Here are some elements of a productive, positive, focused, learning environment:

• Active/engaged learning

• Critical thinking

• Creativity

• Student choice

• Time on task

• Student voice

• Collaboration

• Independence and stamina

• Mastery

• Passion

• Initiative

• Self-control

• Student-to-student feedback

• Accurate, informative assessment

• Story telling

• Project-based, problem-based learning

• Personalized teacher attention/feedback

• Shared body of knowledge

 

Gallery Learning uses research-based procedures to foster all of these essential elements. Gallery Learning uses peer feedback to increase content knowledge. We have found that Gallery Learning works best when students are:

1. talking about learning

2. writing about learning

3. relating their learning to past experiences/knowledge/skills

 

You as a teaching professional have already established clear procedures to keep your classroom running smoothly. GL has some peculiarities which demand additional procedures. The intention here is NOT to train teachers how to teach or discipline their students but to make you aware of some ideas that work great as you transition to GL.

 

Getting Started

• Teachers must use discretion on whether the students choose their own board or the teacher assigns the boards. Our students all have an assigned class number, so assigning boards is simple. We use a number check-off list (to keep track of who we’ve assigned) and write each student’s number (giant-sized) on the boards. When assigning boards randomly, use popsicle sticks. Draw one out and write the student name or number on the board.

• Students bring all required items to their home boards. All students bring their pleasure reading book, the book we are using for lessons, markers, pencil, highlighter (for marking book), and their device (iPad, iPod, laptop, etc.).

• Students post their names at the top of their boards in neat 2-inch letters. This makes it much easier for the teacher to identify each student at a glance (since much of the time the teacher is looking at the back sides of the students.) Also, students frequently leave their boards to interact with their peers. Without a name at the top of the board, confusion quickly arises.

• Students who need a marker should report to the teacher or student in charge of marker rentals. If the teacher rents markers, ask renters to write their class number in a special place to keep track of who rented a marker that day. If a student is put in charge of marker rentals, this student can keep track of renters on a piece of paper.

• When students are set up and ready to begin the lesson, they sit below their boards and read silently.

 

Writing on the Board

• For assignments requiring small amounts of text, students are expected to write in 1-inch to 2-inch letters to make it easy for the teacher and other students to read from far away.

• For assignments requiring students to “fill their board” the lettering can be smaller, but still needs to be legible.

• Students must use the eraser rags to erase, not their fingers. You might encourage students to bring in old socks (make sure they are washed) to use as erasers. Socks do a great job and cost nothing. Skin leaves oils on the boards making it harder to erase.

• Encourage students to keep caps on their markers as they dry out quickly.

• Encourage students to push lightly when they write to avoid smashing the tips.

• Require dark markers only (black, blue, etc.) for writing text. Light colored markers can be used to color drawings or highlight.

• No one talks while writing on the board unless specifically directed by the teacher.

 

Structure

• When the class is holding a discussion or the teacher is lecturing, students may either be facing toward the teacher from their board or seated in the middle of the room facing the “front.”

• Students leave their work on the boards until the teacher shouts, “Erase!” The students then respond with, “Erase!” All students erase their boards.

• If students have moved about the room for an activity, the teacher shouts, “Go home!” The students respond by shouting, “Go home!” and make their way back to their home board.

• Students are not allowed to peek at their neighbor’s work. If a student is completely confused and wants to see what other students are doing, she/he must cross her/his arms and stand behind another student silently.

  • One of the benefits of Gallery Learning is that students are able to see the work of their peers and learn from each other. However, it can be counter-productive for students to lose any sort of stamina to solve problems. If students are allowed to peek at their neighbor’s work at will, some students will peek the second they get stuck on a question. Students need to be pushed to think for themselves and persevere in problem solving.

Sidebar: It is important to note here that students need a mixture of board work and paper work. This mix will hold students individually accountable for their learning and give the teacher more accurate feedback as to exactly how each student is mastering the learning objectives. If the teacher only does board work, the teacher can be deceived into thinking all students have mastered learning objectives, when in reality, some students are merely copying the work of other students. This copying is very acceptable as part of the developmental learning process, but obviously we want students to progress past copying and get to the point of thinking of answers for themselves.

• • By asking the students to fold their arms and stand behind a neighbor to get help, we force the student to admit defeat. This step encourages students to try on their own. It also maintains an atmosphere of excellence as most students will want to be the watched student rather than the watching student.

• Students who are struggling and need time to think need to look at the floor while thinking. This lessens the temptation to just peek at a neighbor’s work.

• Students who have completed their board work sit on the ground (or chair) facing toward their own board and read silently. By facing the board, students are less distracted. Also, the teacher has a distinct supervision advantage since the seated student doesn’t know when the teacher is looking at the student, thereby lessening the chance that the student will be sneaky and off task.

• The teacher may also want to take the opportunity to help struggling students. Sometimes just a few words of encouragement really help. But do not be afraid to let your students struggle.

• Some teachers may offer the opportunity for students who have completed board work to choose a different activity besides reading.

 

Wrapping Up

 When it’s time for a session of Gallery Learning to come to a close, the teacher shouts, “It’s OVER!” and the students respond with a collective groan. At this point the teacher must decide if the boards need to be wiped clean or if the students should leave all work on the boards. Student work should be kept up on the boards for as long as possible. This allows other students to view one another’s work and can serve as a reminder of a previous day’s learning. This also allows the teacher to reflect on the lesson. We recommend erasing the boards only when you are ready to move on to the next lesson.

Sidebar: Ideally whiteboard work should tell a story of the lesson which allows the class to see how others think. In Japan, the use of whiteboards are organized in such a manner to allow the teacher and students to see how the lesson progressed. Japanese teachers according to Yoshida (2005), believe that “you should not erase what you write if you write on the whiteboard and you should not write on the board if you are going to erase it.”

 Appoint a student helper to go around the room at the end of each Gallery Learning session or next day, and make sure that all boards are completely erased (if the teacher decides to ask students to erase boards), all erasers are hung up, and all belongings have been taken back to their proper place.