Audio-Visual Aids
Introduction: Audio-visual aids are instructional aids that are used by the teacher to convey ideas more efficiently and successfully to the students. The rationale of this verbal-visual material is to appeal to the eyes and ears of the students and make their learning easy and permanent.
Due to technological advancements, the use of audio-visual aids has increased over time. The present-day technology offers many choices to the teachers, lecturers and curriculum developers who wish to capitalise on the new generation's appetite for lia presentation.
Several research studies have proved that whenever teachers teach with the help of some learning aids, the students get more stimulated because the learning aids help them to become attentive. In addition, the students' positive attitude generates more t for the lessons they teach and as a result, students participate better in the class.
Types of Audio-Visual Aids
Audio Aids
Visual Aids
Audio Visual Aids
The different types of audio-visual aids can be put into three categories:
(a) Audio Aids
All those materials which function as aids by appealing to the ears only, are called audio aids. They are usually used to form speech habits. The following are the main audio aids:
1. Gramophone, Linguaplione and Headphone.
2. Tape-recorder.
3. Radio.
(b) Visual Aids
Material aids that appeal only to the eyes are called visual aids. Some visual aids are:
4. Text-book.
5. Blackboard.
6. Flannel-board.
7. Flash cards.
8. Pictures.
9. Charts, maps, figures and models.
10. Slides and film strips.
11. Epidiascope.
(c) Audio-Visual Aids
These are the aids which appeal to both ears and eyes. These aids are expensive. The following are included in it:
12. Film.
13. Television.
The use of all these aids in teaching English is described in the following lines:
1. Gramophone, Linguaphone and Headphone
These aids are very useful in teaching students to speak English and correct pronunciation. The linguaphones assist in learning English sounds. Gramophones and lingua phones are cheaper than other audio aids.
In them, records are available with booklets. They repeat speech patterns with correct pronunciation, intonation etc. over and over again. The material is carefully selected and graded.
One record is worth three complete lessons. Lingua Phones are also used to teach grammatical structure, poetry, usage, etc. The English teacher should know the technique of stopping and restarting the records. The headphones solve the problem of dealing with individual students. With this he can attend to each student.
2. Tape-recorder
It is a costly aid. It records the words uttered by a speaker. Those words can be reproduced later on as many times as desired. In teaching English, it can be used for the following purposes:
(a) Speech-correction. -
(b) Reading a talk, story, play, poetry, pronunciation of different words, etc.
(c) Reading improvement.
(d) Musical appreciation.
(e) Sound knowledge.
(f) Teacher's comments on film strips and slides etc.
Tape-recorders should be used for well-selected material and it should be presented stage by stage. But the teacher must know that by writing them off and on, he can spoil the effect. Pointing towards the importance of the gramophone and tape recorder.
3. Radio
Radio is a useful aid in language learning since comprehensive courses in language learning are presented on radio. It can prove more useful by
(i)The cooperation between educational and broadcasting authorities.
(ii) Recording radio broadcasts.
(iii) Making the broadcasting programme "known to pupils.
(iv) Adjusting the periods of English with the broadcast.
The following are the Merits of radio as an aid:
(i) It helps in developing comprehension by listening.
(ii) it presents the lectures of outstanding speakers.
(iii) it can be used inside as well as outside the classroom,
(iv) it is cheaper.
But the following are the main Demerits of radio:
(i) Repetition is not possible.
(ii) Adjustment between English periods and broadcasting time becomes very difficult.
(iii) Children sometimes find it uninteresting due to in personal touch.
4. Text-book
It is an aid as well as a method. In the olden days too, books served as aids/These days, textbooks are according to the curriculum prescribed for a class. A textbook should have the following qualities:
(i) The subject matter should be based on students' liking and interest.
(ii) The matter should be graded properly.
(iii) The subject matter should be practical.
(iv) Books should be attractive and illustrative.
(v) These should cover the objectives of teaching English.
(vi) At the end, sufficient exercises should be given.
(vii) They should be well-printed but not costly. -
5. Black-board
It is the cheapest aid which can be handled easily. Almost in every school, in every class, there are black-boards. They are of different types such as wall, standing, reversible. The boards should be in light green colour which soothes, eyes. This aid can be used for the following purposes In English teaching:
(i) For exposition and explanation of words.
(ii) For teaching structures.
(iii) For teaching grammatical forms.
(iv) For teaching writing. -
(v) For writing sentences, answers and compositions.
(vi) For teaching spelling, as C. S. Bhandari points out, "Reading from the board helps to fix in the mind the spelling of words and their order in phrases and sentences.
(vii) For drawing figures and pictures.
(viii) Finally, for testing.
The teacher should follow the following suggestions to make the black-board a useful aid:
(i) The board should be put in the correct place. Every student of the class should be in a position to see it.
(ii) The teacher should write in straight lines with agreeable space
(iii) Coloured chalk should be used for drawing sketches and pictures.
(iv) The blackboard writing should be legible.
(v) While writing on the board, some attention should be given to the class.
(vi) The board should be cleaned before leaving the class.
(vii) Too much use should be avoided.
6. Flannel-board
It is also called a flannel graph or felt board. It can be made easily. A board of plywood is covered with flannel or felt. The board should be 60 cm x 90 cm. Figures, pictures, pieces of paper etc. with sandpaper on their backs can be stuck to it. They can be easily removed. It can be used for:
(i) Teaching reading
(ii) Teaching story.
(iii) Teaching words and sentences.
(iv) Teaching oral composition.
As the teaching proceeds, pictures, figures, words and sentences written on pieces of paper are demonstrated by the teacher, one by one on the flannel board.
7. Flash-cards
Flash cards are like playing cards or postcards. They can be 15 inches long and 2 or 3 inches wide. They are made of soft thick paper. On them, pictures are made with illustrative words or sentences below it,' 'A dog is running." These cards are shown (flashed) to the class as a whole or to each student. They prove useful for teaching preparatory reading of words and sentence structures. They can also help in mastering correct word order and speech habits.
8. Pictures
These are widely used and are very useful aids in teaching English. An old Chinese is saying, "A picture is worth ten thousand words." In teaching English, pictures of schools, shops, markets, fairs, railway stations, offices, rivers, mountains, men, boys, girls, festivals and picturesque scenes can be shown to the class for teaching:
(i) vocabulary,
(ii) structures,
(iii) composition and
(iv) dramatisation. Pictures can be of these kinds:
(a) Picture-postcards
(b) Snap-shots
9. Figures, Charts, Maps and Models
Within figures come sketches and diagrams. Figures and charts are valuable aids. They are neither costly nor difficult to handle. The teacher can draw them on the board or on paper. They supplement the work of pictures. Things which cannot be taught with pictures are not clear through a picture, can be taught by figures and charts Vocabulary, grammar, stories, and sentence structures can be taught through them. Maps can be used in teaching about cities, countries, rivers, mountains, oceans, seas, etc. Models are used to give an illusion of reality. They are made of clay plasticine, cardboard, paper, rubber word etc. They can facilitate Direct methods According to F. G. French, "We can use the models for telling stories, for conversation, and for making the abstract language feel."
10. Slides and Filmstrips
Slides and filmstrips are other useful aids for showing objects and actions. Slides are single, whereas filmstrips exhibit a series of compact and economical forms e.g., the filmstrip of Hans AndersBC; Fairy Tales" drawn by Paul Lorentz. They can be displayed with a shown projector. The teacher's commentary should follow. The film strips can be shown to the class at a slow or fast speed. They can be rolled back whenever necessary They can prove efficient in teaching:
(i) sentence structure
(ii) oral and written composition
(iii) life, society and culture of peoples of different countries
(iv) stories. The educational slides are. available from the Directorate Extension, Programmes for Secondary Education, New Delhi and Fet Embassies.
11. Epidiascope
It is an easily operating apparatus which projects the enlarged images of objects whether opaque or not, by reflection onto a screen or wall. It can be used for:
(i) Teaching composition, calligraphy, structures, story,
(ii) Revising lesson and
(iii) Projecting maps, pictures, figures, charts, pages from books, solid objects.
Describe the audio-visual teaching aids, and indicate the tips for effective use of Picture and chasts.
These teaching aids are used to facilitate both audio and visual senses and encourage listening and observing functions. Thus, these aids involve more than one sense simultaneously and the learner is more active. This is more effective and useful than earlier aids. The learning structure can be generated more easily and comprehensively. These aids develop the perception of the learner which is the. basis for the understanding of any concept Television, films, and radio tapes are examples of audio-visual aids. These are costly and rarely used in teaching-learning situations.
Tips for Effective Use of Pictures
In the matter of language learning, pictures have been used extensively for several centuries. Pictures relate new and unfamiliar items with ideas or concepts symbolised by them. In this way, they help to make verbal abstractions real and concrete.
Pictures help the teacher avoid verbalism in his teaching by giving reality to what he is explaining. A resourceful teacher can add a visual thread to what he talks about through pictures. Words, phrases and sentences come to life when they are associated with pictures.
A Chinese saying goes: "A picture is worth ten thousand words." Small pictures like cards, photographs, and snapshots are suitable for the senior classes, in which each pupil can have one. Wall pictures and the larger picture of pictorial magazines are the best use for younger ones.
Principles for Pictures
(1) Pictures should be used for specific purposes.
(2) They should be hung at a place from which the students can see them easily.
(3) They should be integrated in the lesson.
(4) The teacher should point out what each picture is explaining.
(5) Pictures should be used judiciously.
Overuse of pictures is dangerous. They distract the attention of the students from serious study. -Too many pictures also confuse the mind. So too many pictures should not be used. Pictures are used for teaching the following.
Tips for Effective Use of Charts
Charts of various kinds are very helpful in teaching many lessons in English. Large wall charts can be used for the development of all four skills in English classrooms and should always have three or four charts prominently displayed on its walls.
Charts can be structure charts, word-family charts, pronunciation charts, composition and poetry charts. They can be used for teaching structures, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading comprehension, composition and poetry aspects of English teaching.
Many charts on structures and vocabulary are available in the market. Pupils themselves also can prepare such charts under the guidance of the teacher. Reading sentences and rhymes for charts will be very helpful in choral recitation of rhymes and jingles. The children may also say minimal pairs of words and sentences from charts on pronunciation drills.
A big chart showing the direction and the order of the strokes for writing the letters of the alphabet may be permanently hung on the classroom wall. The pupil may be advised to consult this chart while writing.
Suitable model paragraphs can also be written on charts to enable pupils to write on charts to enable pupils to write Parallel Paragraphs. Poems can also be written on charts. Poems can also be written on charts. Certain things which students are required to learn by heart are better than laughing with the help of charts.
Importance of Audio-Visual Aids
1. These aids accelerate teaching-learning activity in a number of ways because they make the teaching become more effective and the learning becomes easier and permanent.
2. The sound and verbal-aids create anxiousness about learning in the students and also develops the learning habit. Because the teaching method and the medium appear real to them and are not abstract. Learning a new language requires real experiences.
3. The teaching aids break the monotony of the class. Their use avoids dullness and the boring aspect of the class: The direct experiences with the help of these material aids make the class lively.
4. They arouse the interest of the students by providing motivation and stimulation.
5. Economical for the time and energy because they explain the idea easily and precisely and reduce the burden of the teacher by overcoming the limitations of the classroom.
6. Provide varied experience when they study different subjects. It facilitates the student to understand the different cultural backgrounds.
7. Helps to increase the understanding of the subject by bringing the learner in direct contact with the learning objects.
8. The teacher can easily follow the maxim of English teaching, from concrete to abstract with the help of these material aids.
9. These aids help to acquire an indirect experience of the subject matter. The vocabulary and the subject matter develops immensely. The interest in study is sustained. The phraseology is elucidated and effective command The language is gained.
10. They are an important base for the Direct Method of teaching.
11. These aids help the learners to remember things in a better way. The learning is always more lasting.
12. Teaching and learning a foreign language is always difficult. "The audio-visual aids are always helpful. Even for the teaching of English, they give wonderful results.
13. These aids are very helpful in focussing the attention of the students to learn a particular lesson with the help of these aids.
14. A good English teaching is possible in a natural environment. The audio-visual aids help iii creating a natural arid congenial environment.
Describe the merits and demerits of Audio-visual aids?
Merits of Audio Visual Aids
1. According to Deva Singh, "These aids help to acquire an indirect experience of the matter. The vocabulary and the subject develop. Interest in studies is sustained, phraseology is elucidated and effective command of the language is gained."
2. They are the sources of a variety of experiences for students.
3. They are based on the Direct Method.
4. They create interest in learning in students.
5. They are time-saving because they explain the idea easily and precisely.
6. They help in concentrating the attention of pupils in learning the lesson.
7. The teacher can follow the principle of 'from concrete to abstract' with the help of audio-visual aids.
8. By their use, the burden of the teacher is reduced.
9. The teacher can improve his own English by using aural aids.
10. English is a difficult language. Audio-visual aids make learning English easy.
11. A good English teaching is possible only in a natural English environment. Audio-visual aids help in creating that type of environment.
Demerits of Audio Visual Aids
1. The aids may be useful but in Indian conditions, some of these aids are quite expensive to be purchased and maintained e g. television, tape recorder etc;
2. The classroom conditions in India are marked by overcrowded classrooms and poor infrastructure of the class. There is hardly any place to keep the aids properly.
3. The teachers are required to know the technical skills to operate these aids; The material aids can be classified into:
(I) Chalkboards and flannel board,
(II) Audio-visual illustrations,
(III) Textbooks.
4. Most of the schools do not have personnel to manage the upkeep of the electronic aids
5. Often teachers overindulge in the aids. lose track of the subject matter and waste time on irrelevant discussions.
6. The operation of teaching aid requires the teacher to focus on the materials being used and thereby their attention is diverted from the class.
7. As It is, the teacher already has time to prepare the teaching and themselves.
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