Eigo B Teacher Development, Newsletter #1.

June 2013

Board work in the Classroom

Following on from last year’s and this year’s classroom observations, it’s clear that the use of
strong board work in the classroom can really make a difference to our students’ understanding
of the teacher’s oral instructions and the target language they should be practicing. When our
students understand/know what they should be doing, where in the textbook they should be
looking, etc. they are more likely to be able to participate in tasks, and to communicate in
English. The blackboard is a great tool for us teachers, and an essential aid for our learners. One
teacher recently said: “Now that I am using the board more, it’s like my students (lower level
freshmen) are more ‘united’ as a class- they are all looking at the board, listening to me, and
preparing for the tasks...I don’t have to repeat the instructions to every pair when I go round
the room now.”

Many teachers at Meisei are using the white boards and black boards very effectively in the
following ways. The small whiteboards can be challenging as you need to clean work off more
frequently to add new instructions/models/ vocab.

*TIP: Use white chalk mainly (it’s easier for students to read), and use colour to highlight/
underline target language. Print English (avoid cursive writing).

Please try to include some of these suggestions in your teaching:

1) Brief lesson plan or goals written up before class starts (on LHS/RHS)
A lesson plan provides English input for students while they are waiting for class to begin - it
stimulates interest in today’s topic; it lets students know what their goals are for the lesson; it
shows the teacher is well-prepared.

2) Vocabulary List/ Class dictionary (RHS/LHS)

- Write up today’s target vocab, especially new words you want to pre-teach before a task.
(with/without JPN translation?)
- Write up review vocabulary to link the last class with today’s class.
- Write up student-generated vocab, especially if it’s a high-frequency word, and useful for the
whole class to know. Jenny Morgan, Eigo B Meisei University, 2013.
3) Middle of the board is the “Active Board” which gets cleaned regularly
throughout the lesson (keep this area very tidy and clear).

Before class, write up Warmer question(s) or a lead-in to today’s topic/lesson.

Write up language models with sentence stems/ substitution drills/ target question & model
answers before pair work (even if these appear in the textbook- the board adds an extra
visual prompt for students).

→ Use the boarded models to choral drill the class: teachers models → class repeats with natural

intonation and stress.

Write up textbook page numbers when you say “Please open your books to p.25”.
Write up time limits for activities when you say “OK, please start- you have 8 minutes.”
These give visual prompts to the teacher’s verbal instruction. Sometimes students cannot
quickly catch our oral instructions- they need to hear, see, write, and say English often
throughout their lesson.

Instructions for tasks/ pairwork-

Board work gives students constant visual reminders of target language and task
instructions, they can SEE what they must DO or SAY during tasks.
Teachers can say what the students should do → write up simple instructions → choral drill
any target language → model the activity with a strong student/pair → point to the boarded

sample one last time, give the time limit → let students begin!!

Student-centred boardwork-
Getting Ss to write on the board can shift the dynamic away from an often teacher-led
classroom. This can increase student accountability, motivation and participation- students
become the teacher. With careful planning, we can regularly include a few of these
activities:
- have early-finishers write up answers to language exercises or homework;
- have various Ss write up listening task answers. Always nominate every Ss throughout the
semester;
- have team members write up their group’s ideas from brainstorming vocab or ideas for a
new topic etc;

Jenny Morgan, Eigo B Meisei University, 2013.

 - have Board Races/ Back to the Board games for students to review: target vocab/ spelling/
topic-related vocab/ past tense verbs etc. Races/ quick games add energy, competition,
motivation, fun.

Board record for learners

Before and after tasks- have students copy new vocab/ useful phrases/ model sentences to
use in speaking tasks. Students need a board record to write in their notebooks for reviewing
English after class. Have them do an activity in the next class which requires them to check
last week’s notebook language.

Extra websites:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/print/2482

http://englishspeakeasy.blogspot.jp/2011/04/being-better-teacher-1.html

1) Before class board work- clearly staged activities, shows students their language goals.

Jenny Morgan, Eigo B Meisei University, 2013.

2) Warmer question- to get pairs instantly talking within first 5- 8 mins of lesson = STT.

3) Listening task instructions (same as textbook, but visual prompt on board); Model gapped
answer.

Jenny Morgan, Eigo B Meisei University, 2013

Lesson plan → Speaking assessment goals → Grammar points
1) LHS = lesson’s goals.

Middle of board = Teacher Elicits Ss language → writes it up → drills the boarded model→ pairwork.

2) Clean the board after warmer St-St speaking activity- describing self.

→ Write up New Vocab- headings→ teacher allocates 2 words from textbook to each pair
(Firsthand,1 –p.20)
3) Pairs check dictionaries, find JPN translation → Students write ENG-JPN vocab on board
under headings = Students as teachers.

4) Mid-way through lesson- students have time to copy down Board record into notebooks.

Target Language= Describing people and Vocab Lists.

 1) Whiteboard- before class.

(Success, p.36)

- Date/ Teacher’s name

-LHS- Today’s Plan/goals.

-RHS- New Vocab.

-Middle= Warmer Q, lead-in

for instant pairwork = STT.

2) After pairwork- elicit Ss’s ideas to board → 3) Next pairwork Question so that Ss use the vocab.

p.37.

4) Teacher verbally instructs for

Listening Task and writes simple

instructions on Board→ focuses the

class class on the task.

Jenny Morgan, Eigo B Meisei University, 2013.