The Ugandan teachers of this program have shared that "the room buzzes with excitement" as the Little Lights continue to use the Wipebooks during activities.
The addition of Wipebook Flipcharts into my classroom has been such an enjoyable experience for myself and the students. Being able to incorporate VNPS easily into exercises allows for a more engaged classroom and the experience of using the VNPS with their peers has blossomed an amazing community.
From the very first day I introduced the Flipcharts to my class, the students LOVED using them. They allowed students to be able to stand up, spread out and work in collaboration with their classmates. The students loved getting to work with partners in a new and exciting way.
Using the Wipebooks Flipcharts, teachers began working out their problems, discussing the problem, drawing, writing, and erasing as their discussions changed. I noticed that teachers were more liberal with their writing and editing of problems since the Wipebook made it easier to correct their mistakes or change their work product.
As an educator, I quickly realized that I needed to use Wipebook flipcharts for as many non-curricular and curricular tasks as possible. Students were up and moving, communicating with their classmates, problem-solving, and demonstrating perseverance while encouraging one another.
We use our Wipebook chart paper to practice our letter formation, write our names, collaborate during writers workshop and during math centres as well. Students are able to make mistakes, quickly erase and try again. There are so many different engaging activities you can come up with for the Wipebook flipchart.
Since adopting Wipebook Flipcharts this fall, I have found them an extremely valuable support to build these skills within both my 11th grade Chemistry and 12th grade Environmental Science classes. Students are much more engaged when they are able to use creativity and tactile learning to practice scientific reasoning.
On this particular day, there were teachers from the Junior High that came by. They loved getting the students up and using the vertical non-permanent surfaces around the room. Seeing how it was managed, the teachers were not as intimated to try the approach, as long as they could get the flipcharts to make it happen. They love the conversations between the students, and how I was able to redirect and ask reflective questions to help the students make the progress needed.
Over the summer I was introduced to the importance of incorporating vertical non-permanent surfaces into your classroom. We are 3 weeks into our 2022-2023 school year and the Wipebook Flipchart's have been used daily in our 5th grade math and science class. Flipchart's large size makes it easy for students to have space for all their work and its reusable surface erase easily.
Being a new teacher can be busy and overwhelming. After creating a defronted classroom with Flipchart I am able to stand in the middle of my room and view all of the students' work at a glance. At any point in the room I am able to know what my students are thinking, know where they are at in a problem, or know which students are ready for a challenge or who may need more support.