Classroom Tables

In teaching science, I saw a need for my students to practice Physics equations in a different context than pen on paper. Physics is often challenging to students who do not find math comes easy to them. One way to help with manipulating variables and reordering equations is by allowing students to practice in a new way. I found students enjoyed working more and had more success when using a large whiteboard to solve problems. I would often use chalk markers to solve equations on their desk and that would unlock the puzzle of the problem. 

I wanted to bring the whiteboard to them, but ordering a class set of useable whiteboards or painting every desk with whiteboard paint was out of the budget. My solution was to build desks in my classroom that could be used as whiteboards. These desks became our hub for working on problems together. They can be pulled together to create a giant table or used as individual stations for students to work at together. 

One unintended outcome I found is that there is more leg room under the table, so my taller students preferred to sit there as their knees were not stuffed up under the other tables in my classroom. These tables are not my ideal design and I would make adjustments if I were to make them again. The joinery of the legs to table top could be more stable as the current iteration is a bit wobbly when sliding them around the room. I would also make the whiteboard tops more easily changeable as they do build up a layer of residue from years of use and student's lunch snacks. The whiteboard material I used, showerboard, is a bit soft and some more destructive students like to carve little designs in the table when not engaged in the class. I think an enamel gloss coating or whiteboard paint layer on top could help with that issue. As always, there is room to improve iterations but these tables have been some of the biggest assets to my classroom over the past 5 years.