Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in KAifAqu Yanhai Gongyeyuan? Are you interested in teaching English in Yancheng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Education represents a very important part of human development, but as everything else, it evolves and constantly changes. For this reason, it is important for teachers to get trained and updated in order to improve their qualifications. During a class, supporting material utilized by the educator has a very important role in students’ learning. This premise justifies the appropriateness of inquiring into this important issue. The helpfulness of teaching aids (technical equipment for education) depends on the dexterity of educators when using them. It is compulsory for teachers to have background on how to use such gadgets during class time, given that the correct usage of these utensils will entail favorable outcomes (Medoukali, 2015). As a result of the previous discussion, the different aids and their utility will be characterized. The first type refers to audio aids. These are related to the listened component of language. They originate from traditional elements such as: cassette tapes, included as part of a book or from external sources; and radio or CD, in order to strengthen the given lesson (Fidanboylu, 2014). Regardless of the audio aid, it is important to keep in mind that rhythm of music can always serve as a pattern that encourages student’s memorization capacities. Moreover, a modernized and practical version of this kind of aid is the usage of Bluetooth speakers with a device (tablet or computer) as a replacement for playing the sound. Furthermore, a second sort of aid is the visual. This corresponds to a source that can be perceived by the humans’ eyes. Due to the dynamics implied with this support, the educator would logically like to exploit this aid as a motivator or stimulator so as to amuse and instruct learners. Examples of visual aids include: presentation of slides, in which educators should make the design themselves in order to select the appropriate colors and themes according to the teaching content; and overhead projector slides, taking care of the right size of graphs and fonts (Medoukali, 2015). In order to decide which one to choose, some aspects need to be meditated. In the case of presentations, the class delivery might be interactive because of the possibility of using animated software. However, if something malfunctions with the computer (a virus, a sudden system crash or incompatibility or the lack of a VGA/HDMI cable), the teacher might get into a serious predicament. Conversely, when using overheads, the educator has the opportunity of modifying the content presented to the students (with marker for example) and the only concern is the functionality of electricity and the projector’s lamp. Nevertheless, the transparent sheets might seem to be a bit simple for the learner’s perception. Furthermore, another classification of teaching aid is multi-sensory. This consists of the convergence of all human senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. It includes practice activities such as: role-plays, which imply the application of the learned lesson evidenced by students performing in a play; and realia, in other words, utilizing tangible objects to exemplify circumstances of reality (Fidanboylu, 2014). This last kind of aid is commonly forgotten when speaking about equipment of the teacher, since people regularly think of technology as the exclusive source of teaching support. However, the final part of a lesson should comprise an activate state in order to encourage the student to become engaged in a specific topic. This phase can be complied by means of multi-sensory resources. According to the aforesaid arguments, equipment and teaching aids are very beneficial for education. In spite of this situation, it has been researched and determined that a speech or a class given by virtue of an aids’ blend (audio-visual) is more enjoyable and exploited by scholars. This happens because of the provision of insights to learners through the mixture of aids. As a result, students feel supported and guided in order to detect their demands and expectancies (Nirmalya, Kaushik, & Rituparna, 2015). The previous statement results interesting when analyzing the perspective of the student. Learners normally utilize a textbook and eventually a complicated topic will arise provoking frustration when understanding cannot be achieved. In this scenario, an audio-visual aid (such as a video or an animated presentation) can facilitate understanding. Additionally, the use of a voice amplifier (portable microphone) and a wireless laser pointer can enhance the quality of large classes with lots of students. Another critical aspect that influences on the benefits of visual aids is the adequate choice of materials to be presented. The goals of a specific session and the knowledge level of learners are the factors that will reveal the best selection of graphic material. The indicated logic will promote the progress of cognitive attention and boost the potential for learning a second language in a better way (Kasyanova, 2018). Although the preceding analyses make sense and seem to be applicable, they will not have a positive outcome unless there is an adequate planning. In consequence, in order to produce fruitful audio-visual lectures or classes, educators require to test the equipment or the aids before indicating lesson directions (Mathew & Hammoud, 2013). In addition, when a teacher evinces negligence on elaborating an adequate planning or on a proactive attitude about self-learning the appropriate usage of aids, the consequence is normally disappointment and students’ disapproval of a course or session. As a conclusion, this study has unraveled and confirmed that the adequate usage of teaching aids incites reasoning, retention and entertainment in learners. It is important to point out that the best election of this type of supporting material for teachers consists of using a mixture of resources in order to maximize education benefits. Utilizing videos, animated presentations, colorful and graphic slideshows (along with voice amplifiers and laser pointers) are some examples of the suitable equipment for supplementing a teacher’s labor. However, without considerations like: a solid planning of a class, the proper instruction on how to use such equipment, and the association of the lesson with the audio-visual aids, the expected academic results will be unsatisfactory. References Fidanboylu, K. (2014). Teaching language with visual aids. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/23164297/Teaching_Language_with_Visual_Aids Kasyanova, V. (2018). The use of visual aids in teaching foreign languages at non-linguistic faculties. Materials of the XIII International Scientific and Practical Conference, 8, 53–57. Retrieved from http://is.nkzu.kz/publishings/{66B9787C-B87F-4173-9C10-3EF0B24041A6}.pdf#page=53 Mathew, N. G., & Hammoud, A. O. (2013). A study on the usefulness of audio-visual aids in EFL classroom: Implications for effective instruction. International Journal of Higher Education, 2(2), 86–92. doi:10.5430/ijhe.v2n2p86 Medoukali, F. (2015). Developing EFL learners’ listening comprehension through youtube videos (Master’s thesis, Mohamed Kheider University). Retrieved from http://archives.univ-biskra.dz/bitstream/123456789/5806/1/Farid MEDOUKALI.pdf Nirmalya, S., Kaushik, T., & Rituparna, D. (2015). Student’s opinion towards audio-visual aids in lecture classes. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences, 14(4), 96–100. Retrieved from www.iosrjournals.org
