White boards are a staple in most classrooms these days, and they have so many uses. Here we have come up with the best ways to keep your boards clean with DIY tips and tricks. We have also given the most creative ideas for decorating, organizing and making the most of this vital school tool. These White Board Ideas are just what you need to make teacher life easier!
How to Use a White Board?
In most offices, there’s at least one person known for their great whiteboarding skills. They write legibly, can illustrate a thought by drawing a picture, and are good at summing up a group conversation into succinct bullet points.
Practice the following steps to gain skills:
- Organize your surface.
- Presentation – Divide your surface into sections – introduction, body, conclusion
- Problem solving – Divide your surface into problem statement, strategies for success, and desired outcome
- Marketing plan – Divide your surface into sections for goals, channels, audiences, promotion, timing and KPIs
- Write in block letters vs. flowery, cursive writing
- Use symbols and icons to illustrate ideas, vs. trying to be artful
- Erase as needed; when an idea has run its course or is no longer useful, erase it
- Create an area for random thoughts that don’t quite fit – yet. They may be useful later.
General White Board Ideas
Are you getting the most out of your board space? These whiteboard hacks and ideas turn your walls into the ultimate multitaskers.
Add Borders to Dress Up Whiteboards
This is one of those whiteboard hacks that’s simple but can have such a big impact. We love how @teach.share.care.mrsbarker added matching borders to her portable board too!
Label Borders
@coffee.and.cardigans says, “I love having borders on my whiteboards, however, I hate having to piecemeal them back at the beginning of the school year. A few years ago, I learned that labeling the back of the border to where it corresponds on the board makes it SO much easier. I just write TL (top left), BR (bottom right), BM (bottom middle), etc. Nothing fancy! This has helped me set up my whiteboards so much quicker rather than playing border Tetris.”
Combine your interactive projector and your whiteboard
Let’s face it—most teachers don’t bother pulling down their projector screens anyway. Since you’re already projecting onto your whiteboard, take advantage of it! Mark it up, like Whimsy Workshop Teaching does.
Put writing lines on the whiteboard with washi tape
If you teach handwriting, you’re going to love this washi tape idea from Bored Teachers. Use it to make lines on your whiteboard, plus try adding lines to the small whiteboards your students use too.