Boardwork for the EFL and ESL Classroom
Basic Concepts:
Organizing
the marker board for a more effective lesson is the mark
of a skilled EFL teacher. KISS or "Keep it Simple for
Students" is a good rule. Walk through your lesson and
as you do it, put everything on the board. Ideally, you
don't erase anything in one lesson and it should, by the
end of the lesson, look very well-organized and
understandable. Even from the back of the room. Go to
the back and look.
Usually the
best way to organize your board work is to literally
present the lesson in a dry run and write everything on
the board - including target language, grammar
structure, and vocabulary (off to the side). As you
think your way through the lesson - you will probably
notice that you need to reorganize or restructure your
thinking. This is an excellent practical exercise just
to catch the flow of your lesson as well as for
organizing your boardwork.
Note that in many classrooms, students will not be able
to see the bottom one-third of the board from the back
of the room (other students are in the way). And, in
many classrooms, the far left and right sides of the
board may not be visible to students on the far opposite
of the room due to the extreme angle or from bright
light from windows (in the front). Glare from windows
and lights can make parts of the board unreadable for
many students. If there are curtains in a room to block
bright light in the front of the room - use them. What
this means is that you should probably only use the top
two-thirds of your board - and the middle 60%. Write on
the board in a classroom and walk around the room to see
if your writing is BIG enough, clear enough, and visible
to everyone. You will probably be surprised how LITTLE
of the board is visible to everyone in the room
Never erase anything from the board without asking your
students first. Why? Your very best students are taking
notes! Just a simple, "Okay if I erase this?" and a
fast look around the room will do the job. It's only
polite, isn't it? Good teachers certainly don't mind
waiting while their best students are taking notes.
A
good lesson plan should have an example of what the
board will look like - on the last page. This will help
you plan your boardwork in advance.
Expanded
Concepts:
Sadly, there
is very little on the Internet about boardwork. It is a
fine art - that the best teachers practice improving
regularly. Help your students by presenting your lesson
clearly, visibly, and in an understandable manner.
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