Use of modern teaching aids PDF

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Use of modern teaching aids...

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Use of Modern Teaching Aids

Module Details 1. Subject Name

Adult Education

2. Paper Name

Teaching Techniques

3. Module Name

Use of Modern Teaching Aids

4. Module Number

6.14

Content Outline • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Introduction Learning Objectives News Papers or News Bulletin Boards Models, specimens and other objects Flannel Board Magnetic Boards Grassroots Comics Digital Story-telling Radio and Television Documentaries and Films Projectors, VCRs, VCPs and DVD Players as teaching aids Computers Interactive Electronic White board or Smart Board Summary

Introduction

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Teaching method comprises of the principles and methods used by teachers that enable the learner to learn. Factors such as the subject matter to be taught, the nature of the learner and the capacity of the teacherplay an important role in determining the strategies that will be deployed for teach-learning. For a particular teaching method to be appropriate and efficient it has to be in relation with the characteristic of the learner and the type of learning it is supposed to bring about. Learning Objectives At the end of this module the learner will be able to •

Explain modern teaching aids and their uses

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Use appropriate aids to support the learning process

The approaches for teaching can be broadly classified into teacher-centered and learnercentered. ateacher-centered approach to teaching-learning points at centrality of the teacher. Teachers are the main authority figures in this model. Learners are considered as “empty vessels”. Their primary role is to passively receive information with an end goal of testing and assessment. The primary role of teachers is to pass knowledge and information onto their Learners. In Learner centered approach teachers and learners play an equally active role in the learning process. The teacher’s primary role is to facilitate learning. Learning is measured through both formal and informal methods of assessment . Conventional teaching methods include lecture, demonstration, recitation, memorization, or combinations of these.

Modern teaching methods may incorporate television, radio, internet, multimedia, and other modern devices. Teaching aids can be defined as tools which the instructors or teachers use to help the learners in a way that can make them easily understand and comprehend what is taught to them. The teaching aids can improve the reading, writing and communication skills of the learners. In an easy illustrative way, the teaching aids can also reinforce whatever ideas, facts or skills have already been learnt by them. User friendly and interactive teaching aids help to remove the anxiety, fear, boredom or any other complex negative feeling which the learners may develop while learning in the centre or class. Modern teaching aids include Audio-visual-Films and documentaries, digital storytelling, Grassroots comics, Radio or Television, Educational CDs and DVDs Projectors, Computers and Laptops, Computer based Educational Games, interactive white Board also called smart boards and many other devices currently in use. Let us now look at some Important Modern Teaching Aids in teaching learning Process 1. News Papers or News Bulletin Boards are in this category. The daily Newspapers can be an effective teaching aid. They are full of information about general, economic and social life of the people. They are in fact the minimum text book for the study of current affairs. Modern teaching aims at correlating different

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areas like social, political, economic among themselves. Newspaper contains a reservoir of resources and illustrations. News Bulletin Boards may be used for displaying interesting pictures and news stories. The Display contains news of local interest, news of national and international relevance and even entertainment, like a variety of jokes. While using News Papers or News Bulletin Boards as teaching aids, the instructor needs to pay attention to the following points. •

The materials being displayed should be in accordance with the needs and interests of the learners.

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Information to be displayed should be in proper sequence.

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The learners may also be given a chance to display their collected materials on the bulletin board. This gives them a feeling of ownership.

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News connected with their own lives in the community is read with great interest by the learners.

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Every piece of information should have its own heading. 2. Models, specimens and other objects are useful teaching aids.

Models of parts of the human body and many other models, depicting the replica of the things taught in the centre or class as well as Toy models of the objects like fruits, vegetables etc also can be used in the teaching learning process for the learners. 3. Flannel Board Flannel Board consists of a piece of flannel stretched tightly over a strong backing of plywood. The items to be depicted on the flannel board should be pasted with small piece of sand paper glued behind the item so that it can be made to stick on the flannel board. Depicting picturesor materials on a flannel Board facilitates the movement of the items from one place to another.

4. Magnetic Boards are also very handy teaching aids. Magnetic Board is a modification of the flannel Board. Instead of flannel, a metallic sheet is fixed on the plywood. Small magnets are used to hold the materials to be exhibited on the metallic boards.

5. Grassroots Comics are often used as teaching aids. Grassroots Comics are different from the mainstream comics.These comics are made by common people themselves. These comics are photocopied and distributed amongst the learners in the center or in the class room. This encourages the learners to learn. Grassroots Comics are inexpensive and method used is not complicated. You just require a pen, paper and access to a copying machine to produce one. One more important thing in these comics is the proximity of source of the communication

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and the learners. Comics are stories which are told with images and text that contains a lot of speech and dialogue. They become “grassroots” comics when they are made by an Instructor or teacher from the local area. Such comics deal with local issues, and use local languages as well as local visual culture and metaphors. Comics have an authentic feel that encourages debate in the centre or class and they can be made by groups or by individual learners who normally have little or no access to the media. 6. Digital Story-telling is an innovative teaching aid. Storytelling is the traditional form of communication. Digital story telling is the modern expression of ancient art of storytelling.Digital stories usually takes the form of relatively short story of less than 8 minutes. It combines narrated piece of personal writing, photograph and still images and a musical sound track. The role of Instructor or teacher in the centrewould primarily be in using digital stories to make the teaching-learning environment lively and educational. While using digital story-tellingthe teacher must remember the following points: •

Identify appropriate digital stories that can be used in the literacy centre.

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Inform the learners about it well in advance.

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Arrange for equipment needed (computer, CD player, CD and Screen etc.) for using the digital stories

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Make a brief introduction about the story before showing the digital stories.

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Radio and Television also find a place amongst the modern teaching aids.

At present several Radio stations including FM and community Radio regularly produce episodes for all types of people including beneficiaries of Literacy centre in remote areas. Based on numerous experiments and studies the broadcasts have been made as selfsufficient and feasible to ensure that the messages of the broadcast reaches the learners in Literacy centre when the necessary assistance is not provided by the instructors or teachers. Listening to broadcast of dramas, narration of stories, rendering of classical, instrumental and light music helps towards harmonious development growth of learners and make them fit to be useful members of society. Unlike radio broadcast where only the sound is transmitted, television transmission has the added advantage of all the visual experience which made more dynamic and meaningful by the movement and sound associated with visual experience. The role of the television in adult education is similar in many aspects to that of Radio. Communication by TV is effective because it can bring very good demonstrations and audio visual materials to the adult education centre or class room. Again TV can be both the instructive and enjoyable.

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8. Documentaries and Films are also used as teaching aids. A documentary film is defined as non-fiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence or may employ partial re-enactment, still animation, slow motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on factual content and not on fiction. A short film is defined as a motion picture that is not more than 30 minutes in running time. Documentaries and films are instructional aids that assist an Instructor or teacher to transmit factual information, enhance skills, change attitudes and develop understanding on specific issues and programmes relevant to the learners. Documentaries and films clarify concepts and help in retention of knowledge gained. These can be used for depicting the life histories of leaders, people of different places animals, planets scientific discoveries etc. Films and documentaries appeal to the emotions of the learners and certainly have a desirable influence upon the learners. A short film showing wide application of government programmes may be used for giving general information. Films Division of India belonging to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry produces documentaries and news magazines for publicity of Government programmes and cinematic record of Indian history. Documentaries and films produced by Dirctorate of Adult Education, by SRCs, and by various departments of government and NGOs can be usefulfor showing to the learners. While using Documentaries and Films as teaching aids, the instructor must pay attention to the following: •

More important than the film is the method of showing it. All necessary arrangements for projector, operator, a suitable place,etcwill have to be made well in advance. The day, date and time of screening should be informed in advance so that learners come in large numbers to see the film.

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Films should be selected according to the needs and interests of the learners.

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After the film, has been shown there should be questioning, comments and discussions. It is only then that the learning will be enhanced.

9. Projectors, VCRs, VCPs and DVD Playersas teaching aids: Projectors, VCRs, VCPs and DVD Players are used for digital story-telling or during lectures, discussions, film or documentary shows and so on. There are two types of projectors. The first one is the overhead projector and another is Slide projector. The overhead projector is used along with the screen and is used to project the content or figures on the screen. The transparencies can be easily prepared by the Instructor or teacher by writing directly into transparency acetate sheets with

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special OHP pens. The slide projector is used to play the slides-pictures or still pictures on the screen. Many slide projectors are available with different types of slide carriers and storage trays. Some are manual and the others are remote control.Besides, there are some models with timing devices for automatic slide changing. Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs) and Video Cassette players are now largely replaced by Compact Disk (CD) players and Digital Video Disks (DVD). These can be used by the Instructor/teacher in the literacy centre. There are varieties of educational DVDs developed by various institutions and NGOs available in the market.In India the Directorate of Adult Education in New Delhi and the State Resource Centres in the States have produced a nmber of CDs especially for the adult learners. 10. Computers Today, Computers in its various forms like desktops, laptops, tablets,etc have assumed great importanceat all levels of education. This is the basic machine on which all other electronic media of learning depend. Several State Resource Centres have developed digital primers which are increasingly used in many states today. It is reported that these reduce the period for acquiring literacy skills by one-third. In a short time, the learners start practicing and learning on the computers on their own. Along with literacy skills, the learners also acquire computer skills which is are essential today. The computers bring the learners to a world of entertainment, they also make learning interesting by providing computer based educational games.Computers are used by learners to play Computer based educational games.These are also played also through television screens. The Computers make use of multimedia programme which include attractive colours, clear graphics, wonderful sounds, the fascinating animations and enjoyable videos discharging various areas of learning according to the needs and interest of the learners. In the recent times the Computer has brought about a tremendous change the way world looks at the teaching aids. With the advent of internet technology, the use of computer as a part of today’s educational aids has become inevitable. It opens a whole new world to the learner. Information on weather forecasts, market prices of commodities, new goods available to the customers are all very useful to the farmers. More than computers, it is now the mobile phones and access to social media that has brought the whole world closer. However, this is yet to be put to judicious use in the area of adult literacy. 11. Interactive Electronic White board or Smart Board

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Interactive Electronic White Boards of today also known as Smart boards are the latest and modern aids that can be used in the classroom or literacy centre. These need a Computer, an overhead projector and preloaded educational software. The electronic white board is user friendly, offering a lot of interaction to its user. It is a colorful aid in the hands of the instructors or teachers. With interactive white boards, instructors can teach and save their content with important points which they want to revise and save it in computer files that cannot be done through traditional boards. Due to this time factor is reduced and also the teacher is not needed to write the same lessons each time on the board. Time has come to integrate the use modern teaching aids into classroom for effective learning. But the main obstruction is that these are very costly equipment and require a lot of investment. Summary For a long time teaching could not be visualized without a teacher standing at the blackboard and using it extensively to communicate with the students. But, instructors and teachers of today have to keep abreast of modern teaching aids available to them and select appropriate aids that are suitable for the learner group and at the same time be the best suited to communicate the lesson. In this module various modern teaching aids were briefly explained. The use of these teaching aids will certainly augment learning.

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