A numeracy 'work-out' for active numeracy practitioners

Skills for LifeImprovement ProgrammeActivity 7:Using mini white boardsMini white boards have become an indispensable aid to whole groupdiscussion [in schools] for several reasons:• They allow the teacher to ask new types of question, e.g. beginning“show me…”• When learners hold their ideas up to the teacher, it is possible to see ata glance what every learner thinks• They allow learners to, simultaneously, present a range of writtenand/or drawn responses to the teacher and to each other• They encourage learners to use private, rough working that can bequickly erasedMini white boards can become an aid to confidence for Skills for Life learnersin a group setting, as they facilitate thinking skills and estimation. Theteacher/trainer can use informal assessment in seeing how each learnerresponds, without penalising “wrong answers”. In fact, the “wrong answer”becomes as important as right answers, because it can stimulate follow-upquestions like “why is...” and “who can explain…”Using “show me” open questionsShow me:• Two fractions that add up to 1…Now show me a different pair• A number between 0.6 and 0.7…now between 0.6 and 0.61• The name of something that weighs about 1 kg…or 0.1 kg• A shape with area 12 square units… and a perimeter of 16 units• A number between 1/3 and 1/4…now between 1/3 and 2/7You can encourage and differentiate by saying:• Show me a really different example• Show me a complicated example• Show me an example that is different from everyone else on your tableAdapted from Malcolm Swan:Towards more active learning approaches(2006), NRDC Maths for LifeHandout 8