"Q: What do you do if students are being mean to each other about wrong answers?"
I had a coach suggest asking the class, "Why might an intelligent person answer...?" With that framing, it's a little safer to answer: even if the student is wrong, they just got called intelligent! And if they know that's not the right answer, they have to think about why the right answer is more accurate. Strategic cold calling is really useful here.
"Q: Where do you get the whiteboards, markers, and erasers?"
I bought some shower board from the Home Depot across the street from my school and asked them to cut it into 2 foot squares. The attendant hesitated until I said it was for school, and then he was all in. (In hindsight I should have gone smaller.) They don't last as long as the "professional" MWBs, but they're a whole lot cheaper to replace.
This is one area I need improvement. I usually do a lot of visual cueing of understanding (thumbs up/down) and physical movement (move to the right/left side of the room if you agree with...), but whiteboard (especially in math) are such an underutilized resource in my classroom. Thank you for the reminder!
I think these all complement each other. Left/right is great for some mid-class movement and energy pickup. Thumbs up/down is great for getting some consistent active participation from students. Mini whiteboards are great to check for understanding. The more tools you have the better.
"Q: What do you do if students are being mean to each other about wrong answers?"
I had a coach suggest asking the class, "Why might an intelligent person answer...?" With that framing, it's a little safer to answer: even if the student is wrong, they just got called intelligent! And if they know that's not the right answer, they have to think about why the right answer is more accurate. Strategic cold calling is really useful here.
"Q: Where do you get the whiteboards, markers, and erasers?"
I bought some shower board from the Home Depot across the street from my school and asked them to cut it into 2 foot squares. The attendant hesitated until I said it was for school, and then he was all in. (In hindsight I should have gone smaller.) They don't last as long as the "professional" MWBs, but they're a whole lot cheaper to replace.
I like that framing! Going to steal that.
The shower board is a good recommendation though I've never used it myself. Quality matters way less than just finding something that works.
This is one area I need improvement. I usually do a lot of visual cueing of understanding (thumbs up/down) and physical movement (move to the right/left side of the room if you agree with...), but whiteboard (especially in math) are such an underutilized resource in my classroom. Thank you for the reminder!
I think these all complement each other. Left/right is great for some mid-class movement and energy pickup. Thumbs up/down is great for getting some consistent active participation from students. Mini whiteboards are great to check for understanding. The more tools you have the better.