Contrary to the conventional notion that the board serves as a medium for rote teaching methods, such as chalk and talk, where students are expected to passively copy and memorise content, bansho transforms the learning experience by encouraging active visualisation and exploration of various strategies. In numerous studies, bansho has been shown to develop not just a strategy for problem-solving but a deeper level of thinking through the process (e.g., Baldry, 2021; BIllman, 2018, Greiffenhagen, 2014; Tan, 2022).
Instead of providing the correct answer, teachers employ the board to pull together all the different approaches and ideas presented by students, to make pupils see the connection (Takahashi, 2006). Coles (2022) emphasises the importance of unfolding the learning process step-by-step on the board, as opposed to presenting it in a complete form, such as on a PowerPoint slide, conveying that the content is meant to be understood rather than memorised.
Moreover, studies reveal that observing bansho writing processes enables learners to engage in an “information push” mechanism, facilitating the comparison of key points and enhancing comprehension of the flow of ideas (Okazaki et al., 2014).