My favourite

What is one thing that I couldn't live without in my classroom or that greatly improves student learning in my classroom? Though there are many things that I think I could choose, the one that comes to mind is Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces (VNPS).

I discovered VNPS through Twitter near the end of the last school year.  After hearing about them from a colleague again at the beginning of this school year, I decided to try them in my Advanced Functions course and quickly discovered their usefulness and power they have on learning. I'll admit that I am a fan of reading about something (usually on Twitter) in the morning and attempting it in my classroom later that day. Some of these attempts are successful, some require some thought and reconsideration before attempting again. Using VNPS was one of these events that was extremely successful.

I usually use VNPS during a lesson that is very skill based. I have used them with polynomial long division, factoring polynomials, and basic derivatives. What normally happens is that I introduce the concept, work through some examples with the student and then have them show me their understanding using the VNPS (or I have also used them during review periods).

I begin by randomly organizing my students into small groups (usually 2 - 3) and have them move to a VNPS. I ask that each group have one white board marker for the group. The first person takes the marker and answers the question posed to the class. The group works together to solve the problem but the person with the marker is considered the lead for that question. Once each group has answered the question, the white board marker is passed to another student and another question is revealed. This continues until each member of the group has had a chance to write a solution on the board. I usually have as many questions prepared as there are members of the group.

Why do I like VNPS?
- They offer another opportunity for me to formatively see their work as well as their form in questions in a less formal setting.
- They encourages conversations between students in small groups on the concepts that we are learning.
- They allow each student to demonstrate their knowledge to the group and get peer feedback on their knowledge.
- They allow me to showcase student work within the class.