The Use of Teaching Aids in the Language Classroom
Effective teaching is not possible without appropriate teaching aids. This is
more true in the teaching of a second language than of one’s own mother
tongue. These teaching aids are audio aids, visual aids or audio-visual aids.
Visual aids enable students to see and comprehend better whereas audio aids
enable learners to learn from what they hear. Audio-visual aids, as the term
implies, combine the technology of teaching learners both by seeing and hearing
and enable learners to learn better and more effectively.
The most versatile and indispensable visual teaching aid is the blackboard. No
classroom is complete without a blackboard. Though teachers make use of the
blackboard for language teaching, yet there is no blackboard method of teaching
a second language. However, the use of the blackboard in the classroom for
teaching should be deliberately planned and systematically implemented.
Instead of writing haphazardly on the board, the teacher should use it to draw
the attention of the learner to the main points of the lesson and those alone in a
systematic way as the lesson is in progress. At the beginning of a lesson, any
writing on the blackboard that is not relevant to the lesson should be wiped off
and in tis place, what is going to be taught should be written. This is important
because any material that is not related to the lesson will be a source of
distraction to the learner. Spellings of words, their pronunciation in phonetic
script can be taught quite effectively using the blackboard. Coloured chalk can
be used to distinguish between spellings of different words or sounds which
pose a problem to learners. The blackboard should not be used for writing more
than a word or a sentence at a time. Any haphazard writing on the blackboard
while the lesson is in progress can be a distraction to learners. Any lengthy
material, if it is to be written on the board, it should be written on it before the
commencement of the lesson. In a dictation class, the blackboard is of great use.
The material for dictation can be written on one side of the board that is not
visible to the learners, earlier or at the time of dictation, by the teacher or a
student, and when the dictation is over, what is written on the board can be put
in full view of the students for them to correct on their own the mistakes they
have made while taking the dictation.
Flash cards and charts are also useful visual aids. Flash cards are sets of cards
with words or phrases written on one side and their meanings on the other.
Learners can look up the word or phrase and later check their response against
the back of the cards. Pronunciation can also be taught using flash cards with
words being written on one side and their pronunciation in phonetic script on
the reverse side. Spellings too can be taught in a similar manner.
Different kinds of charts are available for teaching sentence patterns as well as
the phonetic script. A chart displaying the International Phonetic
Alphabet/script may be hung permanently in the classroom. A chart for pattern
practice has pictures and sentences such as ‘It is a boy’, ‘It is an orange’…etc.
describing the pictures. The same chart can be used for teaching affirmative and
negative short questions and answers and eliciting responses.
Slides and overhead projectors, film strips, epidiascopes are some of the
other visual aids. Today, with computer aided classroom learning, learning
has become more effective. PPTs can be very usefully and effectively used in
the classroom. These visual aids are useful for making the lesson vivid and
clear. Film strips can be used for training in informal conversation under the
guidance of the teacher. Slides can be used for showing cultural objects in full
colour and for providing the stimulus for controlled speaking practice or free
conversation. With the digitalization of education the scope for the use of
computer aided learning has greatly increased and made learning stimulating,
interesting and fun. The use of the internet for classroom teaching has great
potential and there are various tools available that can be used for teaching in
the virtual mode. The use of the OHP has an advantage over the blackboard in
that the teacher does not have to turn back to write on the board.
In areas where the access to the internet is not available and where computer
aided learning is not possible or in places which lack basic infrastructure like a
blackboard or even proper classrooms or even lack of teaching materials like
text books, the use of audio recordings of fables, stories, plays, poems etc. can
be used in the class. Portions of the recorded text can be played and necessary
explanations given by the teacher. The text in full may be played again.
Recordings of lessons, poems, stories etc. can be replayed over and over again.
Voice recorders can be used in the class and it can be a thrilling experience to
learners to hear their own voice. Voice recordings of oral work can be used to
eliminate faults in pronunciation, intonation, rhythm. Voice recorders can be
used for dictation from the very elementary stage where a learner is made to
repeat or reproduce what the learner hears, and it can be used in the very
advanced unseen test. Poetry too, can be taught using a voice recorder.
Listening to a poem again and again especially when it is professionally done,
can lead to its beauties and meaning gradually. Besides, it is a great way to
enhance listening skills in learners.
Much of the language learning depends on the practice of oral-aural skills. The
language laboratory, if used effectively, can provide students adequate
opportunities to learners to practice their oral-aural skills. However, the
successful use of a language lab as an aid depends on the availability of teachers
who know how to handle the equipment, employ new techniques, and at the
same time, conduct a class. Language labs range from those with quite simple
equipment to those with complicated equipment.
In today’s world, with the emphasis being more and more upon interactive
learning, any material can be used as a teaching material in the classroom.
Newspaper clippings, magazines, railway/airline ticket, notices etc. – realia -
can be used in the language class for teaching a language item.
To conclude, no audio-lingual aid can be successful in the absence of qualified
trained teachers. Machines and tools cannot replace teachers. The aids require
planned utilization by specially trained teachers. Good teachers, good textbooks,
language labs, and all other audio-visual aids are indispensable for the
successful implementation of any scheme of teaching English as a second
language in India.
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