Effective Use of Teaching Aids

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Effective Use of Teaching Aids

• Session 1
• Basic Teaching Skills Course
• for Recently-Appointed Academic Staff

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TASK - Introductions

• Stage One
• Find a partner, preferably someone you dont
  know.
• Find out a few things about them, e.g.
• Who they are,
• Which school/unit they work in,
• What they do.
• Time for task - 5 minutes

• Stage Two
• Prepare a brief presentation to introduce the
  person to the group, and illustrate it with with
  either
• flipchart, or
• overhead transparencies.
• Time for task - 10 minutes.
• Stage Three
• Make your presentation to the whole group.

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Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this session, you should be able
  to
• Choose the most appropriate visual aid for your
  purpose and context,
• Use the black-/white-board effectively,
• Make the most of the overhead projector,
• Produce a basic presentation with MS Powerpoint,
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of other
  media.

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Why use teaching aids?

• Teaching aids are useful to
• reinforce what you are saying,
• ensure that your point is understood,
• signal what is important/essential,
• enable students to visualise or experience
  something that is impractical to see or do in
  real life,
• engage students other senses in the learning
  process,
• facilitate different learning styles.

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We Learn and Retain
10 of what we READ
20 of what we HEAR
30 of what we SEE
50 of what we HEAR and SEE
Higher levels of retention can be achieved
through active involvement in learning.
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WHITE-/BLACKBOARD

• Advantages
• No advanced preparation required,
• except when displaying a complex table/chart/
  diagram.
• Technology is not dependent on electricity or
  other possible glitches.
• Can be used by students for problem-solving, etc.

• Disadvantages
• Time-consuming if you have a lot to write.
• Handwriting may be difficult to read (legibility,
  size, glare, etc.).
• Turn your back on audience.
• Cleaning the board (chalk dust, permanent marker,
  etc.)
• Cant go back to something youve erased.

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WHITE-/BLACKBOARD

• TIPS
• Get to the lecture hall early to make sure that
  the board has been cleaned.
• Bring your own chalk/markers and eraser.
• If you have problems with keeping your writing
  level, draw horizontal lines in advance using a
  pencil and metre stick.
• Draw complex diagrams, charts, etc. in advance
  and cover with a piece of newsprint until needed.

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

• Advantages
• Allows you to prepare all your slides in advance.
• Particularly suited for complex diagrams, charts
  and illustrations.
• Can build up information point-by-point through
  the use of overlays.
• Dont have to turn your back on the audience.

• Disadvantages
• A blown bulb or power failure can spoil all your
  hard work.
• Image quality can also be a problem.
• Can be disorienting to manipulate transparencies
  on projector plate.

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

• Preparing Transparencies
• By hand, or
• Computer application (eg. MS PowerPoint, MS Word,
  HTML documents)
• Printing - colour or B/W
• Printer (laser or inkjet), or
• Photocopier

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

• Selecting Text
• Avoid overcrowding
• Avoid continuous prose
• Bullet or numbered points preferred
• KILLS
• Keep It Legible, Lean and Simple

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Keep words to a minimum

• Please observe the rules prohibiting the
  combustion of vegetable material and the
  exhalation of noxious fumes in this auditorium.

• NO SMOKING

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Tables are best avoided
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Use Charts/Graphs instead
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

• Choosing a Font
• Size - minimum 20pt (5mm high)
• Sans serif fonts preferred

• Examples
• 14 pt Tahoma
• 20 pt Tahoma
• 28 pt Tahoma
• 36 pt Tahoma
• Times New Roman
• Arial
• Comic Sans

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

• Style Notes for Transparencies
• Allow a margin of 5 cm (2) all round.
• Avoid TOO MUCH UPPERCASE TEXT
• For emphasis, use bold or underlining instead of
  italics
• Keep titles systematic and consistent
• Justification - left or centred
• Avoid light text on dark background.

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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

• During the Lecture
• Keep used and unused slides in separate piles.
• Cover the slide with a piece of cardboard and
  slide it down to reveal text as you go.
• Use a pen on the OHP glass rather than pointing
  to the screen.

• Beforehand
• Get to the room early to make sure the OHP is
  working.
• Check the aim and focus.
• Walk to the back of the room to see whether the
  smallest print is readable.
• Relax (if possible).

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DATA PROJECTOR (portable)

• How to connect your Laptop to a portable data
  projector
• Attach one end of the data cable to the serial
  port of the laptop.
• Attach the other end to the RGB IN port of the
  data projector.
• Switch the data projector on followed by the
  laptop.
• Press the 'Fn' and the appropriate function key
  to display.

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DATA PROJECTOR (fixed)
NOTE Available in certain classrooms only

• A FEW DAYS BEFORE
• Contact Education Services Helpdesk to have your
  account authorised for log on.

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DATA PROJECTOR (fixed)

• JUST BEFORE YOUR LECTURE/TUTORIAL
• Log on as normal.
• Open PowerPoint (or other application) and access
  files on your designated network drive, or
• Open web browser, type in the URL and queue up
  what you want to present.
• Minimise window until you are ready to use.
• For further information, see http//odtl.dcu.ie/p
  rojects/web-tl/terminals.html

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Other MediaFLIPCHART

• When to USE
• if electricity is unavailable,
• to enable students to illustrate group reports,
• to provide a written record of points made by
  students.

• TIPS
• Check the room and equipment beforehand.
• Get your own pad of newsprint.
• Write out important pages in advance.
• Dont put too much on a page.
• Carry a collection of felt-tip pens and check
  that they havent dried out.
• Bring along some Blutack.

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Other Media AUDIO TAPES or CDs

• When to USE
• Particularly suited for language learning, media
  studies, English literature, etc.
• Valuable when referring to recorded historical
  events (e.g. Martin Luther Kings I have a
  dream speech).
• Background music can also be played before class
  starts and during group activities.

• TIPS
• Check the room and equipment beforehand.
• Can it be heard from the back of the room?
• Find the right spot on the tape/CD and queue it
  up in advance.
• Dont play more than a few minutes of audio at
  one time.
• Break up longer clips into segments,
  interspersed with discussion or other activities.

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Other Media VIDEO TAPES or DVDs

• When to USE
• Adds a dimension not available through audio
  alone - helps students to visualise.
• Essential when illustrating things that are
  impractical to do in real life.
• Particularly suited for language learning, media
  studies, engineering, etc.
• Valuable when referring to recorded historical
  events.

• TIPS
• Same as for CDs/audio tapes
• Check equipment beforehand.
• Can images be seen from the back of the room?
• Queue up the tape in advance.
• Break viewing into short segments, interspersed
  with discussion or activities.

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Making the most of theDATA PROJECTOR

• A brief introduction to
• MS PowerPoint
• Further information can be found on the CSD
  web-site http//www.dcu.ie/internal/csd/sms/webgu
  ides2000/power2k/power.htm

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TASK Choosing Media

• Stage One
• Work individually.
• Think of a lecture/ tutorial you will be giving.
  What media will you use to support it?
• Time for task - 2 minutes.

• Stage Two
• Form triads.
• Share you plans with each other. Why did you
  choose specific media?
• Time for task - 5 minutes.

• Stage Three
• Raise problems/issues in plenary session.

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TASK Stop - Start - Continue

• Work individually.
• Take out a piece of paper, and answer the
  following
• STOP - What would you like me to stop doing?
• START - What would you like the facilitator to
  start doing?
• CONTINUE - What would you like the facilitator to
  continue doing?
• Fold over and hand in on your way out.