THE CHALKBOARD

DEFINITION
A reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made
with sticks of calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate .
The most versatile medium of instruction; always there and
always available.

Especially useful in presenting a variety of instructional

materials like charts, graphs, pictures .
Also considered as an important medium for demonstration.

HISTORY OF THE CHALKBOARD

ANCIENT TIMES

Students in ancient
Babylonia and Sumeria
inscribed their lessons
on clay tablets with a
stylus in cuneiform
writing.

A MODERN REVOLUTION
At the end of the 18th century, students in Europe and
America were still using individual slates made of actual slate
or pieces of wood coated with paint and grit and framed with
wood. Paper and ink were expensive but slate and wood were
plentiful and cheap, making them the economical option .

Wooden Slate

A MODERN REVOLUTION
In this era, teachers had to teach every individual student on
slate. They were either painted with black paint or black
rock/charcoal in a wooden frame.

A MODERN REVOLUTION

In 1801, James Pillans,

headmaster and
geography teacher at the
Old High School in
Edinburgh, Scotland, is
credited with inventing
the modern blackboard
when he hung a large
piece of slate on the
classroom wall.

A MODERN REVOLUTION
In the middle of the 19 th century, almost every classroom in
America had a blackboard. Businesses also started using
them in their boardrooms.

20 TH CENTURY CHANGES

In 1960, the greenboard was introduced, which was a

steel plate coated with a porcelain-based enamel.

20 TH CENTURY CHANGES
In the1980s the whiteboard began to become common and
by the mid-1990s 21% of American schools were using them.

A LARGE LEAP FORWARD

Introduced in 1991 , whiteboards have been further modified
to contemporary digital boards.

USES OF A CHALKBOARD
To illustrate facts and
processes, often with
the help of drawings
and sketches, maps
and others.
To present important
facts and principles
such as new words,
terms, rules,
definitions and
classifications.

USES OF A CHALKBOARD
To provide a good medium
for students
demonstration.
To display a wide variety
of materials ranging from
motivational,
developmental, to
evaluative activities.

USES OF A CHALKBOARD
To enhance maximum pupil participation.
To provide for individual dif ferences.

THANK YOU. ^_^