Much like whiteboards on the wall, mini whiteboards, or lapboards, have over the years become a must-have in the classroom and established themselves firmly as a great way to add interest and interaction to lessons.

So, what is driving mini whiteboards’ huge popularity, and what makes them such a valuable resource? Here are just some of the reasons for investing in mini whiteboards, and how to ensure they work for you.

Visual assessment made easy

Mini whiteboards are ideal for quick, formative assessment. Formative assessment helps students identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, and helps teachers see where students are struggling and provide immediate support.

By simply asking the class to show their boards, checking whole class or individual progress and understanding can be done from the front of the class, with a simple glance. You can then give instant feedback, ask follow-up questions, challenge correct and incorrect answers, and determine what learning should come next. You will also find that using mini whiteboards allows you to support those who are struggling without singling them out in front of the rest of the class.

Increased engagement and interaction

Mini whiteboards really come into their own when it comes to increasing engagement and interaction in lessons. Not only do they provide all students an equal opportunity to participate in a lesson and answer questions, they also encourage quieter, less confident students to ‘have a go’ when they may not otherwise raise their hand. The use of mini whiteboards also keeps students more involved, and therefore more attentive, listening out for prompts to write and reveal their answer to a question.

What’s more, mini whiteboards are so versatile that they can be used with little to no planning, in whole class, small group or one-to-one activities.

A re-usable, eco-conscious alternative to paper

It goes without saying that the more you use mini whiteboards in the classroom, the less paper you use – whether it’s pages in exercise books for writing answers or rough work, or the reams of paper that schools get through each year to print various exercises. Of course, this makes mini whiteboards a sound environmental choice. It also means that, in the longer term, a school can reduce paper and printer running costs, especially when choosing good quality mini whiteboards that can be used over and over again.

Plain, lined and gridded mini whiteboards mimic the layout of student exercise books, but with the added benefit of no haunting mistakes. Errors can simply be ‘wiped away’ and the student can try again, rather than having to cross out and use more space to re-try as you would on paper.

If a permanent record is needed, you can take a picture or scan the board, and save progress digitally.

Technology-free lesson time

Although the increased use of technology in the classroom over the years has been immensely beneficial, with access to a wider range of resources and devices, especially at times when teaching has had to be done remotely, there’s a lot to be said for technology and screen-free time for students and teachers alike. Mini whiteboards, unlike computers, tablets, and interactive whiteboards, don’t rely on technology. This means that learning can continue even if the internet goes down, will not impact the school’s energy bills, and can easily be taken outside or to any part of the school.

Choosing your mini whiteboards

With such a variety of mini whiteboards available, it can be hard to know which are the best for your class! The main factors to take into consideration are rigidity, format, and pack size.

Budget mini whiteboards are the thinnest and flimsiest you can get, and therefore will bend and possibly break easily, needing to be replaced more frequently than better quality, more durable branded options such as Show-me® mini whiteboards. These come in original and SUPERTOUGH (85% thicker) plastic finishes, as well as rigid MDF and magnetic framed versions. In addition, Show-me® original and SUPERTOUGH boards are made from polypropylene (PP) rather than the commonly used PVC, which makes them fully recyclable at the end of their lifespan.

Most mini whiteboard ranges include plain, lined and gridded formats (both plain on the reverse), so you can choose what suits you best depending on the type of lessons you’d like to use them in. Lined boards are ideal for sentence work and handwriting practice, while gridded boards are the perfect fit for maths including geometry, graph or chart work. You might also want to look at tinted options for students with visual stress symptoms such as dyslexia.

Mini whiteboard class and bulk packs offer exceptional value as they include all the boards, pens and mini erasers that you need for a whole class or multiple classes in one handy pack, with significant savings. Of course, you can purchase more pens and erasers as time goes.

You can browse our full range of mini whiteboards and accessories here.