THE BOARD

- Write legibly and neatly.

- Don't start your lesson with the remains of someone else's still up.

- Don't write in capitals.

- Don't make the mistake of using a pen which can't be wiped off.

- Clean it periodically to keep it neat and consider other ways of displaying more permanent information-a cork board or the walls of the classroom-in order to keep the board looking uncluttered.

What sort of things will be put on the board?

• In low-level classes you may wish to put up the day and the date at the beginning of the lesson; it is a good way of helping the students learn the days of the week and the dates.
• You would expect most, if not all, the words in this section to be copied into the students' notebooks at some stage in the lesson. By putting such words into this section you are signifying their importance.

How can you make the best use of the board? .

Don't put everything on the board-only the essential - and immediately ruboff anything which is no longer needed.

Involve the students in the writing process by eliciting what you are going to put up, the spelling of difficult words, and so on. This will keep up their level of attention and concentration. 

Make it clear to students when they need to copy something from the board and when it isn't necessary.

-Observe a fellow trainee teaching a lesson and make a note of his or her use of

the board. You can consider the following points: overall tidiness and attractiveness; legibility: helpfulness to the students.