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This unit covered the different types of teaching equipment that can be found in a classroom, including many audio/visual aids. The most common type of teaching aid is some sort of board, which is normally found in every classroom. The board or flip chart can be used for more than just writing - drawing, projecting, or posting things also helps to focus the students? attention. Some tips for board writing are: write clean and legibly in normal (not capitalized) text, pay attention to the size of the writing, use different colors and marks, organize the board in sections, don?t write more than is needed, and double check for accuracy. Interactive white boards are being used more often in classrooms these days, although I have never seen one myself. When teaching with an IWB, you should be sure to always have a back-up plan, and test the equipment thoroughly before teaching. Teachers should also be aware that the preparation time for an IWB lesson can be much longer. Overhead projectors can also still be found in some classrooms. These are useful because the transparencies are prepared in advance and cut down on writing time. They also keep the teacher facing the students, allow for multiple image overlays and writing on the image, and information can be easily covered or filled in together with the class. The disadvantage of using an OHP is that they are often difficult to set up properly. Visual aids include either real objects or pictures. They can be interesting, stimulating, and reduce teacher talk time. It?s important to think about the size of the images used. Visual aids can be used for just one lesson or can be part of a permanent display in the classroom. Worksheets and cards can be bought or handmade, and are useful in many situations, particularly grammar exercises. CDs and cassettes are used for audio exercises and the teacher should be sure to test the audio in advance. Having to search for the correct track is a waste of time and makes you look unprepared. The same goes for videos and dvds, which are very useful for presenting authentic dialogues. Video cameras are also sometimes available in the classroom for specific projects, or for analyzing students? speaking skills. Classroom books include dictionaries, course books and other resource books for things like grammar. Dictionaries in the native language should not be overused; learner?s English-English dictionaries are better. Computer and online resources are extensive and more tools are available everyday. Numerous podcasts, youtube videos, dictionaries, games and exercises for EFL students can all be found online.
