A whiteboard is a great way to study. But why exactly are whiteboards so good for studying? And what type of whiteboard is best for studying? I’ll make it simple for you here with whiteboard suggestions to help you revise and hopefully pass your exams with better grades and a touch more enjoyable.
Let’s Get into the 9 Biggest Reasons you should be using a whiteboard for studying.
1. Guilt Free Mistakes
Made a mistake? No one needs to know. Too many of my classmates would tear up work and restart a task after making a small mistake 2 paragraphs in. Using a whiteboard allows you to develop a less toxic relationship with mistakes. You can fix them without any emotional attachment and move on.
We learn from mistakes. Whiteboards remove the fixation on mistakes that so many people have. Mistakes shouldn’t be seen as bad, they’re actually good. We remember what we get wrong so use a whiteboard to stop painting mistakes as a bad thing when studying.
2. Easy Group Collaboration
Working in a group is great. You can develop a deeper understanding of the material, get help when you’re struggling, and gain different perspectives. Most importantly, it makes studying more fun. Viewing studying not as a chore but as something enjoyable, important, and enriching goes a long way to help you get more done.
However, it can be difficult for everyone to share their thoughts and ideas at once. Sharing a whiteboard can allow everyone to contribute and benefit from the material as much as possible. This has nothing to do with whiteboards but sharing your studying files and notes can also save you incredible amounts of time and effort.
3. Active Recall
Active recall is a scientifically backed way of studying that has you recalling information rather than passively re-reading it. The simple act of recalling what you need to remember one or twice after first learning it can massively increase the likelihood of you memorizing it.
If you want to get the most out of your study time, use a whiteboard and force yourself to actively recall the information. You are actively recalling information you already have written down somewhere, so there is no point in wasting paper. Use a whiteboard to actively recall all the information you have on a topic in one place. This makes it easy to identify what you don’t know, while simultaneously solidifying what you do remember. You’ll be surprised at how much better you remember things and how quickly you can get through your studying using active recall.
4. New Productivity Techniques
A whiteboard lets you experiment. I’m constantly trying out new productivity techniques I have read, heard on podcasts, or seen in YouTube videos. The best thing about whiteboards for this is that you can erase them. If a technique doesn’t work for you, no problem! Just erase it and move on.
5. Map Out & Connect Topics
Get those ideas out of your head and onto the board! You can quickly visualize different concepts and how they relate to each other when you brainstorm on a whiteboard.
I’m a massive fan of Ali Abdaal and this is actually his first step when starting to revise. Scoping the subject gives you context as to when and where everything links together. Our memory works by linking new things to older more solidified information, this technique plays into that.
If you want to see exactly how Ali does it here is his advice on scoping the subject.
6. Plan Easily
Planning is essential to manage your time and make your studying effective. A whiteboard can help you plan out your week, month, or even semester in one place in a more flexible way than a traditional calendar. By seeing everything that needs to be done, it becomes easier to break down what you need to do each day and ensure that nothing is forgotten.
7. Last Minute Recall
This is a form of active recall but more specifically this is one of the most effective ways to cram effectively at the last minute.
- Write everything you know about your test tomorrow on the whiteboard.
- Check that against your revision guide or notes.
- Try to fill in everything you missed.
- Repeat 2. and 3. until you have everything on the board
- Make note of what you didn’t get originally or are still struggling with.
- Emphasize your revision on everything you didn’t know.
- Do well in your test.
A whiteboard makes it easy to see what you know, which also makes it easy to see what you don’t know.
8. Mix It Up
No matter how you usually study, a whiteboard can help break up the monotony. Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery or method to jump-start your productivity. Action creates inspiration, inspiration creates motivation, and motivation creates action. Using a whiteboard to study mixes it up a bit, it just seems a bit more interesting than taking notes.
A whiteboard makes it easier to start studying because it is that bit more interesting. That action creates inspiration which creates motivation, and before you know it, doing that revision doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Studying really is a snowball, and if you have something fun like a whiteboard to get your snowball of motivation moving who knows how much you can get done!
9. Teach Yourself
It’s hard to explain but if you have ever written on a whiteboard you feel that bit more like a teacher. Being able to teach a topic is the foundation of Feynman and Einstein’s definition of understanding a topic. And teaching has been proven to be one of the most effective methods of learning.
There are a few reasons for this, the first being that you need to be able to understand something before you can explain it. If you can’t explain it then you probably haven’t understood it properly. Writing things out and explaining them also forces you to think through everything step by step and in detail, which is great for understanding complicated concepts.
If you do this whiteboard explanation study method with someone else, you are effectively mimicking a student-teacher relationship. In this relationship, you need to be patient and understand the other person’s questions. If you can’t answer them do you really understand the topic? This is an important mindset to have when learning anything new, and it can only help improve your understanding.
If you are pretending to teach on a whiteboard by yourself, you still get plenty of benefits. You are still practicing articulating your thoughts, and you still get the ‘teacher feeling’ as you are doing so.
Best Whiteboards For Studying
Here are some of the best whiteboards available for students. They are perfect for implementing the strategies detailed above.
We may receive a commission when you use our links. This is at no extra cost to you and never affects our suggestions.
VIZ-PRO Magnetic Dry Erase Board
The VIZ-PRO Magnetic Dry Erase Board tops our list as the best overall whiteboard for students, offering a comfortable and delightful writing experience. This particular whiteboard comes from a trusted brand and offers the greatest range of board sizes of any of the options on our list.
With its durable magnetic writing surface, you can both write and drywipe with ease using any dry-erase markers, that can be stored conveniently using the pen holder included. The silver-finished aluminum frame offers a classic whiteboard look that can fit almost any office, school, or bedroom environment.
It’s easy to fit too with a fixing kit included, giving you the option of positioning the board vertically or horizontally. All together it offers what we view as the full package for students and a super variety of sizes. You can find the VIZ-PRO on Amazon.
amazonbasics Magnetic Dry Erase Board
The amazonbasics Magnetic Dry Erase Board offers the best option for any student looking for a whiteboard on a tighter budget. The board is perfect for working in a team, or mapping out a subject like suggested above.
It offers a few sizes to pick from, all at a student-friendly price point. Installing it is easy with included apart from the drill or screwdriver you will need for fixing your board to the wall.
The aluminum frame gives you a neutral, minimal look. While the convenient magnetic surface can be used to hold your notes to cross reference with. There are a couple of magnets included which are perfect to help with your studying.
Amazon Basics Mini-Whiteboards
This pack of Amazon Basics Magnetic Dry Erase Boards offers versatility and portability that none of the other boards I have recommended can offer. While small, these boards offer many of the larger board’s mighty advantages but for a fraction of the price.
The durable dry-erase surface erases easily, while the boards are also magnetic so they can also be used to display any notes or homework alongside your work. These boards are great for generating revision ideas or getting your study plan organized. Plus they come with a dry-erase marker and magnets as a couple of extra bonuses.
This option is perfect if you are looking for small whiteboards that, in tandem, can be used to bring together big revision ideas. See these handheld whiteboards on Amazon.
Study Whiteboard FAQs
Whiteboards are great for studying. There are many reasons for this, but some of the most important ones are that they help you to focus, mix up your study routine, and map out complicated concepts. Using a whiteboard also encourages you to make more mistakes as they feel less permanent, this is great as we learn from our mistakes
Whiteboards are commonly associated with maths and physics, but they are also great for:
– All sciences
– Any subject that involves diagrams or equations
– Languages (recall vocab)
– History (for timelines & recalling dates)
– Geography (for maps, sketches & recalling case studies)
There are very few disadvantages of using whiteboards for studying – if you are using them for the right things. They help to keep you more organized and motivated, but they aren’t ideal for permanently storing information. Plus, there is the added cost of buying a whiteboard if you don’t already have one.
You shouldn’t solely rely on writing on a whiteboard to help you learn the material better but it can be a great tool to use alongside other methods. Many people find that the physical act of writing things out, feeling like they are in the shoes of a teacher, helps them to better understand and remember information.
