The Magic of a Dry Erase Marker

We have been looking forward to publishing more posts that feature real teachers sharing great teaching strategies. Today we are happy to welcome a guest author, experienced teacher and instructional coach, Sarah Weber, who shares an easy, highly effective  strategy that will work with any age, grade, or subject matter.

The Magic of a Dry Erase Marker    by Sarah Weber

We all know “that kid.”  You know, the one watching as his classmates answer question after question during your discussion.  He sits back and lets his peers do all of the work.  If you do call on him, you may get a shrug of his shoulder. He knows that if he waits long enough not answering, you will move on to someone else.

There are also those students that need extra “think time.”  As you pose a question, her peers are quick to raise their hands with answers, and she is constantly two steps behind, never to be fully engaged in the discussion because it takes so long to formulate her answer.

Then you have your student with attention issues. He has a hard enough time focusing on the discussion, forget trying to formulate an answer in his head and remember it as you are calling on other students.

These are all types of students in your class that would benefit from the “magic” of a dry erase marker.

This isn’t rocket science, nor is it an expensive, prepackaged program. It is simply a dry erase marker.  I started using this strategy back in 1999 when I was a first grade teacher trying to teach whole group phonics.  I had a difficult time sustaining my students’ attention.  So, during instruction, I would have the students use individual white boards to write down what I was doing on the board up front.  It was great!  The students all answered, they were engaged, and I thought I had solved the problem.  At that point, I saw it as only a way to keep kids engaged when I taught phonics.  Period.

Fast forward many years and different job positions later, I found myself back in a fourth grade classroom.  What I had learned from my time out of the classroom as an instructional coach and observing, is the huge issue of lack of student engagement during whole group instruction.  I was noticing this in my new class of fourth graders as well.  I dug deep into my bag of tricks and started using dry erase markers again.

I started with large group reading instruction.  I would pose questions about their reading and the students would individually answer with their dry erase marker on individual white boards.   It worked beautifully.  Every child had to answer and be engaged.  But, I had noticed something more…

Students could no longer hide in my classroom.  Every student had a voice.  Even the quiet student, the one who  rarely raised her hand, had a voice.  I could see from what she wrote on her board what she was thinking.  I could also see where my students were struggling in their thinking—and I realized, this tool was a key formative assessment tool.

I decided to start using it in math class and found the same results.  I was able to quickly walk around the room and  see how students were solving problems.  Again, as a formative assessment tool, I was able to see, on a daily basis, how my students were solving problems. I didn’t need the test at the end of the unit to know if my students understood the concept.  I knew immediately.  With some students, I noted errors in thinking and used that information to pull groups of students that needed extra help on a concept. I was able to intervene earlier,  prior to the test.

On the flip side, not only was I able to assist the students that needed help, I was also able to challenge the students that finished early.  When students caught on to new concepts quickly, I was able to swiftly give them extension problems to figure out.  They weren’t just sitting there waiting for me to help the students that were struggling. They were constantly engaged and challenged.    It was extremely motivating for them to get “extra” problems.

Soon, I was using the dry erase marker in all of my curricular areas; reading, math, science, and social studies.  It became my most powerful teaching tool.  What I realized, is that it is SO much more than just a way to keep kids engaged in instruction.  It is also a way to quickly formatively assess students, to help students that need help and challenge others. It gives every child in your class a voice….all with the magic of a dry erase marker.

What is your favorite teaching strategy?  We would love to have you share in the comments below.

Sarah Weber has been in education for 22 years having taught kindergarten, first, second and fourth grades. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in both Elementary and Early Childhood Education, minor in Spanish Education and a Reading Endorsement.  She also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Mary’s University in Overland Park, Kansas.  She is currently working in the Dubuque Community School district as an Instructional Coach.