ‘fun’ and, even though there has recently been an abundance of tech brought into classrooms in recent times, students still react well to the use of whiteboards.
In fact, parents and businesses alike said that it was good for their children or co-workers to stop staring at a screen and concentrate on something less ‘technological’ – some schools even purport that they are ambassadors for keeping tech out of the classroom.
Technology in the classroom a bad thing?
Technology is fundamentally ruling the millennial generation with finger gestures becoming the new way that an enormous amount of people in this day and age conversify and interact.
Some teachers claim that using traditional whiteboards gives students more of a balance and rest-bite from the screens that they engage with on a day to day basis.
Simon Sinek, a leading speaker on technology in schools and the workplace has spoken out about increasing technology in classrooms stating that “The last thing students need in the classrooms is more technology. Whiteboards were not broken, they worked just fine, adding another element of tech simply gives students just another green light that staring at screens is the norm – when it’s not”.
Whiteboards haven’t fallen in popularity
Interestingly enough, whiteboards are still a first class choice for teachers and workers across the world, deciding to shelve technology for the cheaper counterpart. But with evidence showing that engagement actually increases through use of whiteboards – this statistic is a very encouraging one to say the least.
