Visual Aids in Teaching
Describe how the visual aids can help in teaching languages? The aids that help in teaching languages and that can be seen are called 'visual aids'. They provide practical solutions to the problems of a language teacher whose equipment, as a rule, consists of nothing more than books and classroom. They include black-board, chart maps, pictures, flannel-boards, film strips, slides, epidiascope and actual objects that facilitate the process of teaching. The function of each of these in helping the teaching process is discussed below. BLACK-BOARD: A big strong piece of wood, called black-board, is the oldest associate of the teacher but an essential teaching aid. It is used to reading and writing to the pupil. Anything to which the teacher wants to draw the attention of the pupil, is written on it, e.g. difficult words, phrase patterns, structure patterns, grammar works, questions to test comprehension. In this way the teacher finds his lessons more interesting, lively and effective. It is an important means of picture composition. CHARTS AND MAPS: Since all diagrams cannot be drawn on black-board, they need to be made on charts. A good number of sentences illustrating some points can be written on the chart with some diagrams. Besides sentence chart, we may have substitution table charts and vocabulary charts. Different colors should be used to bring in variety, decoration and effect. It should be big enough to accommodate the necessary materials with words written in bold letters. Charts are very useful for presenting and practicing structures, vocabulary items and compositions. Maps may be used for displaying the location of places, mountains, rivers, etc. PICTURES: Pictures comprise text pictures and class pictures. Text pictures are to be found in the texts designed primarily for beginners. The meaning of a single word can be shown in different pictures. For example, the very first lesson of the beginner's text may have different patterns of heads of persons and